Chronography of Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
Page last
modified 13/5/2022
For map of historical development of selected
canals and railways, Netherlands, click here
Colour key:
People
Spanish control, 1477-1648
Belgium � see
Appendix 1
Luxembourg � see
Appendix 2
Click Here for image of Thielt (Belgium)
marketplace, 1917 and 2019
The Netherlands
20/11/2021, Rioting in Rotterdam as
anti-vaccine crowds clashed with police over lockdown.
22/3/2016, Islamic bomb attacks hit central Brussels and
Brussels Airport. 37 were killed and 187 injured.
1/6/2005, In a referendum, the Dutch became the second nation
to reject the European Constitution.� The
margin was 61% to 39%; the Dutch were worried about loss of their identity in a
wider Europe.
2/11/2004, Dutch film maker Theo Van Gogh, who received death
threats after his film, Submission,
was screened; suggesting that Islam tolerates misogyny and domestic violence,
was gunned down as he cycled to work by a Muslim, a Dutch-Moroccan called Mohammed
Bouyeri.
20/3/2004, Death of Princess
Juliana, formerly Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
2002, The
Netherlands adopted the Euro.
6/5/2002, The Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, known for his
anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views, and was pro-gay rights,, was murdered
by Volkert
van der Graaf, an animal rights campaigner. Volkert received 18 years in
prison, Fortuyn,
54, a former university professor, was openly gay
and ostentatious, employing a butler and a chauffeur in a country where many
politicians cycled to work. He maintained that The Netherlands was �full�, with
16 million people.
2001, Euthanasia was legalised.
27/10/1999, Brothels were legalised in The Netherlands.
9/4/1993, Wouter Perquin,
Dutch MP (KVP), died aged 74.
27/2/1992, Marinus Ruppert,
Dutch Trade Unionist, died aged 80.
2/10/1989, Liesbeth
Ribbius Peletier, first female advisor of State in The Netherlands,
died.
25/9/1989,
Archaeologists opened the Titus of the Rhine grave in Amsterdam.
24/12/1987, Joop den Uyl,
former Dutch Prime Minister, died.
30/4/1980. Queen Juliana of The Netherlands abdicated in
favour of her daughter Beatrix.
13/3/1978, Moluccan terrorists held 72 people hostage in
government buildings in Assen, Holland.
26/8/1976, In the Netherlands, Prince Bernhard, husband of Queen Juliana,
resigned all his public posts after being accused of corruption in his dealings
with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.
14/12/1975, The terrorist seizure of a Dutch express train at Beilen, near
Assen, ended.� On 2/12/1975 south
Moluccan extremists seized the train to protest against the Dutch Government�s
failure to ensure an independent Republic of South Molucca when The Netherlands
granted independence to Indonesia. Indonesia gained independence in 1950; the
South Moluccans, who had fought fiercely for the Dutch against the Japanese in
World War Two, had also resisted the Indonesian independence movement, and in
1950 feared reprisals from Indonesia. 15,000 South Moluccans fled to the
Netherlands, and from 1970 onwards more extremist members of the community had
begun to carry out terrorist attacks within Holland, such as petrol-bombing the
Indonesia Embassy in The Hague. On 2/12/1975 six Moluccans borded the train at
Groningen. They stopped the train at Beilen and shot the driver, 30-year-old
Hans Braam. The passengers were forced into one carriage; one man tried to
escape but was also shot. Dutch forces laid siege to the train, which was in
open countryside and hard to approach unnoticed. Some hostages were released in
return for food and warm clothing, but the Dutch Government refused to
cooperate with the terrorists� demands for international broadcasts of their
cause. Finally, as the Dutch winter closed in and the train under siege from
over 1,000 armed police and military, the Moluccans surrendered and gave up
their last 25 hostages.
13/9/1974, Japanese
�Red Army� terrorists took French diplomats hostage at The Hague. On 17/9/1974
France and The Netherlands paid a ransom.
7/1/1974, In response to fuel shortages The Netherlands
introduced petrol rationing.
1973, In the Netherlands, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) Party
was formed (see 1945). It was an amalgamation of the Catholic People�s Party, the
Anti-Revolutuonary Party, and the Christian Historical Union Party.
4/11/1973, In response to fuel shortages caused by an Arab
oil embargo, The Netherlands introduced car-less Sundays (Autoloze Zondags),
when all motor
vehicles were banned from the road, see also 7/1/1974. By the end of
November 1973 Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and West Germany had also
introduced car-less Sundays. Only emergency vehicles, taxis, and some exsmpt
drivers suich as doctors and diplomats were allowed to drive on the roads.
11/5/1973, Joop den Uyl became Dutch Prime Minister after
a record 164-day ministerial crisis.
28/11/1962, Wilhelmina, Queen of The Netherlands from 1890
to 1948, died.
15/6/1958, Fran�ois de Vries, Dutch economist, died aged
74
3/1/1958. Banks in
The Netherlands were nationalised.
1957,
The Netherlands became a founder member of the EEC.
5/11/1957, The Delta
Plan was published; an ambitious scheme to strengthen the sea defences of
The Netherlands by new bridges, dykes and dams. The sea inlets between
Rotterdam and Antwerp were to be closed off, and the province of Zeeland opened
up to economic development, The project was successfully completed in 1968.
20/9/1949, The Dutch Guilder was devalued by 30.3%.
4/9/1948. Queen Wilhelmina
of the Netherlands, aged 68, Queen since 1890,
abdicated. Juliana, her daughter,39, became Queen on 6/9/1948.
1/11/1947. The Benelux
customs union, officially created on 29/10/1947, became active.
3/7/1947. The Benelux
Union Bill was ratified, creating an economic union of 18 million people.
7/5/1946, Anton Mussert, founder of
the Dutch National socialist Movement and a staunch supporter of Nazi rule in
Holland, was hanged.
1945, The Dutch Catholic
People�s Party (Katholicke Volkspartij, KVP) was founded. It was a
continuation of the Roman Catholic National Party (RKSP), founded in 1922. The
KVP generally got about a third of the vote until the 1960s; then
secularisation, immigration, and the departure of Catholics to splinter
factions began to dramatically reduce that figure.The KVP joined the Ducth Protestant
parties in an interdenominational grouping in 1973, the Christian Democratic
Appeal (CDA) Party; the KVP was totally dissolved in 1980. The KVP, or CDA, has
played a role in all Dutch administrations since 1945.
29/4/1945. Allied
planes began Operation Manna, a 10-day long food drop for the starving Dutch.
During the �Hongerwinter� of 1944/5
severe cold
weather had combined with a Nazi ban on food imports to The Netherlands
and the scorched earth policy of the retreating Nazis to create a famine that
killed 20,000 Dutch civilians, who had been reduced to eating tulip bulbs and
stinging nettles. The RAF dropped 7,030 tons of food, and the US Air Force
dropped a further 4,150 tons under Operation Chowhound; 3.5 million Dutch were
saved from starvation before the German surrender of 8/5/1945. German forces
still occupying Holland did not fire upon the food relief planes, flying at
just 100 metres above ground.
15/9/1944, In London, the Benelux Organisation was formed.
World War Two Damage Rotterdam
For main
events of World War Two see France-Germany
31/1/1938. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands born. She was
the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana. She acceded
to the throne on the abdication of her mother in 1980.
7/1/1937, Juliana, Queen of The
Netherlands from 1948, married Prince Bernhard.
15/7/1935, Pieter Cort van der Linden, Dutch politician,
died� at the Hague.
28/5/1932, The 29 kilometre dyke connecting North Holland
with Friesland was closed, making the Zuyder Zee an inland lake. Amsterdam
could now only be reached from the sea via the 22 kilometre deep water North
Sea Canal, completed in 1876. The dike
increased the size of Holland by 2,030 square kilometres.
1919, Women fully enfranchised in The
Netherlands.
1/5/1919, The reclamation of the Zuyder Zee began.
21/2/1917, Victor Marie Marljnen, Dutch Prime Minister
from 24/7/1963, was born in Arnhem, Netherlands.
1916, The Dutch Parliament voted
to fund the draining of the Zuyder Zee, creating a further 1,200 square miles
of land.
14/1/1916. Zuider Zee dam in the Netherlands
collapsed, causing extensive flooding.
For main
events of World War One see France-Germany
6/2/1915, Derk Roemers, Dutch politician, was born in
Haarlem, Netherlands (died 1983)
30/4/1909, Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands,
was born to Princess Wilhelmina.
1908, In The Netherlands, The Christian
Historical Union (CHU) Party, a Calvinist Party, havng developed from the
Anti-Revolutionary Party, itself founded in 1895. See 1973.
4/10/1906, Johannes Post, Dutch WW2 resistance fighter,
was born in Hollandscheveld, Drente, Netherlands (died 1944)
16/3/1904, For health reasons, The Netherlands restricted the
employment of women and children in trades where lead was used, also near
dangerous machinery.
28/5/1901, For health reasons, The Netherlands� prohibited the manufacture of lucifer matches
using white phosphorus.
23/11/1890, Death of King William III of the Netherlands (born
1817).
6/7/1884, Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect, was born
in Amsterdam.
1/5/1883, The Great International Exhibition at Amsterdam
opened.
31/8/1880, Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands was born.
4/3/1853, Pope Pius IX set up five new
bishoprics in The Netherlands, at Breda, Haarlem, s�Hertogenbosh and Roermond,
also the Archbishopric of Utrecht, Until then The Netherlands had had no proper
Catholic
hierarchy since the Reformartion, and had been classified as a �mission area�.
The imposition of this new hierarchy started the April Movement, an anti-Catholic protest in which Catholics were
harried on the streets and dismissed from their jobs. The Netherlands
Government wasd forced to resign and eventually the anti-Catholic protests
faded away.
14/5/1846, Pieter Cort van
der Linden, Dutch politician, was born.
1849, A further programme of canal construction was undertaken
in The Netherlands, see Canals for details and dates.
16/3/1843, Anton Falck,
Dutch statesman, died (born 19/3/1777).
7/10/1840, King
Willem I of The Netherlands abdicated aged 68 to marry Roman
Catholic Belgian Countess d�Oultremont, who was unpopular with the Dutch. He
was succeeded by his 47-year-old son who ruled as Willem II until 1849.
5/10/1837, Hortense
de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, died
1830,
Secession of Belgium from The Netherlands,
28/3/1820. Louis
XVIII of
France and King
William of the Netherlands agreed that the frontier of their
countries should be as it was in 1790.
17/2/1817, William III,
King of the Netherlands, was born.
1815-30, A major canal contruction programme began in The
Netherlands, see
Canals for details and dates.
27/9/1815, Coronation of King William I of Holland, at Brussels.
16/3/1815, William of
Orange was proclaimed William I, King of the Netherlands.
21/6/1814, The Kingdom of The Netherlands was
created by a union of the Austrian Netherlands with Holland. The Austrian Netherlands plus the Bishopric of
Liege (which bisected it) were approximately equivalent to todays Belgium, whilst Holland (United Provinces) was slightly smaller than today�s Netherlands. The �Austrian Netherlands�
had come into being after the Treaty of Rastatt (1714); the British and Dutch
had been keen to see Austria have possession of the region following the War of
Spanish Succession, as these powers feared French domination of the area.
15/11/1813. The Dutch
rebelled and expelled their French rulers.
9/7/1810. Louis Bonaparte abdicated as ruler of Holland
over a dispute about the effectiveness of the blockade against British goods. Napoleon annexed Holland.
5/6/1806, Louis Bonaparte was declared King of the
Netherlands.
2/10/1799, The Duke of York captured Alkmaar, in the
Netherlands.
11/10/1797, At the naval Battle
of Camperdown, off the Dutch coast, the British defeated the Dutch, who
had been a threat to British naval supremacy.
See France
for more events of the Napoleonic Wars
2/1/1795, The French captured the
Dutch fleet as it stood frozen into the River Texel. William V escaped to
England as the French established a Batavian Republic.
20/5/1784, Peace of Versailles, between England and Holland.
20/11/1780. Britain declared war on Holland, one of the
members of the League of Armed Neutrality. This League had been
set up on 28/2/1780 by Czarina Catherine II of Russia, after
complaints that the British navy was attacking other county�s ships
indiscriminately whether they were involved in the American War on Independence
or not.
19/3/1777, Anton Falck, Dutch statesman, was born (died
16/3/1843).
22/10/1751, The Dutch
Stadtholder, William
IV, died aged 40. He was succeeded by his 3-year old son William V,
who ruled until 1795.
7/5/1748, French
forces captured Maastricht, in the War of the Austrian Succession.
22/11/1747, Prince William IV of Orange became Stadtholder
of all the United Provinces (Holland).
29/1/1713, Britain
and The Netherlands signed a second Barrier
Treaty, modifying the terms of the first such Treaty (see 29/10/1709). The
number of �barrier towns� to be fortified by Britain against France was
reduced.
29/10/1709, Britain and The Netherlands signed the
Barrier Treaty. The Netherlands guaranteed to support the Protestant
Hanoverian succession in Britain, and Britain guaranteed to maintain a
�barrier� of towns in southern Netherlands against possible French aggression.
15/12/1707, Jan van
Broekhuizen, Dutch classical scholar, died (born 20/11/1649).
12//9/1703, Hapsburg Archduke
Ferdinand was proclaimed King of Spain, War of the Spanish Succession began. France had already, in 1701,
begun to occupy key fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands, following the death
of the Spanish monarch Charles II on 2/10./1700, with no heir.
20/9/1697, The Treaty
of Ryswick ended the Nine Years War. This Treaty led to the Barrier Treaties (1709-15) between
Britain and the Netherlands, with the idea that Britain would assist The
Netherlands to maintain a line of fortresses against any future French attacks.
These fortresses included Ypres, Lille, Tournai, Valenciennes and Namur. In
return the Dutch promised to send 6,000 troops to help Britain resist a
Jacobite uprising, which they did supply in 1715.
26/11/1688, Louis XIV
declared war on The Netherlands.
30/10/1680, Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish mystic, was born
in Lille (died in Friesland 30/10/1680).
29/4/1676, Michael de Ruyter, Dutch naval officer, died
(born 24/3/1607).
19/2/1674, The Treaty of Westminster ended the Third
Anglo-Dutch War.
20/8/1672,� Johan de Witt, Dutch politician, was
assassinated (born 24/9/1625).
17/3/1672, The third Anglo-Dutch war began, because Charles II
was bound under the secret provisions of the Treaty of Dover to support Louis XIV.
The Treaty of Dover, 1670, was
concluded between Charles II and Louis XIV of France, following
negotiations begun back in 1668. However the weaker Dutch fleet held back the
English, who were facing difficulties in financing this war. In 1673 the English
Parliament agreed to raise taxes to fund the conflict in return for the passing
of the Test Act. This Act required
all holding civil or military office to accept the Church of England sacrament and
reject the Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation. The subsequent resignation
of the Duke
of York (the future James II) and others betrayed the presence of
Catholics in the English high office. Meanwhile in August 1672 a revolution in
the Netherlands brought William of Orange (future King William III) to power. In
August / September 1673 Spain, Austria and Brandenburg, and in January 1674 Denmark,
all declared war on France. The Dutch encouraged the belief amongst the English
that the war constituted a betrayal of Protestant interests by Catholics in
high office. In 1674 England concluded a separate peace with The Netherlands,
the Treaty of Westminster.
See also Britain,
and France,
for events leading to the third Anglo-Dutch War
23/2/1669, Lieuwe Aitzema, Dutch statesman, died (born
19/11/1600, in Doccum, Friesland).
31/7/1667. The Peace
of Breda ended the war between England and the Netherlands.� Trade laws were modified in favour of the
Dutch, who also gained Surinam but recognised British possession of New
York.� See 18/6/1667 and 2/2/1665.
18/6/1667. The Dutch humiliated the English by breaking
through a defensive chain in the Thames Estuary at Chatham and sailing up The
Thames to burn or capture English ships. See 31/7/1667.
3/6/1665, The Duke of York defeated a Dutch fleet off Lowestoft. The Dutch admiral was killed
in the battle, and 16 of his ships sunk.
16/4/1654. The Peace
of Westminster ended the First Anglo-Dutch war between England and The Netherlands, but the
Navigation Act which led to the war
was retained. See 6/10/1651.
9/8/1653, Marten Harpertszoon Tromp, the Dutch Admiral
who fought against Spain� and England,
was killed in battle against England off the Dutch coast.
20/2/1653. Admiral Robert Blake defeated the Dutch under Martin Van
Tramp off Portsmouth.
8/7/1652, The First Anglo-Dutch war began.
6/10/1651. The English issued a commercial challenge to
the Dutch by passing the Navigation Act; this prohibited the
import of goods into England from America, Asia, or Africa in any except
British or colonial ships; with a crew at least half-English. This was a
challenge to Amsterdam�s status as Europe�s leading port. This was an attempt
to revive the English economy, depressed by three years of plague and bad
harvests. In 1652 England declared war on The Netherlands after an
incident where a Dutch fleet refused to be searched by the British. See
15/4/1654, and 1/10/1660.
20/11/1649, Jan van Broekhuizen,
Dutch classical scholar, was born (died 15/12/1707)
30/1/1648, To free his forces for the
war against France, Philip IV of Spain made peace in the United
Provinces at Munster. Spain therefore made major concessions. The United
Provinces (Netherlands) were recognised as independent by Spain, all Dutch
conquests were recognised, and freedom of trade in the East and West Indies was
conceded.
14/3/1647, Frederick Henry, Prince of
Orange, died.
29/8/1645, Hugo Grotius, Dutch statesman, died.
4/11/1641, A Dutch fleet defeated a Spanish
fleet off Cape St Vincent.
21/10/1639, Battle
of the Downs. A Dutch fleet under Maarten
Tromp defeated the Spanish in The Channel, effectively ending
Spain�s role as a major naval power.�
Spain was weakened by the breakaway of Portugal (12/1640), and the rise
of France.� Spain�s colonial quarrels
with the Dutch, in Brazil and the Portuguese spice islands, were now superseded
by these areas now being under Portuguese rule.
16/6/1626, Christian of Brunswick, Dutch General, died
(born 20/9/1599).
4/4/1625, Maurice of Nassau died and was succeeded by
his brother, Frederick Henry. See
12/7/1584.
24/9/1625, John de Witt, Dutch statesman, was born (died
1672).
2/7/1625, The Spanish, fighting to gain control over The
Netherlands, captured the town of Breda after nearly a year of siege.
23/4/1625, Maurice died,
disappointed by his failure to relieve Breda.
10/1622, The Dutch lifted the
Spanish siege of Bergen-op-Zoom.
3/6/1621, The Dutch West India Company was formed, to organise the trade from the
Dutch colonies in Africa and America.
9/4/1621, The 12 years truce between the Dutch and Spain
came to an end, and hostilities resumed.
13/5/1619, After a trial of very dubious
legality, the Remonstrants
(see 9/7/1618) were sentenced to death. Grotius� and Hoogerbeets� sentences were
commuted to life imprisonment.
6/5/1619, The Remonstrant Party was banned,
and its preachers deprived.
9/7/1618, Religious dispute in
Holland between Jacobus
Arminius and Gomarus. Gomarus supported the doctrine of predestination;
Arminius
opposed it. The Arminians, or Remonstrants,
were supported by the local State-Princes; the Contra-Remonstrants (Gomarus) were supported by Maurice,
who also had the Army on his side. Maurice moved to eliminate the waard-gelders, the local militia
possessed by the State-Princes. Supporting the Remonstrants were Hugo de Groot
(Grotius) and Hoogerbeets. See 13/5/1619.
13/1/1616, Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish
mystic, was born in Lille (died in Friesland 30/10/1680).
1615,
The Dutch had now reclaimed over 300 square kilometres of farmland from the sea.
9/4/1609. A twelve year truce between Spain and The
Netherlands was agreed, under French mediation.
4/1607, Dutch Admiral Heemskerk destroyed the
Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
24/3/1607, Michael de Ruyter, Dutch naval
officer, was born (died 29/4/1676).
20/9/1604, The Spanish captured
Ostend, after a 38-month siege, from Dutch rebels.� England had
made peace with Spain and so the Dutch were without allies.� However Spanish sea power was on the wane,
and the Dutch made a truce, see 9/4/1609.
15/7/1601,
Spanish forces commenced a siege of Ostend (see 20/9/1604).
2/7/1600, At the Battle
of Nieuwpoort, Dutch forces under Maurice of Nassau defeated Spanish forces
under Archduke Albert of Austria in a battle on the coastal dunes.
20/9/1599, Christian of Brunswick, Dutch
General, was born (died 16/6/1626).
23/4/1598, Maarten Tromp, Dutch Admiral, was born.
20/8/1597, Dutch seafarers brought back spice cargo from Java, see 2/4/1595
and 20/3/1602.
20/6/1597, Dutch navigator Willem Barents
who led a team of three to find the North West Passage, and who discovered Spitsbergen on his last voyage, died at
sea.
24/1/1597, Battle of Turnhout, Netherlands. A
Spanish force of 4,500 was routed by Maurice with sccarcely any loss to the
Dutch
2/4/1595, The Dutch launched an
expedition to try and open up a trade route to the East Indies, or Spice
Islands, independent from the Spanish.�
Before the Union of Spain and Portugal in 1580/81, the Dutch commanded most of
the spice trade between Lisbon and northern Europe.� After this date, the Spanish shut the Portuguese
out from this trade.� This voyage was
marred by losses, but the survivors who reached Texel on 20/8/1597 brought back
valuable cargo, plus a treaty with the Sultan of Bantam, in Java.� See 20/3/1602.
1594, Maurice�s forces captured
Groningen. The northern Netherlands was now clear of Spanish forcers.
1593, Maurice�s forces captured
Geertruidenburg, after besieging it for 3 months.
3/12/1592, Alexander Farnese, Duke of
Parma, Governor-General of The Netherlands under King Philip II of Spain, died (born
27/8/1545).
21/10/1591, Dutch forces captured
Nijmegen.
20/6/1591, Dutch forces captured
Deventer.
20/5/1591, Dutch forces captured
Zutphen.
29/10/1590, Dirck Coonhert, Dutch
politician, died (born 1522).
8/3/1590, Dutch forces under Maurice
made a surprise attack on Breda and captured it from the Spanish.
1588, Spain by now could
probably have totally subdued The Netherlands; however Spanish were now
focussed on the Spanish Armada, and invading England.
6/8/1587, The Earl of Leicester, who had been
leading English forces helping the Dutch to resist the Spanish, returned to
England after failing to prevent Spanish forces capturing the port of Sluis.
22/9/1586, The Battle
of Zutphen. British and Dutch forces defeated by the
Spanish.
2/1586, Maurice of Nassau was now effectively King
of the Netherlands.
17/8/1585, The city of Antwerp, besieged by the Spanish for 13 months, surrendered to them.
10/8/1585, Elizabeth I of England signed the Treaty of Nonsuch, promising 64,000 foot soldiers, 1,000 cavalry,
and 600,000 florins a year to support Protestant rebels in The Netherlands
against Spain. Although Elizabeth disliked involvement in foreign
European wars, the Spanish presence in The Netherlands was too close to England
to ignore. King Philip
II of Spain, who had laid siege to Antwerp in 1584, saw this Treaty as a declaration of war.
1585, Sovereignty of the Netherlands was
offered to King
Henry III of France, but he shrewdly declined this honour, facing
dissent within France itself. The Netherlands now looked to England for
support.
12/7/1584,
William the Silent, Prince of Orange, was assassinated, shot by a fanatical
Catholic, Balthazar Gerard (see 15/3/1581). His youngest son, Maurice
of Nassau, was elected
stadtholder of Zeeland and Holland in his place, subsequently also of Utrecht,
Overyssel and Gelderland also. Maurice became Commander of the Netherlands
Army and succeeded in driving the Spanish entirely out of the United Provinces
(Netherlands). A 12-year truce with
Spain was concluded in 1609, whereby Spain acknowledged the independence of the
United Provinces. However in 1621 Spain again
attempted to reassert control over the United Provinces, only to be evicted
later on.
17/3/1583,
The Duke of Anjou attempted to gain more power in
the United Provinces, by a surprise attack on Antwerp, but was successfully
resisted by the citizenry. This was the �French
Fury�.
13/7/1573, The Spanish captured Haarlem after a 7-month siege.
18/3/1852,
A youth named Jean Jaureguy
attempted tassassinate the Duke of Anjou. He fired a bullet which
badly wounded him but was not fatal.
2/1582,
The Duke of Anjou was formally inauguared as Duke of
Brabant (see 23/1/1581). Soon afterwards he was also installed as Duke of Gelderland,
Count of Flanders and Lord of Friesland. William of Orange chose
to reside at Antwerp so as to be able tomreadily assist the Duke of Anjou.
26/7/1581. (see 8/11/1576). The Estates General (Parliament) of The Hague deposed Philip II of Spain as the ruler of the Seven
Provinces of the Union of Utrecht; effectively declaring UDI against Spain.
24/7/1581, William of Orange
agreed to become Count of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland (see 23/1/1581).
15/3/1581, Philip II of Spain declared William
of Orange a traitor (the�Ban�) and a reward was offered to anyne who
would assassinate him (see 12/7/1584).
23/1/1581, To gain an ally in order
to withstand the power of Philip II of Spain, sovereignty of the Northern
Provinces was offered to the Duke of Anjou, thereby
gaining the support of France. However the Duke of Anjou was a Catholic, which initially raised suspicions of betrayal amongst
some citizens of the Northern Provinces. William of Orange
mainiained that the installation of the Duke of Anjou was a necessity and
persisted with this policy. The provinces of Holland and Zeeland remained
unwilling to recognise any sovereign except William of Orange.
19/5/1579, Treaty of the Malcontents, between Catholic nobles in The
Netherlands and the Prince of Parma.
29/1/1579, Under
the Treaty of Utrecht, the Northern Provinces were united to form what
is now The Netherlands. This was largely due to the efforts of John of Nassau.
6/1/1579, Union of Arras. The southern Netherlands principalities of Artois,
Hainault and Douai signed a Union in oppoisition to the northern Netherlands,
with the intention of returning to the Catholic
rule of Philip
II of Spain. Later in January 1579 the northern Netherlands
provinces, opposed to Catholic Spain, formed the Union of Utrecht.
31/1/1578, Battle of Gemblours, Netherlands. Farnese
attacked and defeated a Dutch force.
8/11/1576. Spanish soldiers rampaged
through Antwerp, killing some 7,000 people, and looting, in response to a
rebellion against the tax imposed by the Spanish
governor, the Duke of Alba. This caused a brutal repression, in 1572,
against this rebellion, and some Spanish soldiers mutinied; some soldiers had
also not been paid. Now leaders of the Catholic and Protestant Hapsburg
Netherlands agreed to sink their differences and unite against the Spanish. See 26/7/1581.
1574,
The Dutch took the town of
Middleburg from Spanish forces.
3/10/1574, The relief of Leyden. William
of Orange broke a dyke to flood the polders and then sailed
his ships right up to the besieged city of Leyden to bring relief food, bread
and herrings.The city had been besieged by the
Spanish army since May 1574, and its inhabitants were reduced to eating dogs
and rats. The Dutch had a navy but no army capable of defeating the Spanish.
William of Orange broke the dykes, but the Spanish army believed they were
safe, as Leiden is 36 kilometres from the sea. The dykes allowed the Dutch navy
to sail to within 8 kilometres of Leyden, but an easterly wind kept the waters
beyond that too shallow. However in October 1574 the wind changed to a south
westerly gale, pushing the North Sea waters right up to the city. The Spanish
army fled the advancing waters. William
of Orange resupplied the starving city, and offered it a choice of tax
relief or a University as a reward for its bravery. The city chose the latter,
and so the University of Leiden was founded in
1575.
14/4/1574, Battle of Mookerheyde, Netherlands.
1/4/1572, Resistance
fighters (the �Beggars�) against the Spanish rule of King Philip II over the
Netherlands took the Dutch port of Brill and environs. This encouraged the spread
of the anti-Spanish revolt across the Netherlands.
21/7/1568, Battle of Jemmingen, Netherlands. Spanish soldiers
under the Duke
of Alba lured Dutch rebels into an open position, then massacred
them.
5/6/1568, Philip Horn, Netherrlands statesman, was
executed by the Spanish.
4/6/1568, Leaders
of the Flemish opposition to the Inquisition were executed as traitors in
Brussels. This sparked revolt in The Netherlands.
23/5/1568, Battle of Heiligerlee, Netherlands.
1567, The Council of Blood (or, Council
of Troubles) was established by the Duke of Alba, Spanish Hapsburg military commender of the
Low Countries, in order to suppress heresy and rebellion. Its
decisions were seen as harsh, and it helped foment revolt in the Netherlands;
the Council was dissolved in 1576
1559, The Duke of Alba began a reform of
the tax system, replacing a multiplicity of local taxes with standardised ones.
The least popular of these was the �Tenth
Penny� Tax, a 10% tax on all transactions except on real estate. In 1571
there were widespread revolts against this tax, and in 1574 the Spanish gave
up trying to collect it.
27/8/1545, Alexander
Farnese, Governor-General of The Netherlands under King Philip II
of Spain, was born (died 3/12/1592).
24/4/1533, William the Silent, Prince of Orange, was born at Dillenburg Castle,
Nassau, Germany.
8/1/1488, The present Netherlands Royal
navy was founded,
by decree of Maximillian
I of Austria.
28/10/1485, Rodolphus Agricola, Dutch scholar (born
23/8/1443) died.
23/12/1482. Burgundy and Picardy were absorbed into France by the Treaty of Arras. Meanwhile other Burgundian lands
in the Low Countries passed to the Hapsburgs
due to the marriage of Charles� only child, Margaret, to the future Holy
Roman Empire, Maximilian
I.
26/12/1481, At the Battle
of Westbroek, Holland defeated the troops of Utrecht.
10/1/1480, Margaret of Austria, Regent of The Netherlands
1507-30, was born.
7/8/1479, The
Battle of Guinegatte. A French
army attempting to invade The Netherlands was defeated by Maximilian of Austria, with
Flemish foot soldiers.
18/8/1477, The Hapsburgs gained possession of the Netherlands through the marriage of the son
of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, Maximillian, with Mary, daughter of
Charles the Bold.
23/8/1443, Rodolphus
Agricola, Dutch scholar (died 28/10/1485) was born.
18/11/1421. 73 villages were flooded and up to 100,000 people killed
when a dyke gave way just south east of Dordrecht,
Holland. This polder was never reclaimed; today its marshes and lakes make up
the Biesbosch national park.
22/7/1387, Francis Ackerman, Flemish diplomat, was
murdered in Ghent.
24/7/1345, Jacob van Artevelde, Flemish statesman, was
murdered in Ghent.
24/6/1340. The English fleet, under Edward III defeated the French fleet at Sluys. The French fleet
was virtually destroyed, giving Edward III control of the sea. However both
the French and English rulers were short of money and unable to pay their
troops; so Edward
III, and Philip VI of France, settled at the Treaty of Esplechin.
The dispute between England and France had links to the Flemish weavers who rebelled but were
defeated on 24/8/1328 by the new Philip VI
of France. Also Philip VI supported the
Scots under David
Bruce against the English. In 1336 Edward
III renewed his claim to the French throne. In 1338 Edward III cut wool exports to Flanders, forcing
up wool prices and causing economic hardship to the
weavers there. Edward then lifted the wool
embargo, and encouraged the weavers to rebel again against Philip VI,
to secure the unification and independence
of Flanders.
7/6/1340, Rotterdam
was officially declared a city.
24/8/1328. Flemish weavers rebelled against the French
but were defeated at Mount Cassel by
Philip VI,
the new King of France. See 24/6/1340.
11/7/1302, A French army invading Flanders (see 19/5/1302)
was heavily defeated at Courtrai, (Battle of the Spurs).
18/5/1302, The Matins of Bruges. The Dutch rebelled against the French and
massacred the French garrison in Bruges.
14/12/1287, The sea broke through the dike at Stavoren, Netherlands,
forming the Zuider Zee.
1299, Rotterdam began to become a major seaport, when it
received trading priveliges from Count John, the same as Haarlem and Beverwijk
a;lready enjoyed. Rotterdam then became prosperous on its trade with England.
1249, The Hague became the seat of Dutch Government; Count Willem II built a castle
there this year.
1204, The city of Amsterdam was founded,
as a dam on the River Amstel.
698, Willibrord of Utrecht
discovered Heligoland.
Appendix
1 � Belgium
2002, Belgium adopted the Euro.
1999, A new Belgian Government included the Green Party for the
first time, as environmental concerns became more
widespread.
31/7/1993, King Baudouin I
of Belgium died.
5/3/1992, In
Belgium, Christian Democrat Jean-Luc Dehaene agreed to form a coalition
government after a three-month political crisis.
20/3/1985, The
Belgian Parliament approved the deployment of Cruise Missiles.
1983, Death of Leopold III, King of the Belgians 1934-51 until
he involuntarly abdicated in favour of his son, Baudouin, on 17/7/1951.
1980, Belgium adopted a new Constitution devolving government by
language; French, Flemish (Dutch) and German.
26/3/1961, In Belgian elections, the Christian Socialists
lost their overall majority and formed a coalition government with the
Socialists. Theodore
Lefevre (Christian Socialist) succeeded Gaston Eyskens (also Christian
Socialist) as Prime Minister.
19/10/1958, The 1958 World Fair closed in Brussels. It attracted 40
million visitors, the main centrepiece being The Atomuim, which remains today.
1957, Belgium became one of the founder
members of the EEC.
17/7/1951, Baudouin became King of Belgium, after the
enforced abdication of his father, King Leopold III.
Leopold surrendered
the Belgian armed forces to the Nazis on 28/5/1940, just 18 days after the
German invasion of Belgium began, a move condemned as too hasty by the Allies. Leopold
then chose to become a PoW in the luxurious surroundings of Laeken Castle, near
Brussels. However there was evidence that Leopold had averted the deportation of half a
million Belgian women in 1942 to work in German munitions factories. After the War Leopold
was exiled to London. Belgian opinion on his return wad divided on ethnic/religious
lines, with a referendum providing a 58% pro-Leopold majority. This majority
was mainly from the Catholic Flemish north of Belgium. The southern Walloon
socialist liberals were against Leopold�s return. In July 1950 Belgian
coalminers went on strike against Leopold. In the interests of national unity Leopold
abdicated in favour of his son.
1/8/1950, King Leopold III abdicated in favour of his
son Baudouin.
23/7/1950, Anti-Leopold riots in Brussels, Belgium.
22/7/1950, Leopold III of Belgium returned to the throne
after 6 years.
12/3/1950. A referendum
in Belgium favoured the monarchy. King Leopold III returned to the throne after
6 years on 22/7/1950. On 23//7/1950 there were anti-Leopold riots on the
streets of Brussels. On 1/8/1950 King Leopold abdicated in favour of his son Baudouin.
25/8/1947, Franz Cumont, Belgian historian of religion
(born 3/1/1868) died in Brussels.
1/11/1947. The Benelux
customs union, officially created on 29/10/1947, became active.
3/7/1947. The Benelux
Union Bill was ratified, creating an economic union of 18 million people.
1945, The Belgian Christian People�s Party was founded. A
Roman Catholic Party, it previously existed as the Catholic Bloc (founded
1936), itself a successor to the first modern Belgian Catholic Party, founded
in 1884.
18/7/1945, The Belgian senate voted to forbid the return of Leopold III.
7/6/1944. King Leopold of Belgium was arrested.
1940-1944, Belgium was under Nazi
occupation during World War Two.
Fascist conflict in Belgium pre-World War Two
4/1939, In the Belgian elections, over 45% of votes in the
German-speaking eastern districts went to the Heimattreue Front, which wanted
these regions incorporated into the German Reich.
13/10/1937. The integrity of Belgium was guaranteed by Germany.
22/10/1936. Martial law was imposed in
Belgium to control the Fascists.
24/5/1936. Rexists,
Belgian Fascists, won 21 seats in the General Election.
12/7/1934, Belgium banned
uniformed political parties.
29/8/1935, Queen Astrid of Belgium was
killed in a car crash.
23/2/1934. King Leopold III succeeded to the throne of
Belgium.
17/2/1934. Albert I, King
of Belgium, aged 58, was killed in a climbing accident near Namur, after a
25-year reign. He was succeeded by his son, Leopold III, aged 32, who ruled
until 1950.
7/9/1930, King Baudouin of the Belgians was born at
Stuyenberg Castle, the elder son of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid.
4/11/1926, Queen Astrid of Belgium (1905-35), daughter of
Charles of
Sweden and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, married Leopold III,
Crown Prince of Belgium, who became King of Belgium on 23/2/1934.Mother of King Baudouin I
of Belgium, she was killed in a car accident near Kussnacht, Switzerland.
5/4/1925, The Belgian Workers Party won parliamentary
elections.
4/4/1922, In Brussels, Armand Jeanns was sentenced to death for
betraying nurse Edith Cavell to the Germans.
1921, Belgium-Luxembourg
economic union formed; the two currencies were now at a fixed exchange rate.
10/1/1920. Eupen and Malmedy united with Belgium; this was
ratified by plebiscite later in 1920.
1914-1918,
Belgium under German occupation. For
main events of World War One see France-Germany
14/8/1910, A fire at the World Exhibition, Brussels,
destroyed some of the paintings.
25/4/1910, King Albert I opened the World Exhibition in
Brussels.
23/12/1909. Prince Albert took the oath of fidelity of the
Belgian constitution and became King Albert I of Belgium. He was born on
8/4/1875 at Brussels.� He died from a
fall whilst rock climbing at Namur on 17/2/1934.
17/12/1909, Albert I, 34, succeeded his uncle Leopold II
as King of Belgium, who died aged 74 this day. Leopold II had ruled for nearly
41 years and amassed great personal wealth from his exploitation of the Congo. Albert I
ruled until 1934.
7/3/1905, Auguste Lambermont, Belgian statesman, died
(born 25/3/1819).
15/11/1902, King Leopold II of Belgium was attacked by
anarchist Genaro
Rubbino.
3/11/1901, Leopold III, King of Belgium from 1934, was
born the son of King
Albert I.
27/5/1900, Belgium became the first country to elect a
government by proportional representation.
18/4/1893. Belgium introduced pluralism and universal male
suffrage.
4/1/1891, Pierre de Decker, Belgian statesman, died
(born 1812).
11/7/1886, Jules Malou, Belgian statesman, died.
15/10/1883, The Palace of Justice opened in Brussels.
12//9/1876. King Leopold of Belgium formed the
International African
Association to co-ordinate the activities of European explorers in Africa.
8/4/1875, Albert I, King of Belgium, born.
10/12/1865,
Leopold I, King of Belgium, its first sovereign after separation from The Netherlands, died aged 74. He was succeeded by his
30-year old son, Leopold II.
19/3/1865, Joseph
Lebeau, Belgian statesman, died (born 3/1/1794).
9/4/1835, Leopold II, King of Belgium, was born in
Brussels.
Belgium achieves independence
from The Netherlands
19/4/1839, The Treaty of London
officially recognised the independent Kingdom of Belgium. Willem II
of The Netherlands retained the eastern part of Luxembourg with himself as
Duke.
21/7/1831, Prince Leopold became Leopold I, King of Belgium, when
that country separated from the Netherlands.
4/6/1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was chosen as
the first sovereign of newly independent Belgium.
7/2/1831, The
Belgian Constitution was published.
20/12/1830. Belgium achieved independence,
conceded by the Dutch
King William.� The Belgians were mainly Catholic, but the
Dutch were mainly Protestant. On 20/1/1831 in London, the boundaries of the
Netherlands and Belgium were settled, and the neutrality of Belgium was
guaranteed by the European powers.
28/10/1830, Liege became part of Belgium.
27/10/1830,
Dutch forces bombarded Antwerp, in an attempt to thwart the secession of
Belgium from The Netherlands.
14/10/1830, Belgium proclaimed its independence,
having been part of the Low Countries (Netherlands).
4/10/1830, Belgium demanded
independence from the Netherlands.
26/9/1830. The Belgians
defeated a Dutch Army sent to quell the Belgian Revolution of 24 August.
25/8/1830, Demonstrations
in Brussels against Dutch rule of Belgium.
24/8/1830. The
Belgian Revolution began late in the night in Brussels. See 26/9/1830.
25/5/1821, Henri Alexis Brialmont, Belgian military
engineer, was born.
25/3/1819, Auguste Lambermont, Belgian statesman, was
born (died 7/3/1905).
2/6/1812, Jan de Winter, Dutch Admiral, died (born
1750).
24/4/1812, Hubert Frere-Orban, Belgian statesman, was
born (died 2/1/1896).
3/1/1794, Joseph Lebeau, Belgian statesman, was born
(died 19/3/1865).
6/11/1792, The French under General
Dumouriez decisively defeated the Austrians at the Battle of
Jenappes, Belgium. As a result of this battle, the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium) were annexed by revolutionary
France.
16/12/1790, Leopold I, King of the Belgians, was born.
18/6/1789, Austrian troops occupied Brussels.
11/5/1745, The Battle of Fontenoy took place in Belgium,
during the War of the Austrian
Succession. Marshal
de Saxe won a French
victory over British and Allied forces. William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, had been
sent with Austrian, British, Dutch and Hanoverian troops to relieve Tournai,
Belgium, under siege by the French. Cumberland�s army was beaten back with
casualties of 7,000 and forced to retreat during the night towards Brussels.
The British suffered further setbacks in Flanders and as troops were called
back to fight the Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart. The
British made peace with France at Aix la Chapelle in 1748.
23/5/1706, The Battle
of Ramillies, between Louvain and Namur in Belgium.� Allied British and Dutch armies under Marlborough
intercepted a French offensive. 15,000 French and 5,000 Allied soldiers died.
The result of Ramillies was that
Brussels, Antwerp and most of the Spanish Netherlands surrendered. By the end
of 1706 the French held only Namur and Mons in The Netherlands.
1/6/1690, At Fleurus, Belgium, a French Army fought an allied
Spanish and Dutch army.� The French
won.
10/8/1648, Battle of Lens, Belgium.
1585, The
Dutch blockaded the port of Antwerp.
1/6/1523, Two followers of Martin Luther were burnt alive
in Brussels.
1402, Construction of Brussels
Town Hall began.
2/3/1124, Charles The Good, Count of Flanders, was
murdered.
Appendix
2 - Luxembourg
10/7/2005, Luxembourg voted
to accept the European Constitution.
2002, Luxembourg
adopted the Euro.
1957, Luxembourg
became one of the founder members of the EEC.
1948, The Benelux
Treaty created a customs union.
1940-1944, Luxembourg was
under Nazi occupation during World War Two.
1921, Luxembourg
entered an economic union with Belgium.
1867, The Treaty of London declared that Luxembourg was neutral territory.
12/4/963, The foundation of Luxembourg. On this day Count Sigefroi of the House of Ardenne
acquired the site of present day Luxembourg City for the purpose of erecting a
castle there.