Belgium: From the Roman Invasion to the Present Day.

Few countries have stood so often at the crossroads of Europe's conflicts as Belgium, and few have been described with such affection as in this history by one of the nation's most eloquent advocates.

What it's about

Emile Cammaerts surveys the long story of Belgium from the Roman conquest of the ancient Low Countries through the medieval rise of its great trading cities, the successive dominations by foreign powers, the birth of the modern kingdom in 1830, and on toward his own day. He charts the invasions, prosperity, artistic flowering, and political struggles of a territory whose position made it both a workshop of civilisation and a highway for armies.

Themes

Central to the book is the resilience of a small nation repeatedly caught between larger powers, and the endurance of a distinct Belgian identity across centuries of upheaval. Cammaerts writes with patriotic warmth, alive to his country's cultural achievements and to the courage with which it has met invasion and hardship.

Why it still matters

Belgium's location has made its history inseparable from the history of Europe as a whole, and this readable single-volume account remains a useful introduction to how the modern nation came to be. Written by a Belgian who lived through his country's ordeals, it carries the conviction of personal feeling as well as the sweep of centuries.

Who it's for

For readers of European history, for anyone curious about Belgium's outsized role in the continent's fortunes, and for travellers who like to understand the deep past of the places they visit.

Sources and references

Verified references for this edition: Open Library.