but the Belgium created in the 1830s had a predecessor throughout the 17th and 18th century, the Spanish (later Austrian) Netherlands. Not quite that artificial after all, eh?
Besides, the Belgian flag, like its close cousin the German, derives from the heraldic signs of the Holy Roman Empire.
Indeed. What acted as a catalyst for the union between Flanders and Wallonia was their shared Catholicism (politically too) Unfortunately, the establishment pretty much abandoned the Flemish; this accellerated more so in the late 19th early 20th century as Wallonia became an economic powerhouse based on heavy industry (which caused salivating German tongues falling to the floor) Brussels too blossomed and became a Francophone city in culture and outlook. But Wallonias economic power receded and Flanders was on the up. Yet it took a generation for political power to shift away from the Walloons.
