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Yser Testament
The Yser Testament ( nl, IJzertestament), officially entitled Open Letter to the King of the Belgians Albert I ( nl, Open brief aan den Koning der Belgen Albert I), was an 11-page open letter addressed to King Albert I and published on 11 July 1917 during World War I. The letter's author, the philologist , set out a number of grievances relating to the treatment of the Flemish within the Belgian Army fighting on the Yser Front during World War I, especially concerning the perceived inequality of French and Dutch languages. It demanded that new legislation to equalise the status of the two languages be introduced after the war. The letter was the most famous action of the Frontbeweging and is considered an important moment in the history of the Flemish Movement. The letter expressed loyalty to Albert I and demanded autonomy, rather than independence, for Flanders within a Belgian framework. It nonetheless provoked an angry reaction from the High Command which viewed the letter as s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Belgium
The Constitution of Belgium ( nl, Belgische Grondwet, french: Constitution belge, german: Verfassung Belgiens) dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility for the government policy and the Trias Politica. The most recent major change to the constitution was the introduction of the Court of Arbitration, whose competencies were expanded by a special law of 2003, to include Title II (Articles 8 to 32), and the Articles 170, 172 and 191 of the Constitution. The Court developed into a constitutional court; in May 2007 it was formally redesignated as the Constitutional Court. This court has the authority to examine whether a law or a decree is in compliance with Title II and Articles 170, 172 and 191. Historical aspects Origins and adoption The Belgian Constitution of 1831 was created in the aftermath of the secession of Belgium from the United Netherlands in the Belgian Revolution. After the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents, most of which are members of the ''Organisation internationale de la Francophonie'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1917 In Belgium
Events in the year 1917 in Belgium. Incumbents *Monarch: Albert I *Prime Minister: Charles de Broqueville Events * 1 May – Emilius Seghers consecrated as bishop of Ghent * 7–14 June – Battle of Messines (1917) *31 July – 10 November – Battle of Passchendaele (also called Third Battle of Ypres) *31 July – 2 August – Battle of Pilckem Ridge * 16–18 August – Battle of Langemarck (1917) * 20–26 September – Battle of the Menin Road Ridge *26 September – 3 October – Battle of Polygon Wood *4 October – Battle of Broodseinde *9 October – Battle of Poelcappelle *12 October – First Battle of Passchendaele *26 October – 10 November – Second Battle of Passchendaele Publications * Émile Cammaerts, ''Through the Iron Bars (Two Years of German Occupation in Belgium)'', with illustrations by Louis Raemaekers (London and New York, John Lane). * Hugh Gibson, ''A Diplomatic Diary'' (London, New York and Toronto, Hodder and Stoughton, 1917). * Arnold J. Toynbee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgium In World War I
The history of Belgium in World War I traces Belgium's role between the German invasion in 1914, through the continued military resistance and occupation of the territory by German forces to the armistice in 1918, as well as the role it played in the international war effort through its African colony and small force on the Eastern Front. Background German invasion When World War I began, Germany invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg as part of the Schlieffen Plan, in an attempt to capture Paris quickly by catching the French off guard by invading through neutral countries. It was this action that technically caused the British to enter the war, as they were still bound by the 1839 agreement to protect Belgium in the event of war. On 2 August 1914, the German government demanded that German armies be given free passage through Belgian territory, although this was refused by the Belgian government on 3 August. King Albert I addressed his Parliament on 4 August, saying "Ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armand De Ceuninck
Armand Léopold Théodore, Baron de Ceuninck (27 May 1858 – 12 April 1935) was the Minister of War of Belgium, serving in the last year of World War I. Biography He entered the army in 1871, became an artillery sergeant in 1874, then entered the artillery and engineering section of the Royal Military College. A sub-lieutenant of artillery in 1880, he was named General-staff adjutant (''adjoint d'état-major'') and, in 1893, passed out as captain in the cadre spécial d'état-major. At the outbreak of World War I he was staff colonel and head of the staff section of the army. In this position he assumed the heavy yet delicate task imposed by mobilisation and the putting of the army on a war footing. Promoted to major-general on 6 September 1914, he was placed at the head of the 18th Mixed Brigade (Grenadiers), of which he took command on 9 September at the moment when the unit was conducting operations around Antwerp. He took an active part in operations, and confirmed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flamenpolitik
''Flamenpolitik'' (German; "Flemish policy") is the name for certain policies pursued by German authorities occupying Belgium during World War I and World War II. The ultimate goal of these policies was the dissolution of Belgium into separate Walloon and Flemish components. The German authorities aimed to exploit the longstanding linguistic problems in Belgium, particularly the systematic discrimination towards the Dutch language that existed before World War I. The policy was also based on Pan-Germanism. Kossmann concludes that the German policy of fostering separatism in Flanders was a failure well before the German surrender because it did not win popular support. World War I In the beginning, Flamenpolitik consisted only of an effort to translate the laws of Germany into the languages of Belgium. However, in 1916, a new plan was developed with the idea that Belgium should never again be an obstacle to German advancement and that Germany should be surrounded by weak buf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Occupation Of Belgium During World War I
The German occupation of Belgium (french: link=no, Occupation allemande, nl, Duitse bezetting) of World War I was a military occupation of Belgium by the forces of the German Empire between 1914 and 1918. Beginning in August 1914 with the invasion of neutral Belgium, the country was almost completely overrun by German troops before the winter of the same year as the Allied forces withdrew westwards. The Belgian government went into exile, while King Albert I and the Belgian Army continued to fight on a section of the Western Front. Under the German military, Belgium was divided into three separate administrative zones. The majority of the country fell within the General Government, a formal occupation administration ruled by a German general, while the others, closer to the front line, came under more repressive direct military rule. The German occupation coincided with a widespread economic collapse in Belgium with shortages and widespread unemployment, but also with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flemish Movement
The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish culture and Dutch language as well as those who have sought greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also encompasses nationalists who have sought the secession of Flanders from Belgium, either through outright independence or unification with the Netherlands. In the 19th century, the Flemish Movement emerged around a form of cultural patriotism which celebrated Flemish traditions and history and sought equal status for Dutch in the Belgian nation-state, often under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Although gaining many of its initial objectives, it became increasingly radical in the aftermath of World War I. Inspired by authoritarian and fascist politics, it was widely discredited for its association wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frontpartij
The ''Frontpartij'' (Dutch; "Front Party") was a Belgian political party that campaigned for increasing recognition for the Flemish people and their language. Originating from the earlier ''Frontbeweging'' ("Front Movement"), the ''Frontpartij'' was an early attempt to fully politicise the Flemish Movement. In contrast to some of its successor movements the party supported democracy and autonomy rather than authoritarianism and independence. Origins The group had its origins amongst Dutch-speaking soldiers in the Belgian Army during the First World War who resented the fact that French was the only language of command. Taking the slogan "All for Flanders - Flanders for Christ," it attempted to organise within the army in support of equal language rights. Whilst the group was not anti-Belgian, it scared the generals, who suppressed it. By summer 1917, the group had re-emerged in secret and, organised by Corporal Adiel de Beuckelaere, this new version, known as the ''Frontbeweging ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dutch Language
Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans'' is a separate but somewhat mutually intelligible daughter languageAfrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , . Afrikaans was historically called Cape Dutch; see , , , , , . Afrikaans is rooted in 17th-century dialects of Dutch; see , , , . Afrikaans is variously described as a creole, a partially creolised language, or a deviant variety of Dutch; see . spoken, to some degree, by at least 16 million people, mainly in South Africa and Namibia, evolving from the Cape Dutch dialects of Southern Africa. The dialects used in Belgium (including Flemish) and in Suriname, meanwhile, are all guided by the Dutch Language Union. In Europe, most of the population of the Netherlands (where it is the only official language spoken country ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yser Front
The Yser Front (french: Front de l'Yser, nl, Front aan de IJzer or ), sometimes termed the West Flemish Front in British writing, was a section of the Western Front during World War I held by Belgian troops from October 1914 until 1918. The front ran along the Yser river (IJzer) and Yser Canal (Ieperlee) in the far north-west of Belgium and defended a small strip of the country which remained unoccupied. The front was established following the Battle of the Yser in October 1914, when the Belgian army succeeded in stopping the German advance after months of retreat and remained largely static for the duration of the war. Background During the early campaigns of 1914, the Belgian army had been pushed out of the fortified cities of Liège, Namur and Antwerp by the German advance. Although they succeeded in delaying the Germans at some actions, they were forced to withdraw, first to Antwerp, and into the far north-west of Belgium. By October 1914, the Belgian forces were holding a p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Popular Monarchy
Popular monarchy is a term used by Kingsley Martin (1936) for monarchical titles referring to a people rather than a territory. This was the norm in classical antiquity and throughout much of the Middle Ages, and such titles were retained in some of the monarchies of 19th- and 20th-century Europe. During the French Revolution Louis XVI had to change his title to indicate he was "king of the French" rather than "king of France", paralleling the title of "king of the Franks" (''rex Francorum'') used in medieval France. Currently, Belgium has the only explicit popular monarchy, the formal title of its king being ''King of the Belgians'' rather than ''King of Belgium''. List of royal and imperial titles } , - valign="top" , Kingdom of Essex , , '' King of the East Saxons'', , la, Rex Orientalem Saxonum , - valign="top" , rowspan="2", East Francia , , ''King of the East Franks'', , la, Rex Francorum orientalium , - valign="middle" , rowspan="3", ''King of the Franks''& ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_par_Georges-Émile_Lebacq.jpg "Click for more on -> Yser Front")