Belgium

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Belgium fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇮🇹 Roman Republic57 BC to 51 BC

   Caesar beat the Nervii at the Sabis in 57 BC. In 54 BC Ambiorix of the Eburones destroyed a Roman force at Atuatuca, and Caesar answered by devastating the Eburones' land.

2. 🇫🇷 Kingdom of France1297 to 1328

   French kings tried to tighten their grip on Flanders. Flemish militias won at the Golden Spurs in 1302, but France won at Mons-en-Pevele in 1304 and Cassel in 1328.

3. Duchy of Burgundy1449 to 1468

   The Burgundian dukes crushed cities that resisted them: Ghent was beaten at Gavere in 1453, and Charles the Bold sacked Dinant in 1466 and Liege in 1468.

4. 🇪🇸 Spanish Habsburg Monarchy1566 to 1585

   Philip II's repression of Protestants and taxes sparked revolt. The Duke of Alba's Council of Troubles, the Spanish Fury that sacked Antwerp in 1576 and the siege of Antwerp in 1585 decided the south's fate.

5. 🇳🇱 Dutch Republic1585 to 1648

   After Antwerp fell, the Dutch blockaded the Scheldt, choking the city's trade. The Peace of Munster in 1648 kept the river closed, a grievance that lasted until the French reopened it in the 1790s.

6. 🇫🇷 Kingdom of France1667 to 1713

   Louis XIV's wars were fought largely on Belgian soil. He took Lille in 1667, and his artillery bombarded Brussels in 1695, destroying much of the Grand Place. Marlborough beat the French at Ramillies in 1706.

7. 🇫🇷 French Republic and Empire1792 to 1815

   French armies won at Jemappes in 1792 and Fleurus in 1794, annexed the country in 1795 and conscripted its men. Napoleon's final defeat came at Waterloo, south of Brussels, in 1815.

8. 🇳🇱 United Kingdom of the Netherlands1830 to 1839

   Dutch troops failed to retake Brussels in 1830, and a Dutch invasion in August 1831 was stopped only by a French army. King William I recognised Belgium in 1839.

9. 🇩🇪 German Empire1914 to 1918

   Germany invaded in August 1914, burning Leuven's university library and killing thousands of civilians. It occupied nearly all the country until the armistice of November 1918.

10. 🇩🇪 Nazi Germany1940 to 1944

    Germany invaded on 10 May 1940, and King Leopold III surrendered after eighteen days. Occupation lasted until September 1944, followed that winter by the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes.

Today

Belgium now

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. In recent years, longstanding tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

Capital

Brussels

Government

federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Head of government

Bart De Wever

Head of state

Philippe of Belgium

Languages

Dutch, German, French

Area

30,689 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population11.7 million2023 · 8.6 million in 1950
• Life expectancy82.1 years2023 · 66.3 years in 1950
• GDP per person$41,8722022 · $8,706 in 1950
• Living in cities88%2025 · 63% in 1950
• Literacy97%1950
• Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Liberal democracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNATO2024 · NATO in 1950
• Military spending2.0% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.