History of Wallonia
Encyclopedia
The history of Wallonia, from pre-historic times to the present day, is that of a territory which, since 1970, has approximately coincided with the territory of the Walloon Region, a federated component which includes the smaller German-speaking Community of Belgium
(73,000 inhabitants). Wallonia is the name colloquially given to the Walloon Region . The French word Wallonie comes from the term Wallon, itself coming from Walh
. Walh is a very old Germanic word used to refer to a speaker of Celtic or Latin.
The largest find of Iguanodon
remains to date occurred in 1878 in a coal mine at Bernissart
, at a depth of 322 m (1056 ft). I. bernissartensis, that lived from the Barremian
to the early Aptian
(Early Cretaceous
) in Europe
, between about 130 and 120 million years ago.
The Grotte de Spy
(Spy Cave) is located near Spy
in the Walloon municipality of Jemeppe-sur-Sambre
, in the province of Namur
. It has been classified as Wallonia's Major Heritage. It is one of the most important paleolithic
sites in Europe
. In 1886 a discovery was made that still represents a capital episode in the history of science. The excavation was conducted by inhabitants of Liège, Marcel de Puydt, Max Lohest and Julien Fraipont. They proved the existence of a more antiquated type of human, in other words, the Neanderthal
. Julien Fraipont published about Spy in an American Review
Spiennes
is another famous Walloon village in the municipality of Mons
Province of Hainaut. Its
well known neolithic
flint
mines
, are on the list of UNESCO
World Heritage Site
s. The entry on the list describes them as "the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe" and cites the level of human technological development they demonstrate as justification for their inclusion.
'Julius Caesar conquered Gaul. Our ancestors became the Gallo-Romans and were called the "Walha" by their Germanic neighbours. Hence the name Wallonia. The "Walha" abandoned their Celtic dialects and started to speak Vulgar Latin. Already at that time, Wallonia was on the border between the Germanic world and the Latin world. The historians are emphasizing the land of the Walloon people: Leopold Genicot
, Francis Dumont etc. For Félix Rousseau, Wallonia has always been a romance land since Gallic Wars
and constitutes a Latin avant-garde in Germanic Europe
. Félix Rousseau's book La Wallonie, Terre Romane [The Wallonia, Romance Land] begins like :
The most remarkable of the romance identity of Wallonia is the Sequence of Saint Eulalia
(because its traits of Wallooon, Picard, Lorrain), which is possibly located in Wallonia or at least next to Wallonia. Its origin must be located in a region between Tournai
and Liège
and it was written around 880
himself, the most important event of the Walloon history (and of the Belgian history), is the so-called Barbarian invasions. For the great French historian, it is one interesting example of the longue durée event. He wrote that the result of the Germanic invasions - the language border
in Belgium - is a contemporary and living trait (see, for instance, Belgium divided into two parts along a language border. This border, separating the Germanic and Roman sprachraum
s, moved over the centuries which preceded the establishment of the Belgian state over an area between the Ardennes
and the more or less straight line going from Aachen
to Calais
on the one hand and the much less populated frontier from Aachen
to Arlon via Malmedy
. However this frontier has not much changed since the 18th century.
Flanders
is in the North of the red line and Wallonia in the South. The shape of the border between France and Wallonia is easy to recognize (in the light blue blot).
According Kenneth D. McRae, this language border "acquired administrative signifiance for the first time in 1822 with the William I
's legislation on the use of Dutch in Flemish communes."
(Wallonian spelling), is an old mountain formed during the Hercynian orogeny as for instance in France the Armorican Massif
, the Massif Central
and the Vosges
. At the bottom of these old mountains, coal, iron, zinc, and other metals are often found in the sub-soil. This geologic fact explains the greatest part of Wallonia's history. In the North and West of the Ardennes lie the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, forming an arc Sillon industriel
going across the most industrial provinces of Wallonia, for example Hainaut, along the river Haine
(the etymology of Hainaut) : the Borinage
, the Centre and Charleroi
along the river Sambre
, Liège
along the river Meuse
. This geological region, this old mountain is at the origin of the economy, the history, and the geography of Wallonia. Wallonia presents a wide range of rocks of various ages. Some geological stages internationally recognized were defined from rock sites located in Wallonia : e.g. Frasnian
(Frasnes), Famennian
(Famenne
), Tournaisian
(Tournai
), Visean
(Visé
), Dinantian
(Dinant
) and Namurian
(Namur
) The Tournaisian excepted, all these rocks are in the Ardennes viewed as a geological area.
The Ardennes
includes the greatest part of the province of Luxembourg (number 4), the south of the province of Namur
(number 5) and the province of Liège
(number 3), and a very small part of Hainaut (number 2). There were the first furnaces in the four Walloon provinces, using, before the 18th century, charcoal which was made in the Ardennes forest. This industry was also in the extreme South of the Luxembourg, in the region called Gaume
. After this century, the most important part of the Walloon steel industry, using then coal, was built around the coal-mines, principally in the region around the cities of Liège
, Charleroi
, La Louvière
, the Borinage
, and further in the Walloon Brabant
(in Tubize
). Wallonia became the second industrial power of the world in proportion to its territory and to its population (see further).
The industrial revolution
in the Sillon industriel
will include four industrial basins (Borinage
, La Louvière
- called Centre - Charleroi
, Liège
) and a semi-industrial basin in Namur
:
, "within the context of the demand for iron for artillery, important technological developments in iron working occurred in Wallonia (...) of particular importance in the County of Namur, County of Hainaut
(... and) Principality of Liège", called Walloon method. The Walloon method consisted of making pig iron in a blast furnace
, followed by refining it in a finery forge
. The process was devised in the Liège region spread into France and thence from the Pays de Bray
to England
before the end of the 15th century. Louis de Geer
took it to Roslagen
in Sweden
in the early 17th century, where he employed Walloon ironmakers. Iron made there by this method was known in England as oregrounds iron
. See also Robert Halleux, Anne-Catherine Bernès, Luc Étienne, 'L'évolution des sciences et des techniques en Wallonie', in Atouts et références d’une région, Institut Destrée, Charleroi, 1995 Atouts et références d’une région
Jean-Pierre Rioux quoted the following table in his book La révolution industrielle (Industrial revolution
). The table is based on several levels of development (i.e. consumption of cotton in the rough state, of cast-iron, cast-steel, coal, the development of the railway network). This table was firstly drawn by Paul Bairoch
one of the most important economist after the World War II
Thus, this table is not based on absolute figures (or is not pointing out the absolute ranks), but the hierarchy of the industrial powers is based on their levels of development. And if Wallonia is not pointed out on this table, Wallonia may be used instead of Belgium.
According to many authors, the word Belgium may be exchanged for Wallonia as for instance Herbert Lüthy, quoted by Maurice Besnard: Belgium and its Walloon part was the first country to become an industrial country after England. Herbert Lüthy did not agree with the theory of Max Weber
on the link between capitalism and Protestantism and, on the contrary, underlined the fact that Wallonia was a catholic country Philippe Destatte wrote that Wallonia was the second industrial power of the world, in proportion to its population and its territory. Hervé Hasquin thought that the development of the Walloon industrial regions contributed to make of Belgium one of the main industrial powers in Europa, if not in the world... Philippe Raxhon wrote about the period after 1830,: It was not propaganda but reality that the Walloon regions were becoming the second industrial power all over the world after England Marc Reynebau said the same thing Michel De Coster, Professor at the University of Liège wrote also:The historians and the economists say that Belgium was the second industrial power of the world, in proportion to its population and its territory (...) But this rank is the one of Wallonia where were concentrated the coal-mines, the blast furnaces, the iron and zinc factories, the wool industry, the glass industry, the weapons industry.... The Professor is pointing out this possible confusion (Belgium/Wallonia), as a good example of the difficulties of the Walloon identity. There are many other references about that: The Walloon iron and steel industry came to be regarded as an example of the radical evolution of industrial expansion. Thanks to coal (the French word “houille” was coined in Wallonia), the region geared up to become the second industrial power in the world after England. In fact, despite the protectionism of neighbouring states, in 1833 Belgian industry boasted 5 times more steam machines per inhabitant than a country such as France. It also exported them to over 25 countries. The sole industrial centre outside the collieries and blast furnaces of Walloon was the old cloth making town of Ghent
.
Mikulas Teich wrote and summarized all the last stages of the contemporary Wallonia as far as the 1970s:
Quickly, Wallonia found it to its cost:In the history of Belgium
, the legislative elections held on 11 June 1884 represent a pivotal point for the total victory of the Catholic Party over Walthère Frère-Orban's liberals opened the way for thirty years of homogeneous governments, thirty years of domination by that party, whose main power was in Flanders. Above all, this 1884 victory had the effect - to quote Robert Demoulin - of shifting the country's political centre of gravity from the South to toward the North.
Jules Destrée
, an important socialist leader of Charleroi
reacted against this situation in writing the Lettre au roi sur la séparation de la Wallonie et de la Flandre. Even the President of the POB, Emile Vandervelde
said that 'The walloon populations are tired to be dominated by an artificial majority formed by the Flemish part of the country.'
Major and general strikes took place along this sillon in 1886 (Walloon Jacquerie of 1886
, 1893 (Belgian general strike of 1893
) for universal suffrage), 1902, 1913, 1932, 1936, 1950 (against King Leopold III (General strike against Leopold III of Belgium
) because of his relationship with the Germans during the World War II
). Wallonia was never dominating Belgium. Belgium was dominated by a Francophone elite from Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. The historian Philippe Destatte wrote: It is true that the Walloon movement, which has never stopped affirming that Wallonia is part of the French cultural area, has never made this cultural struggle a priority, being more concerned to struggle against its status as a political minority and the economic decline which was only a corollary to it. Jules Destrée
fought against this situation which it is not rather known : the Wallonian people were always a minority in Belgium, firstly dominated by the Frenchspeaking elite and afterward by the Dutchspeaking elite. André Renard
fought against this economic decline when he became the leader 1960-1961 Winter General Strike
, a struggle for a self-governing Wallonia, a renardist
strike.
Now, Wallonia is managing interregional cooperation with its neighbours, centres of excellence and-state-of-the-art technologies and business parks. The Region is not yet at the level of Flanders
and is suffering many difficulties.
Nevertheless forty Walloon companies are number one in Wallonia and worldwide following the Union Wallonne des Entreprises
, for instance: in glass production lime
and limestone
production Cyclotron
s aviation industry etc.
published in 1983 is also an important event of the Walloon History.
German-speaking Community of Belgium
The German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of the so-called East Cantons...
(73,000 inhabitants). Wallonia is the name colloquially given to the Walloon Region . The French word Wallonie comes from the term Wallon, itself coming from Walh
WALH
WALH is a talk/adult standards radio station licensed to Mountain City, Georgia, USA. The station filed to be silent temporarily in April of 2009....
. Walh is a very old Germanic word used to refer to a speaker of Celtic or Latin.
Prehistory
Iguanodon
Iguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs...
remains to date occurred in 1878 in a coal mine at Bernissart
Bernissart
Bernissart is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Bernissart had a total population of 11,458. The total area is 43.42 km², which gives a population density of 264 inhabitants per km²....
, at a depth of 322 m (1056 ft). I. bernissartensis, that lived from the Barremian
Barremian
The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale between 130.0 ± 1.5 Ma and 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous epoch...
to the early Aptian
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...
(Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
) in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, between about 130 and 120 million years ago.
The Grotte de Spy
Grotte de Spy
The Grotte de Spy is located near Spy in the municipality of Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, province of Namur, Belgium. It has been classified as Wallonia's Major Heritage by the Walloon Region....
(Spy Cave) is located near Spy
Spy, Belgium
Spy is a village in the municipality of Jemeppe-sur-Sambre near Namur, Belgium.Here in 1886, in Betche aux Roches cavern, Maximin Lohest and Marcel de Puydt found two nearly perfect Neanderthal skeletons at the depth of 16 ft., with numerous implements of the Mousterian type. Recently Yves Saquet...
in the Walloon municipality of Jemeppe-sur-Sambre
Jemeppe-sur-Sambre
Jemeppe-sur-Sambre is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 17,990 inhabitants...
, in the province of Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
. It has been classified as Wallonia's Major Heritage. It is one of the most important paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
sites in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1886 a discovery was made that still represents a capital episode in the history of science. The excavation was conducted by inhabitants of Liège, Marcel de Puydt, Max Lohest and Julien Fraipont. They proved the existence of a more antiquated type of human, in other words, the Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
. Julien Fraipont published about Spy in an American Review
Spiennes
Spiennes
Spiennes is a Walloon village in the municipality of Mons, Belgium.It is well known for its neolithic flint mines, which are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2000....
is another famous Walloon village in the municipality of Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
Province of Hainaut. Its
well known neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, are on the list of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s. The entry on the list describes them as "the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe" and cites the level of human technological development they demonstrate as justification for their inclusion.
Antiquity
Leopold Genicot
- A Renowned Historian :Léopold Genicot was born in Forville in 1914. After earning his BA in political economics, he worked as an archivist for 9 years in the Namur branch of the Royal Archives from 1935 to 1944. During that time he obtained a PhD in history in 1937...
, Francis Dumont etc. For Félix Rousseau, Wallonia has always been a romance land since Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars
The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
and constitutes a Latin avant-garde in Germanic Europe
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
. Félix Rousseau's book La Wallonie, Terre Romane [The Wallonia, Romance Land] begins like :
For centuries, the land of the Walloons has been and has never stopped to be a romance land. That's the capital fact of the history of the Walloons that explains their way to think, to feel, to believe.
Moreover, in the whole romance world, the land of Walloons, stuk between germanic territories, occupies a special position, a position of avant-garde. Indeed, the 300km long border separate those extremi Latini of the Flemish at the North, of the Germans at the East.
The most remarkable of the romance identity of Wallonia is the Sequence of Saint Eulalia
Sequence of Saint Eulalia
The Sequence of Saint Eulalia is the earliest surviving piece of French hagiography and one of the earliest extant vernacular writings, dating from around 880...
(because its traits of Wallooon, Picard, Lorrain), which is possibly located in Wallonia or at least next to Wallonia. Its origin must be located in a region between Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
and it was written around 880
The longue durée event of the language border
Following Fernand BraudelFernand Braudel
Fernand Braudel was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects, each representing several decades of intense study: The Mediterranean , Civilization and Capitalism , and the unfinished Identity of France...
himself, the most important event of the Walloon history (and of the Belgian history), is the so-called Barbarian invasions. For the great French historian, it is one interesting example of the longue durée event. He wrote that the result of the Germanic invasions - the language border
Language border
A language border or language boundary is the line separating two language areas. The term is generally meant to imply a lack of mutual intelligibility between the two languages...
in Belgium - is a contemporary and living trait (see, for instance, Belgium divided into two parts along a language border. This border, separating the Germanic and Roman sprachraum
Sprachraum
Sprachraum is a linguistic term used to designate a geographical region/district where a language, dialect, group or family of languages is spoken. The German word Sprachraum literally means "language area"....
s, moved over the centuries which preceded the establishment of the Belgian state over an area between the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
and the more or less straight line going from Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
on the one hand and the much less populated frontier from Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
to Arlon via Malmedy
Malmedy
Malmedy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region, Province of Liège. It belongs to the French Community of Belgium, within which it is French-speaking with facilities for German-speakers. On January 1, 2006 Malmedy had a total population of 11,829...
. However this frontier has not much changed since the 18th century.
Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
is in the North of the red line and Wallonia in the South. The shape of the border between France and Wallonia is easy to recognize (in the light blue blot).
According Kenneth D. McRae, this language border "acquired administrative signifiance for the first time in 1822 with the William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
's legislation on the use of Dutch in Flemish communes."
Old Origin of the industry in Wallonia
L' ArdenneArdennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
(Wallonian spelling), is an old mountain formed during the Hercynian orogeny as for instance in France the Armorican Massif
Armorican Massif
The Armorican Massif is a geologic massif that covers a large area in the northwest of France, including Brittany, the western part of Normandy and the Pays de la Loire. Its name comes from the old Armorica, a Gaul area between the Loire and the Seine rivers...
, the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
and the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
. At the bottom of these old mountains, coal, iron, zinc, and other metals are often found in the sub-soil. This geologic fact explains the greatest part of Wallonia's history. In the North and West of the Ardennes lie the valleys of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, forming an arc Sillon industriel
Sillon industriel
The sillon industriel is the former industrial backbone of Wallonia and thus of Belgium. It runs across Wallonia, passing from Dour, in Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, through Mons, La Louvière, Charleroi, Namur, Huy, and Liège, following the valleys of the rivers Haine, Sambre,...
going across the most industrial provinces of Wallonia, for example Hainaut, along the river Haine
Haine
The Haine is a river in southern Belgium and northern France , right tributary of the river Scheldt. The Haine gave its name to the County of Hainaut, and the present province of Hainaut. Its source is in Anderlues, Belgium...
(the etymology of Hainaut) : the Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
, the Centre and Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
along the river Sambre
Sambre
The Sambre is a river in northern France and Wallonia, southern Belgium, left tributary of the Meuse River. The ancient Romans called the river Sabis.-Course:...
, Liège
Liège (province)
Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its...
along the river Meuse
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
. This geological region, this old mountain is at the origin of the economy, the history, and the geography of Wallonia. Wallonia presents a wide range of rocks of various ages. Some geological stages internationally recognized were defined from rock sites located in Wallonia : e.g. Frasnian
Frasnian
The Frasnian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 385.3 ± 2.6 million years ago to 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago. It was preceded by the Givetian stage and followed by the Famennian stage...
(Frasnes), Famennian
Famennian
The Famennian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago to 359.2 ± 2.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Frasnian stage and followed by the Tournaisian stage and is named after Famenne, a natural region in southern Belgium.It was...
(Famenne
Famenne
Famenne is a natural region in southern Belgium. Together with The Fagne or la Fagne, west of the river Meuse, it is part of the Fagne-Famenne natural region...
), Tournaisian
Tournaisian
The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Mississippian, the oldest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Tournaisian age lasted from 359.2 ± 2.5 Ma to 345.3 ± 2.1 Ma...
(Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
), Visean
Viséan
The Visean, Viséan or Visian is an age in the ICS geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the second stage of the Mississippian, the lower subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Visean lasted from 345.3 ± 2.1 to 328.3 ± 1.6 Ma...
(Visé
Visé
Visé is a Walloon municipality and city of Belgium, where it is located on the river Meuse, in the province of Liège.The municipality consists of the former municipalities of Visé, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, Argenteau and Cheratte....
), Dinantian
Dinantian
Dinantian is the name of a series or epoch from the Lower Carboniferous system in Europe. It can stand for a series of rocks in Europe or the time span in which they were deposited....
(Dinant
Dinant
Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. The Dinant municipality includes the old communes of Anseremme, Bouvignes-sur-Meuse, Dréhance, Falmagne, Falmignoul, Foy-Notre-Dame, Furfooz, Lisogne, Sorinnes, and Thynes.-Origins to...
) and Namurian
Namurian
The Namurian is a stage in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe with an age between roughly 326 and 313 Ma . It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous system or period and the regional Silesian series. The Namurian is named for the Belgian city and province of Namur where strata of this age...
(Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
) The Tournaisian excepted, all these rocks are in the Ardennes viewed as a geological area.
The Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
includes the greatest part of the province of Luxembourg (number 4), the south of the province of Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
(number 5) and the province of Liège
Liège (province)
Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its...
(number 3), and a very small part of Hainaut (number 2). There were the first furnaces in the four Walloon provinces, using, before the 18th century, charcoal which was made in the Ardennes forest. This industry was also in the extreme South of the Luxembourg, in the region called Gaume
Gaume
Gaume is a region in the far south of Belgium. Situated at a lower altitude than the Ardennes, it is delineated by borders with France, Luxembourg and the Belgian Ardennes. Gaume is the roman part of the Belgian Lorraine region...
. After this century, the most important part of the Walloon steel industry, using then coal, was built around the coal-mines, principally in the region around the cities of Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, La Louvière
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...
, the Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
, and further in the Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre...
(in Tubize
Tubize
Tubize is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1 2006 Tubize had a total population of 22,335. The total area is 32.66 km² which gives a population density of 684 inhabitants per km²....
). Wallonia became the second industrial power of the world in proportion to its territory and to its population (see further).
The industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the Sillon industriel
Sillon industriel
The sillon industriel is the former industrial backbone of Wallonia and thus of Belgium. It runs across Wallonia, passing from Dour, in Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, through Mons, La Louvière, Charleroi, Namur, Huy, and Liège, following the valleys of the rivers Haine, Sambre,...
will include four industrial basins (Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
, La Louvière
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...
- called Centre - Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
) and a semi-industrial basin in Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
:
During ancient times these fourth basin was a major center of iron manufacture and one of the important industrial areas of the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. With the fall of the Empire, however, iron was more or less displaced by various types of brass or bronze, and the local centers of medieval metalworking in Belgium moved to HuyHuyHuy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the sillon industriel, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia, home to about two-thirds of the Walloon population...
and out of the iron regions, on up the Meuse riverMeuse RiverThe Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
to the forested areas around DinantDinantDinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. The Dinant municipality includes the old communes of Anseremme, Bouvignes-sur-Meuse, Dréhance, Falmagne, Falmignoul, Foy-Notre-Dame, Furfooz, Lisogne, Sorinnes, and Thynes.-Origins to...
and ChimayChimayChimay a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006, Chimay had a total population of 9,774. The total area is 197.10 km² which gives a population density of 50 inhabitants per km²...
. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the iron masters of Liège evolved a method of refining iron ore by the use of a blast furnace. Called the Walloon Method, this development was instrumental in making possible the re-substitution of iron for brass after the fifteenth century. Apart from increasing the industrial importance of Liège, however, it apparently did not otherwise relocate the centers of metal production. There were a few coalmines around LiègeLiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, CharleroiCharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, and the BorinageBorinageThe Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
as early as the thirteenth century but their production was small. The main medieval use of coal was neither for household heating nor for metalworking. Rather, it was principally consumed as a fuel by various industries such as breweries, dyeworks, soap and brick factories, and by the important glassmaking industry that sprang up in the Charleroi basin during the fourteenth century. Coal was mined in those days as a kind of rural, part-time enterprise to supplement peasant incomes.
The Walloon Method in the Middle Ages
During the late Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, "within the context of the demand for iron for artillery, important technological developments in iron working occurred in Wallonia (...) of particular importance in the County of Namur, County of Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
(... and) Principality of Liège", called Walloon method. The Walloon method consisted of making pig iron in a blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
, followed by refining it in a finery forge
Finery forge
Iron tapped from the blast furnace is pig iron, and contains significant amounts of carbon and silicon. To produce malleable wrought iron, it needs to undergo a further process. In the early modern period, this was carried out in a finery forge....
. The process was devised in the Liège region spread into France and thence from the Pays de Bray
Pays de Bray
The Pays de Bray is a small natural region of France situated to the north-east of Rouen, straddling the French départements of the Seine-Maritime and Oise...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
before the end of the 15th century. Louis de Geer
Louis De Geer
Louis De Geer may refer to:People:*Louis De Geer , industrial entrepreneur of Walloon origin*Louis De Geer , industrial entrepreneur*Louis Gerhard De Geer , baron, Prime Minister of Sweden 1876–80...
took it to Roslagen
Roslagen
Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the early 17th century, where he employed Walloon ironmakers. Iron made there by this method was known in England as oregrounds iron
Oregrounds iron
Oregrounds iron was a grade of iron that was regarded as the best grade available in 18th century England. The term was derived from the small Swedish city of Öregrund. The process to create it is known as the Walloon method....
. See also Robert Halleux, Anne-Catherine Bernès, Luc Étienne, 'L'évolution des sciences et des techniques en Wallonie', in Atouts et références d’une région, Institut Destrée, Charleroi, 1995 Atouts et références d’une région
The Beginning of the industrial Revolution
Peter N.Stearns wrote:The improvement of the blast furnaceBlast furnaceA blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
and the development of the puddling process, both originating in England during the last half of the eighteenth century, accelerated the substitution of cokeCoke (fuel)Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
for charcoal. The first puddling furnace was not installed in Belgium until 1821, while the first coke-fed blast furnace did not appear until two years later. By 1850, however, there were as many furnaces using coke as charcoal, and by 1870 the extensive use of charcoal in metalworkingMetalworkingMetalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
had been discontinued almost everywhere but in a few small establishments in Luxembourg and Namur provinces. Under the impact of these developments, metal production moved out of the forested areas into the coal-producing vicinities of CharleroiCharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and LiègeLiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
. It was the perfection of the steam engineSteam engineA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, however, which triggered the Industrial revolutionIndustrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in Belgium. In many ways the growth of steam power can serve as an index for the development of that revolution itself, since it was both a major cause and a major effect of its continuance. The earliest kind of steam-operated machine,a NewcomenNewcomenNewcomen may refer to:* Viscount Newcomen, an extinct viscountcyPeople with the surname Newcomen:* John Newcomen , first white settler murdered by another white settler in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts...
-type steampump, was in use in mines near Liège as early as 1723 and at Charleroi by 1725. THe first steam engines based on WattWattThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
's modifications, appeared on the continent in a cannon foundry at Liège in 1803. The meager four horsepowerHorsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
produced by the two machines installed there grew to 1,400 by 1830, to 30,000 by 1840 and to 100,000 by 1860.
Second Industrial Power of the World
Peter N. Stearns wrote:The improvement of the blast furnaceBlast furnaceA blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
and the development of the puddling process, both originating in England during the last half of the eighteenth century, accelerated the substitution of cokeCoke (fuel)Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
for charcoal. The first puddling furnace was not installed in Belgium until 1821, while the first coke-fed blast furnace did not appear until two years later. By 1850, however, there were as many furnaces using coke as charcoal, and by 1870 the extensive use of charcoal in metalworkingMetalworkingMetalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
had been discontinued almost everywhere but in a few small establishments in Luxembourg and Namur provinces. Under the impact of these developments metal production moved out of the forested areas into the coal-producing vicinities of CharleroiCharleroiCharleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and LiègeLiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
. It was the perfection of the steam engineSteam engineA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, however, which triggered the Industrial revolutionIndustrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in Belgium. In many ways the growth of steam power can serve as an index for the development of that revolution itself, since it was both a major cause and a major effect of its continuance. The earliest kind of steam-operated machine, a NewcomenNewcomenNewcomen may refer to:* Viscount Newcomen, an extinct viscountcyPeople with the surname Newcomen:* John Newcomen , first white settler murdered by another white settler in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts...
-type steam pump, was in use in mines near Liège as early as 1723 an dat Charleroi by 1725. The first steam engines, based on WattWattThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
's modifications, appeared on the continent in a cannon foundry at Liège in 1803. The meager four horsepowerHorsepowerHorsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
produced by the two machines installed there grew to 1,400 by 1830, to 30,000 by 1840 and to 100,000 by 1860.
Jean-Pierre Rioux quoted the following table in his book La révolution industrielle (Industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
). The table is based on several levels of development (i.e. consumption of cotton in the rough state, of cast-iron, cast-steel, coal, the development of the railway network). This table was firstly drawn by Paul Bairoch
Paul Bairoch
Born of Jewish parents who emigrated from Poland, Paul Bairoch was one of the great post-war economic historians who specialized in global economic history, urban history and historical demography...
one of the most important economist after the World War II
Thus, this table is not based on absolute figures (or is not pointing out the absolute ranks), but the hierarchy of the industrial powers is based on their levels of development. And if Wallonia is not pointed out on this table, Wallonia may be used instead of Belgium.
| Rank | 1810 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1910 |
| 1 | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United States | United States |
| 2 | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | Belgium | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| 3 | United States | United States | United States | United States | Belgium | Belgium |
| 4 | France | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Switzerland | Germany |
| 5 | Switzerland | France | France | Germany | Germany | Switzerland |
| 6 | Germany | Germany | Germany | France | France | France |
| 7 | Sweden | Sweden | Sweden | Sweden | Sweden | Sweden |
| 8 | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain | Spain |
| 9 | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy |
| 10 | Russia | Russia | Russia | Russia | Russia | Russia |
| 11 | Japan | Japan | Japan | Japan | Japan | Japan |
According to many authors, the word Belgium may be exchanged for Wallonia as for instance Herbert Lüthy, quoted by Maurice Besnard: Belgium and its Walloon part was the first country to become an industrial country after England. Herbert Lüthy did not agree with the theory of Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
on the link between capitalism and Protestantism and, on the contrary, underlined the fact that Wallonia was a catholic country Philippe Destatte wrote that Wallonia was the second industrial power of the world, in proportion to its population and its territory. Hervé Hasquin thought that the development of the Walloon industrial regions contributed to make of Belgium one of the main industrial powers in Europa, if not in the world... Philippe Raxhon wrote about the period after 1830,: It was not propaganda but reality that the Walloon regions were becoming the second industrial power all over the world after England Marc Reynebau said the same thing Michel De Coster, Professor at the University of Liège wrote also:The historians and the economists say that Belgium was the second industrial power of the world, in proportion to its population and its territory (...) But this rank is the one of Wallonia where were concentrated the coal-mines, the blast furnaces, the iron and zinc factories, the wool industry, the glass industry, the weapons industry.... The Professor is pointing out this possible confusion (Belgium/Wallonia), as a good example of the difficulties of the Walloon identity. There are many other references about that: The Walloon iron and steel industry came to be regarded as an example of the radical evolution of industrial expansion. Thanks to coal (the French word “houille” was coined in Wallonia), the region geared up to become the second industrial power in the world after England. In fact, despite the protectionism of neighbouring states, in 1833 Belgian industry boasted 5 times more steam machines per inhabitant than a country such as France. It also exported them to over 25 countries. The sole industrial centre outside the collieries and blast furnaces of Walloon was the old cloth making town of Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
.
Depending on Brussels
Professor Michel Quévit wrote Wallonia has been a prosperous country depending on the financial powers in Brussels. When arriving at the end of the first stage of the industrial revolution, Walloon captains of industry took huge risks because of the large increase of the production. The result was that the High Bank in Brussels took very important financial participation in the Walloon companies. In 1847, it is done. Brussels became the dominating structure of the Belgian spaceMikulas Teich wrote and summarized all the last stages of the contemporary Wallonia as far as the 1970s:
The Belgian State: Wallonia depending politically on the North
The language of Belgium's elites, Government, Monarchy, Bourgeoisie was French in 1830. And if Wallonia is now defined as a French speaking country, the French choice of the elites in 1830 was not a Walloon choice, in favour of this southern part of Belgium and to the northern part. French speaking elites at the head of the companies, the industry, the politics were all coming from both Flanders and Wallonia. It was not an ethnic choice but a social choice.Quickly, Wallonia found it to its cost:In the history of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the legislative elections held on 11 June 1884 represent a pivotal point for the total victory of the Catholic Party over Walthère Frère-Orban's liberals opened the way for thirty years of homogeneous governments, thirty years of domination by that party, whose main power was in Flanders. Above all, this 1884 victory had the effect - to quote Robert Demoulin - of shifting the country's political centre of gravity from the South to toward the North.
| Periods and Governments | Flemish ministers | Ministers from Brussels | Walloon Ministers |
| A. Beernaert Auguste Marie Francois Beernaert Auguste Marie François Beernaert was the 14th Prime Minister of Belgium from October 1884 to March 1894.... : October 26, 1884/ March 17, 1894 |
60 % | 14 % | 26 % |
| J. de Burlet Jules de Burlet Jules Philippe Marie de Burlet was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Born in Ixelles, de Burlet was educated as a lawyer. He practised law in Nivelles, where he made his home, and he served as mayor of the town from 1872 to 1891.From 1884 he represented the Nivelles constituency in the Belgian... : March 26, 1894/ June 25, 1896 |
75 % | 9 % | 16 % |
| P. de Smet de Naeye Paul de Smet de Naeyer Paul Joseph, Count de Smet de Naeyer was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Born in Ghent, son of a cotton industrialist, he was himself also an industrialist and a banker... : June 26, 1896/ January 23, 1899 |
87 % | - | 13 % |
| J. Vandenpeereboom Jules Vandenpeereboom Jules Henri Pierre François Vandenpeereboom was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Vandenpeereboom was born in Kortrijk and educated as a lawyer... : January 24, 1899/ July 31, 1899 |
84 % | - | 16 % |
| Paul de Smet de Naeyer Paul de Smet de Naeyer Paul Joseph, Count de Smet de Naeyer was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Born in Ghent, son of a cotton industrialist, he was himself also an industrialist and a banker... : August 5, 1899/ April 12, 1907 |
76 % | - | 24 % |
| J. de Trooz Jules de Trooz Jules Henri Ghislain Marie, Baron de Trooz was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.De Trooz was born in Leuven, and had studied philosophy before entering politics. He represented Leuven in the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives from 1899 onwards, serving as Education and Interior minister... : May 1, 1907/ December 31, 1907 |
67 % | 11 % | 22 % |
| F.Schollaert Frans Schollaert François Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Born in Wilsele, Schollaert trained as a lawyer and practiced in Leuven. He served as head of the Flemish farmer's union, the Boerenbond... : January 9, 1908/ June 8, 1911 |
57 % | 22 % | 21 % |
| Ch. de Broqueville Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Count de Broqueville was the 20th Prime Minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. He was born in Postel, Belgium. He was the leader of Belgium's Catholic Party, and he served as prime minister between 1911 and 1918... : June 18, 1911/ August 4, 1914 |
42 % | 22 % | 36 % |
Jules Destrée
Jules Destrée
Jules Destrée was a Walloon lawyer, cultural critic and socialist politician. The trials subsequent to the strikes of 1886 determined his commitment within the Belgian Labour Party. He wrote a Letter to the King in 1912, which is seen as the founding declaration of the Walloon movement...
, an important socialist leader of Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
reacted against this situation in writing the Lettre au roi sur la séparation de la Wallonie et de la Flandre. Even the President of the POB, Emile Vandervelde
Emile Vandervelde
thumb|upright|Emile VanderveldeEmile Vandervelde was a Belgian statesman, born at Ixelles. He studied law at the Free University of Brussels and became doctor of laws in 1885 and doctor of social science in 1888.-Activities:Vandervelde became a member of the Parti Ouvrier...
said that 'The walloon populations are tired to be dominated by an artificial majority formed by the Flemish part of the country.'
1960-1961 Winter General Strike
Tony Cliff wrote:Belgium has a long tradition of mass industrial strikesBelgian general strikesThe Belgian general strikes were a peculiar phenomenon of the social, economical and political life in Belgium due to huge concentrations of workers in the Belgian Cities as Ghent, Antwerp, mainly in Wallonia, in Charleroi and Liège but also in other places in the Walloon Sillon industriel, e.g....
. In 1886 a great series of strikes broke out, first in the neighbourhood of Charleroi, then in Liege and over a large part of the Walloon provinces. The main demand was universal suffrage; but there were economic demands as well in some places. Then in May, 1891, a mass strike of some 125,000 workers put forward a demand for changes in the electoral system. In April, 1893, another strike, embracing about a quarter of a million workers, broke out for a similar demand. The outcome was universal, but unequal, franchise, the votes of the rich and “cultured” counting for two or three times those of workers and peasants. The workers, dissatisfied, carried out another mass strike nine years later, demanding a complete revision of the Constitution.An even bigger strike – in which 450,000 workers took part – was called by the Socialist Party and trade unions to achieve electoral reform in 1902, and again in 1913. Another general strike took place in 1936 which wrested from the capitalists a forty-hour week and paid holidays. In 1950 a general strike led to the abdication of King Leopold.
In 1958-9 the coal-miners of the Borinage spontaneously began a general strike not merely for wage demands but for the nationalisation of the mining industry.
Major and general strikes took place along this sillon in 1886 (Walloon Jacquerie of 1886
Walloon Jacquerie of 1886
The Walloon jacquerie of 1886 was a working class jacquerie of a bloody spring as many Walloon scholars are calling it This violent upheaval of the Belgian, especially Walloon proletariat, caused a profound psychological shock in an atmosphere of fear of an inevitable and explosive social...
, 1893 (Belgian general strike of 1893
Belgian general strike of 1893
The Belgian general strike of 1893 was ordered by the General Board of the Belgian Labour Party after the Belgian Parliament rejected the Law Proposal on universal suffrage....
) for universal suffrage), 1902, 1913, 1932, 1936, 1950 (against King Leopold III (General strike against Leopold III of Belgium
General strike against Leopold III of Belgium
The Royal Question refers to the 1950 political conflict surrounding the question whether King Leopold III should return to Belgium after World War II. A referendum was organised, in which the majority voted in favour of his return...
) because of his relationship with the Germans during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). Wallonia was never dominating Belgium. Belgium was dominated by a Francophone elite from Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. The historian Philippe Destatte wrote: It is true that the Walloon movement, which has never stopped affirming that Wallonia is part of the French cultural area, has never made this cultural struggle a priority, being more concerned to struggle against its status as a political minority and the economic decline which was only a corollary to it. Jules Destrée
Jules Destrée
Jules Destrée was a Walloon lawyer, cultural critic and socialist politician. The trials subsequent to the strikes of 1886 determined his commitment within the Belgian Labour Party. He wrote a Letter to the King in 1912, which is seen as the founding declaration of the Walloon movement...
fought against this situation which it is not rather known : the Wallonian people were always a minority in Belgium, firstly dominated by the Frenchspeaking elite and afterward by the Dutchspeaking elite. André Renard
Renardism
Renardism is a theory specific to the socialism based on the thought of André Renard, combining Syndicalism and Walloon militancy.In a speech on November 17, 1960 at Charleroi, in front of a large gathering of syndicalists, André Renard partly explained the tactical aspects of his theory as...
fought against this economic decline when he became the leader 1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960–1961 Winter General Strike was the most important strike of the 20th century in Belgium and was called the Strike of the Century. Its triggering factor was Eyskens' government introducing a number of austerity policies under the general name Loi unique...
, a struggle for a self-governing Wallonia, a renardist
Renardism
Renardism is a theory specific to the socialism based on the thought of André Renard, combining Syndicalism and Walloon militancy.In a speech on November 17, 1960 at Charleroi, in front of a large gathering of syndicalists, André Renard partly explained the tactical aspects of his theory as...
strike.
Walloon Decline versus Reconversion
The two world wars curbed the continuous expansion that Wallonia had enjoyed up till that time. Then everything changed dramatically in 1958. The factories of Wallonia were by then antiquated, the coal was running out and the cost of extracting coal was constantly rising. It was the end of an era, and Wallonia had to redefine itself as a dynamic industrial heartland. The key to the region's future was state-of-the-art technology. In December 1960, a strike gripped the country, but it succeeded only in Wallonia. The movement became a renardist strike. Renée C.Fox explained all the affair in a few words:At the beginning of the 1960s (...), a major reversal in the relationship between Flanders and Wallony was taking place. Flanders had entered a vigorous, post-World War II period of industialization, and a significant percentage of the foreign capital (particularly from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), coming into Belgium to support new industries was being invested in Flanders. In contrast, Wallony's coal mines and time-worn steel plants and factories were in crisis. The region had lost thousands of jobs and much investment capital. A new Dutch-speaking, upwardly mobile "populist bourgeoisie" was not only becoming visible and vocal in Flemish movements but also in both the local and national policy [The strike of December 1960 against the austerity law of Gaston EyskensGaston EyskensGaston François Marie, Viscount Eyskens was a Belgian economist, Christian Democratic politician of the CVP-PSC, and statesman.He was a six-time Prime Minister of Belgium from 1949 to 1950, 1958 to 1961 and 1968 to 1973...
] was replaced by a collective expression of the frustrations, anxieties, and grievances that Wallony was experiencing in response to its altered situation, and by the demands of the newly formed Mouvement populaire wallon for (...) regional autonomy for Wallony....
Now, Wallonia is managing interregional cooperation with its neighbours, centres of excellence and-state-of-the-art technologies and business parks. The Region is not yet at the level of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and is suffering many difficulties.
Nevertheless forty Walloon companies are number one in Wallonia and worldwide following the Union Wallonne des Entreprises
Union Wallonne des Entreprises
The Walloon Union of Companies or Union Wallonne des Entreprises is the Walloon employers organization.-History:About 1965, when in Belgium economic decentralization was becoming more pronounced, the Walloon business leaders felt the need for more organisation...
, for instance: in glass production lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
production Cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
s aviation industry etc.
Culture
The Manifesto for Walloon cultureManifesto for Walloon culture
The Manifesto for Walloon Culture , was published in Liège on 15 September 1983 and signed ‘by seventy-five key figures in artistic, journalistic and university circles’ of Wallonia....
published in 1983 is also an important event of the Walloon History.
See also
- History of the Walloon MovementHistory of the Walloon MovementThe Walloon Movement traces its ancestry to 1856 when literary and folkloric movements based around the Society of Walloon Literature of Liège began forming. Despite the formation of the Society of Walloon Literature, it was not until around 1880 that a "Walloon and French-speaking defense...
- History of BelgiumHistory of BelgiumThe history of Belgium, from pre-history to the present day, is intertwined with the histories of its European neighbours, in particular those of the Netherlands and Luxembourg...
- Belgian general strikesBelgian general strikesThe Belgian general strikes were a peculiar phenomenon of the social, economical and political life in Belgium due to huge concentrations of workers in the Belgian Cities as Ghent, Antwerp, mainly in Wallonia, in Charleroi and Liège but also in other places in the Walloon Sillon industriel, e.g....
- RenardismRenardismRenardism is a theory specific to the socialism based on the thought of André Renard, combining Syndicalism and Walloon militancy.In a speech on November 17, 1960 at Charleroi, in front of a large gathering of syndicalists, André Renard partly explained the tactical aspects of his theory as...