63-533: The De Geer family ( Dutch: [də ˈɣeːr] , Swedish: [dœˈjæːr] ; also: De Geer van Jutphaas and De Geer van Oudegein ) is a prominent industrial family of Walloon origin that belongs to the Swedish and Dutch nobility . The name derives from the town of Geer near Liège (in present-day Belgium). The oldest known ancestor, Lambier de Geer, lord of Gaillarmont, died in 1399 in Liège, then part of
126-458: A Belgis appelamur [nous, les "Gaulois"], quod Gallis veteribus contigit, quuum orbem terrarum peragrarent, ac mutuo interrogantes qaererent où allons-nous , id est quonam profiscimur? ex eo credibile est Ouallones appellatos quod Latini sua lingua nunquam efferunt, sed g lettera utuntur. Translation: "We are called Walloons by the Belgians because when the ancient people of Gallia were travelling
189-449: A bureaucracy of clerks, allowed the dukes to become celebrated art patrons and establish a glamorous court life that gave rise to conventions of behavior that lasted for centuries. Philip the Good (1419–1467) extended his personal control to the southeast; bringing Brussels , Namur and Liège under his control. He channeled the traditional independence of the cities through such mechanisms as
252-545: A federating unit, and to have all the powers of the Belgian Regions and Communities. Even if they do not want them absolutely and immediately (10 July 2008, official speech for the Flanders' national holiday). Since the 11th century, the great towns along the river Meuse , for example, Dinant , Huy , and Liège , traded with Germany, where Wallengassen (Walloons' neighborhoods) were founded in certain cities. In Cologne ,
315-547: A few days later returned triumphantly from banishment. The Provisional Government issued a series of decrees declaring Belgium independent, releasing the Belgian soldiers from their allegiance, and calling upon them to abandon the Dutch standard. They were obeyed. The revolt, which had been confined mainly to the Walloon districts, now spread rapidly over Flanders . Jacques Logie wrote: "On
378-576: A major coal and steel-producing area, developed rapidly into the economic powerhouse of the country. Walloons (in fact French-speaking elites who were called Walloons ) became politically dominant. Many Flemish immigrants came to work in Wallonia. Between the 1930s and the 1970s, the gradual decline of steel and more especially coal , coupled with too little investment in service industries and light industry (which came to predominate in Flanders), started to tip
441-558: A passive knowledge of the regional languages. On the other hand, Givet commune , several villages in the Ardennes département in France, which publishes the journal Causons wallon (Let us speak Walloon); and two villages in Luxembourg are historically Walloon-speaking. In 1572 Jean Bodin made a funny play on words which has been well known in Wallonia to the present: Ouallonnes enim
504-438: A political content to "the emotional cultural, and linguistic concept". The words Walloon and Wallons can be seen in the book of Charles White, The Belgic Revolution (1835): "The restless Wallons, with that adventurous daring which is their historical characteristic, abandoned their occupations, and eagerly seizing the pike and the musket marched towards the centre of the commotion." The Spanish terms of Walon and Walona from
567-501: A regional identification, the ethnonym is also extended to refer to the inhabitants of the Walloon region in general, regardless of ethnicity or ancestry. The term Walloon is derived from * walha , a Proto-Germanic term used to refer to Celtic and Latin speakers. Walloon originated in Romance languages alongside other related terms, but it supplanted them. Its oldest written trace
630-471: A unitary state to a federal state with communities, regions and language areas . The area now known as Wallonia has been settled by various Celtic tribes and later by Roman and Frankish settlers. From the early Middle Ages up until the early modern period , the region has been separated between many city-states and external powers. Such changing rule brought variations to borders, culture, and language. The Walloon language, widespread in use up until
693-548: Is le Pays wallon . For Félix Rousseau, Walloon country is, after le Roman pays the old name of the country of the Walloons. The term " state reform " in the Belgian context indicates a process towards finding constitutional and legal solutions for the problems and tensions among the different segments of the Belgian population, mostly Dutch-speakers of Flanders and French-speakers of Wallonia . In general, Belgium evolved from
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#1732852244043756-407: Is an element of Walloon identity. However, the entire French-speaking population of Wallonia cannot be culturally considered Walloon, since a significant portion in the west (around Tournai and Mons ) and smaller portions in the extreme south (around Arlon ) possess other languages as mother tongues (namely, Picard , Champenois , Lorrain , Flemish , German and Luxembourgish ). A survey of
819-569: Is found in Jean de Haynin's Mémoires de Jean, sire de Haynin et de Louvignies in 1465, where it refers to Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands . Its meaning narrowed yet again during the French and Dutch periods and, at Belgian independence, the term designated only Belgians speaking a Romance language (French, Walloon, Picard , etc.) The linguistic cleavage in the politics of Belgium adds
882-411: Is the son of the revolution of 1830.." Only in the following years as bourgeois revolutionary will "legitimize ideological state power. A few years after the Belgian revolution in 1830, the historian Louis Dewez underlined that "Belgium is shared into two people, Walloons and Flemings. The former are speaking French, the latter are speaking Flemish. The border is clear (...) The provinces which are back
945-562: Is traceable through Walloon surnames. Some people of Walloon descent belong to the Sällskapet Vallonättlingar (Society of Walloon Descendants). During the 17th century Walloons from Sweden started arriving in Finland, during which Finland was part of Sweden . Some also came directly from Wallonia. Most of them settled along the coast in ironworks. Many of the ironworks in Finland were established by Walloons. Walloons largely used
1008-686: The Battle of Guinegate in 1479. Though Maximilian was victorious, he was only able to gain the County of Flanders according to the 1482 Treaty of Arras after his wife Mary had suddenly died, while France retained Artois. In her testament, Mary of Burgundy had bequested the Burgundian heritage to her and Maximilian's son, Philip the Handsome . His father, dissatisfied with the terms of the Arras agreement, continued to contest
1071-545: The Centre liégeois d'étude de l'opinion pointed out in 1989 that 71.8% of the younger people of Wallonia understand and speak only a little or no Walloon language; 17.4% speak it well; and only 10.4% speak it exclusively. Based on other surveys and figures, Laurent Hendschel wrote in 1999 that between 30 and 40% people were bilingual in Wallonia (Walloon, Picard), among them 10% of the younger population (18–30 years old). According to Hendschel, there are 36 to 58% of young people have
1134-682: The Dukes of Burgundy during the Burgundian Age between 1384 and 1482. Within their Burgundian State , which itself belonged partly to the Holy Roman Empire and partly to the Kingdom of France , the dukes united these lowlands into a political union that went beyond a personal union as it gained central institutions for the first time (such as the States General ). The period began with Duke Philip
1197-671: The Lordship of Mechelen , and the Boulonnais . Up to 1464, the Duke only maintained ties with each of the provincial States separately. In principle, the provincial Estates were composed of representatives of the three traditional estates : clergy , nobility and the Third Estate, but the exact composition and influence of each estate (within the provincial Estates) could differ. Convening an Estates General in which all provincial Estates were represented
1260-559: The Netherlands . Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French , Picard and Walloon . Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic , with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era. In modern Belgium, Walloons are, by law, termed a "distinctive linguistic and ethnic community" within the country, as are the neighbouring Flemish , a Dutch (Germanic) speaking community. When understood as
1323-587: The Prince-Bishopric of Liège . His descendant Louys de Geer (1535–1602) moved from Liège to Aachen and later to Dordrecht in the Dutch Republic for religious reasons. Subsequent generations became notable in Sweden and the Netherlands from the early 17th century, mainly centered on the iron-foundry company town Finspång , but often extending to science, art and national politics. The larger, Swedish branch of
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#17328522440431386-551: The Second World War , has been dying out of common use due in part to its prohibition by the public school system, in favor of French. Starting from the end of the 19th century, the Walloon Movement , aiming to assert the identity of Walloons as French-speaking (rather than Walloon speaking) people of Belgium. In this context, the concept of Wallonia , as a heartland of the Walloon people was invented in 1886. Later, this
1449-513: The 'Pays wallon'." Albert Henry agrees, quoting Maurice Piron, also quoted by A.J. Hoenselaars: "'Walloon' meaning 'Walloon country' in Shakespeare's ' Henry VI '..." A 1786 history of the Netherlands noted, "[The] Haynault and Namur , with Artois , now no longer an Austrian Province, compose the Walloon country. The Walloon name and language are also extended into the adjacent districts of
1512-722: The 12th century, Walloon brothers Aleksander and Walter from Malonne served as Catholic bishops of Płock and Wrocław in Poland, respectively, and there is a possibility that it was Bishop Walter who brought the first Walloon settlers to Poland. In the early 13th century Duke Henry the Bearded invited further Walloon immigrants to the area of Oława and Wierzbno to the south of Wrocław, and some descendants of Walloons from Wrocław also moved to Oława, Wierzbno, and Kraków . The guild of Walloon clothiers in Wrocław ceased to exist after 1422. In
1575-686: The 13th century, the medieval German colonization of Transylvania , then part of the Kingdom of Hungary , now central and north-western Romania, also included numerous Walloons. Place names such as Wallendorf (Walloon Village) and family names such as Valendorfean (Wallon peasant) can be found among the Romanian citizens of Transylvania. Starting from the 1620s, numerous Walloon miners and iron-workers, with their families, settled in Sweden to work in iron mining and refining. Walloon methods of iron production were incorporated into Swedish practice, to supplement
1638-562: The 16th century to the Belgian revolution , and later Wallonia. The term 'Walloon country' was also used in Dutch viz. Walsch land . The term existed also in German, perhaps Wulland in Hans Heyst's 1571 book, where that word is later (1814) translated to Wallonia in English. In German it is however generally Wallonenland . In English, it is Walloon country (see further James Shaw). In French it
1701-571: The 17th century referred to a Royal Guard Corps recruited in the Spanish Flanders. They were involved in many of the most significant battles of the Spanish Empire. Albert Henry wrote that although in 1988 the word Walloon evoked a constitutional reality, it originally referred to Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands and was also used to designate a territory by the terms provinces wallonnes or pays wallon (Walloon country), from
1764-634: The 6th October, the whole Wallonia was under the Provisional Government's control. In the Flemish part of the country the collapse of the Royal Government was as total and quick as in Wallonia, except Ghent and Antwerp ." Robert Demoulin , who was professor at the University of Liège , wrote: " Liège is in the forefront of the battle for liberty", more than Brussels but with Brussels. He wrote
1827-772: The Bold taking office as count of Flanders and Artois in 1384 and lasted until the death of Duchess Mary of Burgundy in 1482 after which the Burgundian State was dissolved, and the Low Countries came under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy by inheritance. In the 15th century, it was customary to refer to the Low Countries where the Duke of Burgundy ruled and usually resided as les pays de par-deçà meaning "the lands over here" as opposed to Burgundy proper (in Central France) which
1890-554: The Burgundian possessions in the Low Countries. The Imperial fiefs passed to the Austrian House of Habsburg through Charles' daughter Mary of Burgundy and her husband Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg , son of Emperor Frederick III . Maximilian, however, regarded the Burgundian Netherlands including Flanders and Artois as the undivided domains of his wife and himself and marched against the French. The conflict culminated at
1953-640: The Dutch troops capitulated at the same time in Bruges , Ypres , Ostend , Menen , Oudenaarde , Geeraardsbergen (pp. 113–114), but nor in Ghent nor in Antwerp (only liberated on 17 October and 27 October). Against these interpretation, in any case for the troubles in Brussels, John W. Rooney Jr wrote: It is clear from the quantitative analysis that an overwhelming majority of revolutionaries were domiciled in Brussels or in
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2016-558: The Walloon line, i.e.: the Province of Liège , the Brabant wallon , the Province of Namur , the Province of Hainaut are Walloon [...] And the other provinces throughout the line [...] are Flemish. It is not an arbitrarian division or an imagined combination in order to support an opinion or create a system: it is a fact..." Jules Michelet traveled in Wallonia in 1840 and mentions many times in his History of France his interest for Wallonia and
2079-490: The Walloon little towns and countryside, people came to the capital.." The Dutch fortresses were liberated in Ath ( 27 September), Mons (29 September), Tournai (2 October), Namur (4 October) (with the help of people coming from Andenne , Fosses , Gembloux ), Charleroi (5 October) (with people who came in their thousands).The same day that was also the case for Philippeville , Mariembourg , Dinant , Bouillon . In Flanders ,
2142-525: The Walloon provinces". We read the nearly same opinion in Edmundson's book: The royal forces, on the morning of September 23, entered the city at three gates and advanced as far as the Park. But beyond that point they were unable to proceed, so desperate was the resistance, and such the hail of bullets that met them from barricades and from the windows and roofs of the houses. For three days almost without cessation
2205-652: The Walloons (this page on the Culture of Wallonia ), 476 (1851 edition published online) The Walloon Region institutionally comprises also the German-speaking community of Belgium around Eupen , in the east of the region, next to Germany which ceded the area to Belgium after the First World War . Many of the 60,000 or so inhabitants of this very small community reject being considered as Walloon and – with their community executive leader Karl-Heinz Lambertz want to remain
2268-611: The Walloons were the most important foreign community, as noted by three roads named Walloonstreet in the city. The Walloons traded for materials they lacked, such as copper, found in Germany, especially at Goslar . Walloons were one of the first foreign immigrant groups in Poland , with Walloons settling in Wrocław probably since the 12th century, however, the first written mention of Walloon immigrants in Wrocław comes from c. 1270 . In
2331-475: The balance in the other direction. Flanders became gradually politically and economically dominant. In their turn, Walloon families have moved to Flanders in search of jobs. This evolution has not been without political repercussions. The heartland of Walloon culture are the Meuse and Sambre river valleys, Charleroi , Dinant , Namur (the regional capital), Huy , Verviers , and Liège . The Walloon language
2394-447: The battle against the Dutch troops: Tournai , Namur , Wavre (p. 105) Braine-l'Alleud , Genappe , Jodoigne , Perwez , Rebecq , Grez-Doiceau , Limelette [ fr ] , Nivelles (p. 106), Charleroi (and its region), Gosselies , Lodelinsart (p. 107), Soignies , Leuze , Thuin , Jemappes (p. 108), Dour , Saint-Ghislain , Pâturages [ fr ] (p. 109) and he concluded: "So, from
2457-570: The city, more than 40%.But it is nothing, we know that between 1800 and 1830 the population of the capital grew by 75,000 to 103,000, this growth is due to the designation in 1815 in Brussels as a second capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the rural exodus that accompanied the Industrial Revolution. It is therefore normal that a large part of the population of Brussels be originating provinces. These migrants came mainly from Flanders, which
2520-535: The communities: Flemish Region , Walloon Region (including the German community but generally called Wallonia), and the bilingual (French-Dutch) Brussels-Capital Region . Many non-French-speaking observers (over)generalize Walloons as a term of convenience for all Belgian French-speakers (even those born and living in the Brussels-Capital Region). The mixing of the population over the centuries means that most families can trace ancestors on both sides of
2583-471: The early 19th century. In modern history, Brussels has been the major town or the capital of the region. Because of long Spanish and minor French rule, French became the sole official language . After a brief period with Dutch as the official language while the region was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , the people reinstated French after achieving independence in 1830. The Walloon region,
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2646-423: The existing German techniques. Many Walloon workers settled around the mine at Dannemora producing Öregrund iron which represented 15 per cent of Sweden's iron production at that time. They were originally led by the entrepreneur Louis de Geer , who commissioned them to work in the iron mines of Uppland and Östergötland . The wave of migration continued substantially into the 18th century. Walloon ancestry
2709-420: The family retained its contacts with the Netherlands. Some of them hold the title of baron . Both branches are still in existence. Walloons Walloons ( / w ɒ ˈ l uː n z / ; French : Wallons [walɔ̃] ; Walloon : Walons ) are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders , France , Germany , Luxembourg and
2772-532: The fierce contest went on, the troops losing ground rather than gaining it. On the evening of the 26th the prince gave orders to retreat, his troops having suffered severely. The effect of this withdrawal was to convert a street insurrection into a national revolt. The moderates now united with the liberals, and a Provisional Government was formed, having amongst its members Charles Rogier , Van de Weyer , Gendebien , Emmanuel van der Linden d'Hooghvorst [ nl ] , Félix de Mérode and Louis de Potter , who
2835-557: The first Estates-General , and consolidating of the region's economy. The first Estates General of the Burgundian territories met in the City Hall of Bruges on 9 January 1464. It included delegates from the Duchy of Brabant , the County of Flanders , Lille, Douai and Orchies , the County of Artois , the County of Hainaut , the County of Holland , the County of Zeeland , the County of Namur ,
2898-591: The first of the Valois dukes of Burgundy at Dijon , who thus inherited the County of Flanders . The Flemish comital House of Dampierre had been French vassals, who held territory around the affluent cities of Bruges and Ghent , but also adjacent lands in former Lower Lorraine east of the Scheldt river ("Imperial Flanders") including the exclave of Mechelen , which were a fief of the Holy Roman Empire, and furthermore
2961-527: The former Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles . In the following decades, the Burgundian dukes expanded their territories in the Low Countries by the acquisition of several Imperial States : Duke Philip the Good purchased the County of Namur in 1421, inherited the Duchies of Brabant and Limburg in 1430, and seized the Counties of Hainaut , Holland and Zeeland in 1432, and the Duchy of Luxembourg in 1441. His son,
3024-430: The intensely local partisanship, the various taxation systems, weights and measures, internal customs barriers, fiercely defended local rights were all hindrances to a "good Valois". Attempts at enlarging personal control by the dukes resulted in revolts among the independent towns (sometimes supported by independent local nobles) and bloody military suppression in response. An increasingly modernized central government, with
3087-455: The last Burgundian duke Charles the Bold , in 1473 annexed the Duchy of Guelders , which had been pawned by late Arnold of Egmond . The Valois era would last until 1477, when Duke Charles the Bold died at the Battle of Nancy leaving no male heir. The territorial Duchy of Burgundy reverted to the French crown according to Salic law , and King Louis XI of France also seized the French portion of
3150-449: The length and breadth of the earth, it happened that they asked each other: 'Où allons-nous?' [Where are we going? : the pronunciation of these French words is the same as the French word Wallons (plus 'us')], i.e. 'To which goal are we walking?.' It is probable they took from it the name Ouallons ( Wallons ), which the Latin speaking are not able to pronounce without changing the word by
3213-597: The linguistic divide. But, the fact that Brussels is around 85% French-speaking, but is located in Dutch-speaking Flanders, has led to friction between the regions and communities. The local dialect in Brussels, Brussels Vloms , is a Brabantic dialect, reflecting the Dutch heritage of the city. Walloons are historically credited with pioneering the Industrial Revolution in Continental Europe in
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#17328522440433276-448: The nearby suburbs and that the aid came from outside was minimal. For example, for the day of 23 September, 88% of dead and wounded lived in Brussels identified and if we add those residing in Brabant, it reached 95%. It is true that if you look at the birthplace of revolutionary given by the census, the number of Brussels falls to less than 60%, which could suggest that there was support "national" (to different provinces Belgian), or outside
3339-421: The neighbouring French County of Artois . Together they initiated an era of Burgundian governance in the Low Countries. The Dampierre legacy further comprised the French counties of Rethel in northern Champagne and Nevers west of Burgundy proper, both held by Philip's younger son Philip II from 1407, as well as the County of Burgundy ( Franche-Comté ) east of it, an Imperial fief which had been part of
3402-408: The neighbouring Provinces. A large part of Brabant, where that Province borders on Haynault and Namur, is named Walloon Brabant . The affinity of language seems also on some occasions to have wrought a nearer relation." The Belgian revolution was recently described as firstly a conflict between the Brussels municipality which was secondly disseminated in the rest of the country, "particularly in
3465-412: The region's history. This list includes people from the region before it became known as Wallonia. Burgundian Netherlands The Burgundian Netherlands ( Latin : Burgundiae Belgicae , French : Pays-Bas bourguignons , Dutch : Bourgondische Nederlanden , Luxembourgish : Burgundesch Nidderlanden , Walloon : Bas Payis borguignons ) were those parts of the Low Countries ruled by
3528-409: The same methods as in Sweden, although Walloon forging was not used, instead Walloon smiths used the German method. As in Sweden, the Walloon population in Finland eventually integrated to the wider society. Former Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen is of Walloon descent. The Manifesto for Walloon culture in 1983 was a major event of the History of Wallonia quoted in the important books about
3591-427: The same thing for Leuven . According to Demoulin, these three cities are the républiques municipales at the head of the Belgian revolution. In this chapter VI of his book, Le soulèvement national (pp. 93–117), before writing "On the 6th October, the whole Wallonia is free", he quotes the following municipalities from which volunteers were going to Brussels, the "centre of the commotion", in order to take part in
3654-655: The seized French territories. In 1493, King Charles VIII of France according to the Treaty of Senlis finally renounced Artois, which together with Flanders was incorporated into the Imperial Seventeen Provinces under the rule of Philip. The population of the main provinces of the Low Countries in 1477 ( Prince-Bishoprics in italics ). The Burgundian dukes who ruled the Burgundian territories were: House of Valois, territorial Dukes of Burgundy House of Valois, titular Duchess of Burgundy House of Habsburg, titular Dukes of Burgundy (see Habsburg Netherlands ) The sheer burden of variety of bishoprics and independent cities,
3717-415: The use of the letter G." One of the best translations of his (humorous) sayings used daily in Wallonia is "These are strange times we are living in." Shakespeare used the word Walloon: "A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace/Thrust Talbot with a spear in the back." A note in Henry VI, Part I says, "At this time, the Walloons [were] the inhabitants of the area, now in south Belgium, still known as
3780-473: Was complicated by the federal structure given to Belgium, which splits Belgium into three communities with the privilege of using their own tongues in official correspondence, but also into three autonomous regions. The communities are: French community (though not Walloon, but sometimes controversially called Wallonia-Brussels ), Flemish community (which uses Dutch), and German-speaking community . The division into political regions does not correspond with
3843-444: Was designated les pays de par-delà meaning "the lands over there" (see also Terminology of the Low Countries ). A fair share (but not most) of these territories were inherited by the Burgundian dukes, a younger branch of the French royal House of Valois , upon the death of Count Louis II of Flanders in 1384. His heiress, Margaret III of Flanders in 1369 had married Philip the Bold , youngest son of King John II of France and
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#17328522440433906-403: Was hit hard by the crisis in the textile 1826-1830. This interpretation is also nationalist against the statements of witnesses: Charles Rogier said that there were neither in 1830 nor nation Belgian national sentiment within the population. The revolutionary Jean-Baptiste Nothomb ensures that "the feeling of national unity is born today." As for Joseph Lebeau , he said that "patriotism Belgian
3969-456: Was part of Philip the Good 's policy of centralisation . From 1441, Philip based his ducal court in Brussels, but Bruges was the world center of commerce, though by the 1480s the inevitable silting of its harbor was bringing its economic hegemony to a close. Philip was a great patron of illuminated manuscripts and court painting reached new highs: Robert Campin , the famous Van Eyck brothers, and Rogier van der Weyden . In 1491 and 1492,
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