The County of Loon (which now covers the Belgian Limburg province) was an entity which appeared in the early 11th c, became part of Liège in the 14th c. and completely disappeared in 1794. A short #Thread about this forgotten land. Initially three 'shires' existed which would form the County of Loon. At some point different brothers ruled the area (the whole thing is slightly complicated), but at some point in the 11th c. a man called Giselbert emerged who carried the title 'Count of Loon'.

In the 1860s, Louis Gallait was asked to paint 15 portraits of historical figures to be placed at the Plenary Room of the Belgian Senate. After his death some portraits were added. A short #thread on these figures and who why they were relevant to Belgium. #twitterstorians Let's start with Pepin of Herstal (635 – 714), an important Frankish statesman who was born in Herstal and had his powerbase in present day Belgium.

There were 43 Counts of Flanders from 862 till 1983: below a list of all of them ! So please bear with me. #twitterstorians Baldwin I with the Iron Arm (862-879)

Today a #thread on Count Arnulf I of Flanders, aka the Great (893-964). Born in 893 (approx.) as son of Baldwin II of Flanders & Ælfthryth, daughter of Alfred the Great. After his father's death he did not inherit the entire county as his brother Adalolf received a part. Adalof was killed in 933 fighting the vikings after which Arnulf took that part.

On Christmas Day 861 a man called Baldwin eloped with Judith, daughter of King Charles the Bald of West-Francia. A daring and very bold move, but one with some ramifications for the place that is now called Belgium: a #thread Charles the Bald was furious,ordered everyone not to shelter his daughter/Baldwin and asked bishops to excommunicate them. The pair therefore moved to Rome where they pleaded with Pope Nicholas I who urged Charles to reconcile with his daughter and - yet unofficial - son-in-law.

Did you know Belgium and the Netherlands share what is probably one of the weirdest borders in the world. Curious how this came to be? Well, buckle up and check this #thread #twitterstorians It all started in the 12th c. when a conflict between Duke Henry I of Brabant and Dirk VII of Holland rose. The Lord of Breda, Godfried van Schoten, pledged allegiance to Henry who gave him pieces of land and kept some land as his personal property.

Today we will look at the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, a state within the Holy Roman Empire that existed till 1795 and has a fascinating history. A #thread #twitterstorians The Bishopric of Liège already existed for quite some time when in 985 and 987 Bishop Notger acquired the counties of Huy and Bruningerode, thus allowing him to claim secular power as well and morphing his bishopric into a principality.

The relations between the House of Habsburg and Belgium are quite old and very deep, ranging from the Habsburg sovereignty over this land to royal marriages in recent history. A short thread below 👇 #twitterstorians The Habsburgs arrived in the history of these land in 1477 when Mary of Burgundy married Maximilian of Habsburg, this would lead to so called Habsburg Netherlands after Mary's death in 1482, who was succeeded by her son Philip.

Today in the Belgian aristocratic families series: the House of Lalaing. They originate from Lallaing (now in France, then part of the County of Hainaut) and became a prominent part of the establislish o/t Burgundian Netherlands in the 15th c. Some interesting members below.👇 Jacques van Lalaing (1421-1453), travelled around Europe to joust. Participated in the Siege of Poeke Castle (Ghent Rebellion) and was killed after being hit by a canon ball, one of Europe's first noblemen who has been killed by canon fire.

Another royal residence: the Castle of Mariemont (Hainaut). A thread 👇 #twitterstorians #palaces #castle In 1546, Maria, Regent of the Habsburg Netherlands, commissioned a hunting lodge in the woods of Morlanwelz. The place would be littered with frescos, murals and sculptures by Jacques Dubrœucq.

Today we will look at the Castle of Tervuren (near Brussels) which existed from ca. 1190 till 1781 and was considered a favourite residence of many local rulers. A thread 👇 #twitterstorians #palaces Around 1190 Duke Henry I of Brabant commissioned the construction of a residence and a church nearby - St John the Baptist's Church -. It was clear he had plans to spend some time here. His successors added an addition donjon and further modifications.

THREAD: the Low Countries played an important role in the 'constitutional' history of Europe, but that has often been overlooked by historians who often just look at e.g. de Magna Carta. In this thread I'll give a short overview of similar docs/ideas born in the Low Countries.(1) In 1127, a conflict emerged between the cities and Count Willem of Flanders. In 1128, Iwein van Aalst claimed the Count should appear before a court as he breached the contract with his people. Thus, an early expression of the Rule of Law. (2)