end of the 14th century, in consequence of the failure of the male line of the house of Flanders, the State became annexed to Burgundy by the marriage of a daughter of the Flemish house with Philip the Bold of Burgundy.
In the next century Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, died without male issue, and Flanders passed over to Maximilian of Austria (afterwards the Emperor of Germany) by his marriage with the daughter of Charles the Bold. The celebrated Charles V. inherited the Netherlands which thus came in the 16th century under the subjection of his son Philip II. of Spain. Spanish bigotry and opression soon drove both Holland and Belgium to rebellion. Holland shook off the hated yoke before the close of the century and began her career of foreign conquest and colonization, but Belgium was unable to do this, and declined in subjection.
In the 17th century Belgium passed to the house of Austria, then reverted to Spain, and at the latter end of the century was conquered by the great Louis XIV. of France who gained here some of his signal victories against the English. In the 18th century it was again ceded to Austria, but towards the close of the century was again conquered by the French Republicans, and remained under Napoleon Bonaparte.
After the fall of Napoleon, the French yoke was shaken off and Belgium and Holland were united under the name of the kingdom of the Netherlands. The union however was distasteful to the Belgians, who since 1830 have formed a separate kingdom of their own.
