Post by mew on Sept 10, 2010 3:47:06 GMT 1
Country: Belgium
Real name: Amélie Van Aalten
Personality: A very proud and cheerful woman. She holds great pride in her beer, chocolate, and waffles. She's quick to tell anyone that their chocolate tastes cheap and will forever argue with Germany over who has the better beer. Because her country is small and not many people take her seriously, she holds onto what she is known for dearly.
Dutch humor is known to be rather... unique. Belgium tends to be called strange quite often by the other countries around her because of her taste in humor. Despite what the others say, she doesn't seem to really care. Perhaps you could consider it another thing that she's proud of. A unique characteristic is a unique characteristic, normal or... strange.
Belgium likes to stay neutral. Her country is very small and she knows this. Better to stay away from bigger problems. Of course, being considered the gateway to France, her neutrality is often shrugged off and laughed at. She has long since grown used to the feeling of betrayal and pain. Despite having horrific occurrences thrown at her, she doesn't grip on to the past. She holds her head up high and lets the future carry her onwards.
Even though she has been hurt by many of those around her in the past, she still tries her hand at dating. Many of the men (and a few women) are quickly scared away by her subtle bragging and her rather frightening intoxicated side. She's quick to get drunk off of wine and is (although she won't admit it) a lightweight.
She finds Dutch tourists to be quite noisy and she wishes they'd quit sitting on their money."Nederlanders zitte op hun geld" is commonly heard from many of the Flemish people.
Likes:
- Chocolate (Belgian)
- Beer
- Neutrality
- Her brothers Luxembourg and the Netherlands
- Festivals
- Modern art
- Creativity
- Cats
Dislikes:
- Dutch tourists
- Cheap chocolate
- Annoying accents
- Boring people
- Fighting
History:
57 BC- It was around 57 BC when the Belgian area was inhabited by the people known as the Belgae. They were a Celtic tribe of early Gaul.
16 BC- The Romans dubbed Belgae as Gallia Belgica
4th century AD- Gaul was ceded to the Franks.
274- Franks live in the area of Gaul closest to the Rhine after the Germanic peoples destroy the weakened Roman armies in the area. Franks live here from now on.
431- The Merovingian is established as an independent dynasty. The capitol is Tournai.
486- Merovingian’s wiped out the last of the Romans in Gaul under Clovis I’s (466-511) rule. Clovis adopted Christianity thus giving him support of the church. Merovingian rule fragments after the death of Clovis I and doesn’t see stable rule until Pepin III (751)
751- Pepin III disposes the last of the Merovingians. He creates the Carolingian Dynasty which is named after his son Charlemange.
Medieval Belgium
867- Ghent is one of the first major towns created in Flanders.
1300- Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres become outstanding and unique cultural centers in Flanders.
1329- Flanders falls under French control.
1384- Philip the Bold of Burgundy becomes ruler of Flanders
Burgundian Period
1555- Philip II rises as the Spanish king and begins enforcing Catholicism over much of the Protestant Europe in the north.
1565- William of Orange and Count Egmont oppose Spanish opposition and fail.
1648- Treaty of Munster closed the Scheldt to navigation. The main cities of Flanders are no longer the main cities of trade.
War periods
1576- Spain captures Antwerp in Belgium. It was nearly destroyed in three days.
1790- United States of Belgium is formed
1790- William Pitt refuses to see Belgium as independent
1795- France “liberates” Belgium from Austrian control
1830- Revolt occurs in Brussels under Napoleon’s rule.
January 20, 1831- Belgium is recognized as an independent nation
Nov 1913- Belgium is recognized as neutral in the case of a world war
August 4th 1914- WWI breaks out and Belgium is invaded by German forces
September 3, 1939- Belgium is recognized as neutral
May 10, 1940- Nazi Germany invades Belgium. Belgian resistance falls after 18 days of fighting
1944- Belgium is liberated by allied forces
After the War
1977- Belgium is divided into three administrative regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels.
1980- Belgium’s constitution is changed to recognize the separation
January 2002- Euro takes the place of the Belgian franc
June 1, 2003- Belgium becomes the second country to legally recognize same-sex marriage
September 2007- Belgium is without government for 100 days
November 20, 2009- First president of the EU is Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium
Role Play Example: (I'm gonna go with something I've always wanted to write out. That being the first invasion of Belgium during WWII.)
I've been here before.
History had repeated itself all too soon. It was only a short amount of time that Belgium was able to take peace in the ruins that were left from World War I.
The rape of Belgium.
The scene was too familiar. Lying on her back, clothes tattered, body aching, and staring at a depressing sky through teary eyes. She couldn't listen to it anymore. She had to force herself to tune it all out. It was too much for her.
"B-Broer-" she croaked, "... I'm... s-so tired."
She knew he couldn't hear her. She knew that he was probably in a state much similar to hers. She was almost glad that he wouldn't see her like this. Her spirit was already trampled under the boots of the soldiers who ransacked her cities, she didn't need to have her brother step on the pitiful remains.
Rolling her head to the side on the cold earth below her, she turned her gaze from the sky and over to the sights in front of her. Everything was a mess. Houses burned, women and child murdered, libraries burned. It was all a disaster. Far from anything she wanted to think about. Closing her eyes, she let her mind dwell on the thoughts of those whom she cared about the most. It was almost sickeningly familiar to the final thoughts of the dead and dying around her.
~Wake me up in the morning broer. Like you used to when we were young. Wake me up when it's all over. And then I can make waffles in the morning for you and Luxembourg... ~