The ancient people of Belgium were members of various Celtic tribes, known collectively as the Belgae. Julius Caesar extended the mighty arm of Rome to this area of Northern Europe starting in 57 BCE. This region was dubbed Gallia Belgica. With the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century CE, Germanic tribes overran this area, and by 431 CE, Belgium became a part of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty.

Clovis (c.466-511) was the most famous of these Merovingian rulers, and he beat back the last of the Roman forces in France & the Low Countries. He adopted Christianity, thus securing the Church’s support in his campaign.

After Clovis’ death, Frankish lands fragmented apart, not to be ruled again by a single ruler until 751 under Pepin the Short. Pepin established the Carolingian Dynasty, which is named for his son Charlemagne, who took over the throne in 768. His Empire eventually contained most of Europe.

After Charlemagne’s death, nearly half century of rule, his empire was divided by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. Napoleon saw Antwerp as an important strategic stronghold against England during the French occupation of the area (1792-1815). Belgium eventually became associated with the Netherlands, until the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Antwerp has since experienced steady economic growth, and is once again viewed as the cultural capital of Europe.