Does Belgian identity exist ?

**Dandelion** · 03-05-2019, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Peterski

Actually the ethnonym "Belgians" is very ancient, much older than the ethnonym "Dutch". Already Julius Caesar mentioned the Belgae.

If anything I would say that the Dutch are an accident. Or the Germans. Depending on how you see it. But it is an accident in history that the Dutch are not the Germans, or that the Germans are one people (instead of several different ethnic groups - similar to the Dutch case).

I guess the Dutch are, but they were in history ruled by their own people. We were ruled by foreigners and our economy was in shambles for the longest period of (early) modern history. The Belgae were just a collective of Celtic and Germano-Celtic tribes we know little about, the name is Celtic in origin.

In Latin the Netherlands also were called Belgia, by the way. It's just an alternative name.

**Peterski** · 03-05-2019, 06:53 PM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgae

**Dandelion** · 03-05-2019, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić

Saw lot of national pride when you won World Cup bronze, it was good to watch

Yeah. Our team did very well. Of course we all support Belgium and realise the well-being of our state is also our well-being. The most depressing part of our history is before Belgium and the Netherlands.

**Peterski** · 03-05-2019, 06:57 PM

Belgica was apparently one ethnic and political entity in the past.

**Dandelion** · 03-05-2019, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by Peterski

Belgica was apparently one ethnic and political entity in the past.

And in the Early Modern Era it's the word 'Netherlands' got translated to 'Belgia'. There were two Belgiae, Belgia Regis (the Habsburg Netherlands) and Belgia Foederata (the Dutch Republic).
When the local populace rebelled against the Austrian Habsburgers here, our short-lived state (a free Belgium for the first time in history) was called 'Vereenigde Nederlandse Staten' in Dutch and 'Pays Belgiques Unis' in French.

The French name Belgique was an adjective in origin, later made a noun.

Ülev · 03-05-2019, 07:29 PM

Belgia is very popular country in Poland btw

**Gold-Shekel** · 03-07-2019, 07:13 PM

I think it does exist, but separately. That's slowly dieing away though. It perhaps still exists between Walloons and people from Bruxelles, but Flemish people for the most part don't believe in that Belgian identity, their Flemish identity is stronger.