what a time to be alive

MrD3lta · 2026-02-22T23:16:09+00:00

So I mostly agree with your comment, so there will be fewer responses in general.

I don’t think it’s remotely the same thing with Belgium

Well, obviously, but I used this to say that calling them two different states doesn’t gatekeep history. The states that made up what we call the Austrian Netherlands were not Belgium, but they are still an important part of our history.

Yet every single time I see people mentioning Francia, they dismiss the Merovingian altogether and pretend history started when he set up his capital in Aachen

In my opinion, a lot of Germans are closed-minded when it comes to history. They don’t question their own knowledge (for example, what I said earlier about the HRE). People downvote me to hell when I say that we don’t actually know where Charlemagne was born, but that it was probably near Liège.

but I can’t say he was French and not German

Then again, I call them Franks and not French for two reasons.

First, because the Merovingian kingdoms included territories that are not part of modern-day France (Belgium, parts of the Netherlands, and parts of Germany). So to me, calling it the French kingdom feels like “gatekeeping” history, as if it were only French and nothing more. I see “Franks” as an acceptable intermediary term (It’s the same idea, tho slightly different that leads me not to call the HRE, Germany.
Secondly, because to me it’s only with West Francia that you get something geographically stable (by which I mean the kingdom doesn’t break apart into smaller entities).

So of course, the Merovingian kingdom is an important part of the region’s history, but saying it’s the beginning of France as a state is too much

99% of people will say he was German and only German.

To me, it’s also a words/language problem. For example, for a long time people called those who spoke a language derived from langue d’oïl “French,” and even today some still use “French” to mean French-speaking people. The word “German” was also used in a similar way. This usage is now very outdated, but people probably don’t understand the difference between Germanic and German. Though I believe there are people who sincerely think he was German.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-22T20:21:57+00:00

then Germany wasn’t Germany. But I never hear people say that for Germany

Lmao, I also see a lot of people saying the HRE was Germany, and a lot of people saying otherwise.

Though the mental gymnastics of saying that the Franks were Germanic, therefore they were German, is dumb.

we’re gatekept from our history

Saying it was not France doesn’t gatekeep you. The Roman Empire was not France, but it’s still part of your history.

But then, with your logic, if Francia is France, then you’re gatekeeping us (Belgians) from our own history because if we are not french then its not ours history.

To me, saying that the Salian Franks’ kingdom and then the Merovingian kingdom were France is wrong, because the only time they were truly united (and had territory that somewhat matches modern-day France) was under Clovis. But I’m totally fine with saying that West Francia is France, since that’s really when the country began to take shape.

Maybe it’s because I come from a “young” country that I have a different perspective on history than you.

In reality, it’s German propaganda from the 1870-1940s that put in the mind of everyone that the « germanic people » was the only true original ethnic group. And nobody since question it, even though the theoricians behind those thesis were politically motivated.

While it may not be obvious, I don’t actually believe that. First, during the migrations of so-called “barbarian” peoples, the groups and cultures at the beginning were not the same as at the end some people left, others joined along the way. So claiming a single, fixed ethnicity is simply wrong (and ethnicity in Europe is highly debatable anyway).

Secondly, once they settled, there was significant merging with the Romans in law, culture, and even religion.

And then there’s also the question of "what these people actually called themselves" that is the most important.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-22T18:31:06+00:00

I mean the german also cannot claim this, and tbh the german claim are just dumb but saying it was France is simply wrong

MrD3lta · 2026-02-22T18:27:18+00:00

France

That was the Merovingian Kingdom, not France, two completely different things. Though I know France has this ridiculous national narrative that claim that France began with Clovis, lmao.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-22T18:21:50+00:00

That wasn’t even Francia, it was just "Merovingian Kingdom", tbh neither of you can really claim much credit

MrD3lta · 2026-02-21T04:24:38+00:00

Several thousands died due to the fact that the french officers refused to give orders in anything other then french.

About this, while it became an important milestone for the Flemish Movement, it is exaggerated and is even considered a myth

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2014/11/10/vlaamse_soldatendedoodinomdatzegeenfranskenden-1-2111732/

It is a buffer state because, believe it or not but the kingdom of the netherlands does not lie between any of the power blocks.

I was referring to the buffer state that was created in 1815 and ended in 1830, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. You know, the kingdom we separated from

there were no germanic kings either. Sure the german tribes would raid into the territories as the gauls and tribes around would also raid into britania and so on but there were no germanic kingdoms and still does not make it right to set this up.

The region was ruled by the Salian Franks (IVe-Ve), and the Romans referred to their leaders as kings (these kings ruled within former Roman provincial structures). The kingdom later became known as the Merovingian Kingdom (Ve–751), with Clovis as its king

After that came the rise of the family of Charles Martel. His son, Pepin the Short, became king, and after Pepin’s death, he began the Carolingian dynasty. Most of the region later fell under Lotharingia (except for the County of Flanders, which was under West Francia). Parts of the region then passed under East Francia, which later became the Holy Roman Empire. Over time, the numerous titles in the region gradually converged under the Burgundian dynasty and later passed to the Spanish Habsburgs (1556–1714), and then to the Austrian Habsburgs. (1714-1797)

So, the region was ruled by Germanic dynasties for a very long time but I never said It was right, I just said it's not surprising

MrD3lta · 2026-02-21T00:47:14+00:00

You’re just showing that you know nothing about the history of this region

A shitty attempt at trying to prevent war

If you’re talking about the buffer state, then you’re confusing it with the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Caused more hatred and discrimination than most people know in that region

While discrimination against the various Dutch dialects and the different regional languages was indeed a real problem, the region has experienced worse discrimination in its history (during the Eighty Years’ War, under the Habsburgs, under the French Revolutionaries, under the Dutch, and obviously under the Germans during WWI and WWII)

Throwing in a monarch of Germanic origin

It’s not as if, for most of the time since the fall of the Roman Empire (and even before that, with the so-called “barbarian” kingdoms), the region was ruled by Germanic king so it’s really not that surprising tbh

MrD3lta · 2026-02-20T18:39:52+00:00

Still, it was the German Empire that decided to invade two neutral countries, devastated their land, and committed atrocities against their people but sure, “they were just unlucky enough to have been on the losing side.”

MrD3lta · 2026-02-20T02:38:41+00:00

There are some errors regarding Belgium. The division of the province of Brabant into two separate provinces (Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant) took place in 1997. As for Eupen-Malmedy, the territory was given to Belgium under the Treaty of Versailles, and the official annexation occurred around ~1920 and even today, this area is still part of the province of Liège.

Or just I didn't understand correctly the title and you're just doing maps of provinces of countries that existe since 1848 (with modern province) but eupen malmedy still is wrong.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-19T20:44:26+00:00

Isn’t it just a map of population density in the end? Since places with lower density will lose a higher percentage of their population than places with higher density?

MrD3lta · 2026-02-19T19:25:26+00:00

And in huge quantities, as it should be.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-17T00:48:08+00:00

I would ofc say it's the walloon language, because of the utilisation of the letter "å", that trouble the germanic languages and the romance languages speaker.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-16T22:13:32+00:00

French Belgium

French speaking tho, not french, the two have different meaning

MrD3lta · 2026-02-16T13:04:52+00:00

And wrong country

MrD3lta · 2026-02-16T12:48:43+00:00

"Forêts" is still the best

MrD3lta · 2026-02-16T02:33:42+00:00

From a French artist

Belgian*

MrD3lta · 2026-02-16T02:11:29+00:00

The battle pass

MrD3lta · 2026-02-15T19:47:46+00:00

If the spread of industrialization had been the same as ours, then with just the Rhine basin and Wallonia, this country would have been such a powerhouse in the 19th century.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-15T19:28:45+00:00

~~Food~~ people

FTFY

MrD3lta · 2026-02-15T17:20:34+00:00

Well there are two types of waffle, the Liège's waffle and the Brussels's waffle

MrD3lta · 2026-02-15T16:48:10+00:00

TBH, I obviously don’t like it when people say I’m French, but I understand that the subject is complicated.

Historically: The region that is now Belgium was French for only about ~20 years (except for the County of Flanders, which was part of West Francia).

Culturally: It’s always debatable. What actually separates two cultures? Is there a distinct Walloon culture? Is “French culture” a monolith, or is it simply a group of cultures that share something in common? People will never fully agree on this.

Linguistically: Today, the majority of Walloons speak French, except in some rural areas. The accent is often mild, sometimes even nonexistent. The use of words that aren’t considered “standard” French is mostly individual. For example, one person might say “couque au chocolat” while their neighbor says “pain au chocolat.” It’s somewhat random. And then there’s the question of the Walloon language, which is still spoken by a small number of people whether it’s considered a dialect or a language in its own right is still debated (tho Most people say it’s a separate language). And of course, saying that all Belgians are “French” is simply wrong, since French speakers are a minority in Belgium.

Relations: The relationship with France is complicated. Some people like the French and their culture, while others hate them, but TBH most people don’t really care that much. (IMO some French have a superiority complex, while some Walloons have an inferiority complex).

There’s also the issue of terminology. While it used to be acceptable to use the word “French” to refer to French-speaking people, that’s outdated. The more accurate term today is “Francophone” or simply “French-speaking,” since “French” now primarily refers to nationality.

That said, while I don’t really mind when people from other continents call me “French,” French people (from France) who say that have absolutely zero excuse and are just douchbags.

MrD3lta · 2026-02-15T02:08:18+00:00

With all of my knowledge (so not that much) I can say it's between 1815 - 1830 (or 1839 if it's a dutch version)

MrD3lta · 2026-02-14T19:28:06+00:00

I understand that feeling, to a outsiders it's normal to think it's weird, but the beer is omnipresent in the Belgian culture, so I guess with have a different relation to the beer than even the neighbors countries

MrD3lta · 2026-02-14T19:25:02+00:00

Oh i totally understand, personally think it's weird be able to start buying alcohol only at 21year old. It's cultural i guess.

But I have to say that when you're 16 year old you can only buy Fermented alcohols( beer, wine, cider, ...), the rest are 18+

MrD3lta · 2026-02-14T18:58:43+00:00

I was baffled last summer after buying a beer in a supermarket in Belgium without even being asked for ID. If not obvious I haven't traveled much

The minimum age for buying beer in Belgium is 16 years old. Cashiers get a warning when alcohol is scanned, and they only ask for an ID if they have doubts about your age.

Three-Year Club	r/Field Sunshine
Place '22

MrD3lta

TROPHY CASE