#OTD in 1119, Count Baldwin VII of Flanders died after his head was hit by a lance. His death meant the end of the ‘House of Flanders’ that had reigned over the county since 862. Before his death he appointed his Danish cousin prince Charles as new

Marktbevraging! Is er enige interesse in een serie podcasts over het leven en welzijn van keizer Karel V. Uiteraard dient mijn boek als basis :)

The ruins of Ghent’s St Baafs’ Abbey will receive some much needed funding to maintain its preservation. The Abbey was founded in the 7th c. and closed by Emperor Charles V in 1540 as punishment for the city’s revolt. Photo: Visit Gent

A forgotten entity in what is now Belgium: the semi-independent imperial county of Rekem. Emperor Ferdinand II elevated the barony to imperial county. The counts ruled from the Castle of d'Aspremont-Lynden until they were deposed in 1795.

Did you know the weird confederal republic known as the 'United Belgian States' (existed for a year in 1790) after the Habsburg Netherlands deposed Joseph II as their Lord was considering to offer Archduke Charles of Austria the position of Grand Duke of Belgium.

It was the Battle of Pavia all over again. #france  #spain  #worldcup #ESPFRA

The foundation act of the Royal Library of Brussels. Signed by King Philip II in 1559 who decreed the countless manuscripts gathered by his predecessors should be centralised at the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels. The collection is still one of the finest in Europe.

#OTD in 1621, Albert, Sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands died in the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels following a stroke. He body was placed in the Great Hall of the palace; but it would take another 9 months before a funeral was held

Bart van Loo zocht nog wat zomerlectuur en kocht o.a. mijn ‘Karel V’ en het boek van @bramderidder.bsky.social aan. Een leuke endorsement uiteraard :)

#OTD in 1302, Flemish militias defeated the French army near Kortrijk. The victory was so astounding they even had to wake up the pope to share the news.

The King of the Belgians paid a visit to the @BelRedDevils as the team preps for the match against #spain  #belgium  #worldcup

Hear ye, hear ye! For my English-speaking followers, around the end of summer, I’ll appear in a British history podcast for the first time to discuss Emperor Charles V. Watch this space for more updates :)

#OTD in 1441, Jan van Eyck, one of the greatest painters ever, died in Bruges. His obsession with realism and the proper use of oil-paint (decades before the Italian Renaissance) revolutionised painting in Western Europe.

#OTD in 1546, Don Carlos, heir to the Spanish empire was born. He was mentally unstable and often aggressive. In 1568 he was imprisoned by his father Philip II after plans were revealed Carlos wanted to flee to the Habsburg Netherlands . He died in mysterious circumstances

So last week many were asking ‘’but was has ever come out of #Belgium  except chocolate’’. Well, here are a few things: the saxophone, modern concrete asphalt, bakelite (the first plastic). JPEG, the WWW (yes, everyone forgets Robert Cailliau) or the internal combustion engine.

Wondering which country Charles V would have supported: the place where he was born (Ghent), raised (Mechelen) and where he abdicated (Brussels) or the place he did not visit until he was 17, but enabled the Habsburgs to became a world power #Belgium   #Spain   #worldcup

So #Belgium  will meet #Spain  this week. Both countries have very deep historical links that really took root when Philip the Fair married Joanna of Castile in 1496 in Lier, binding the Habsburg Netherlands to the Spanish crowns #WorldCup

#OTD in 1553, king Edward VI died. Before his death he wrote a new instrument of succession excluding his catholic half-sister Mary and appointed Lady Jane Grey as heir.

In New York City you’ll find Rombouts Avenue named after Francis Rombouts, a merchants from Hasselt who became alderman and even served as mayor of NCY in 1679-1680 #USABEL #WorldCup

On the 4th of July 1780, Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Regent of the Habsburg Netherlands died at the Castle of Tervuren near Brussels. He was an approachable extrovert who loved parties which made very popular among the popular.

This week the grand Ommegang was held: a reenactment of the Emperor Charles V’s entry into Brussels in 1549 when he wanted to present his son Philip as heir. Photo: Ommegang

Did you know presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt are both descendants of Jean de Lannoy & Marie Mahieu, who both came from the francophone part of the County of Flanders. Their son Philip arrived in the colonies in 1621. #unitedstates  #belgium  #worldcup

The grand medieval belfry of Bruges is even more spectaculair during a light show ! Here is a cool 16th c. map of the city projected on the building that is a symbol of Bruges’ role as a major medieval European economic hub.

#OTD in 1423, king Louis XI of France was born. Known as a schemer and manipulator he was dubbed ‘the universal spider’ who maintained a web of intriges

Emperor Charles V dividing his empire between his brother Ferdinand (Austrian branch) and son Philip (Spanish branch) #worldcup #espaut #spain  #austria

The honour or Emperor Charles V’s 17 provinces has been saved :) #WorldCup #Belgium  #belsen

#OTD in 1523, the first Lutherans in were at the stakes in Brussels; Hendrik Voes & Jan van Essen were friars from Antwerp who preached Luther’s doctrine. They were arrested and condemned by the Council of Brabant. They became the first Lutheran martyrs in history.

#OTD in 1559, king Henri II of France was mortally wounded during a jousting match after a fragment of a splintered lance got lodged in his eye.

It you happen to be in Bruges, do visit the new fantastic Brusk museum. There you’ll spot a magnificent 800 year old crown made for Philip I of Namur. Photo: Cultuursmakers Brugge

#OTD in 1517, physician and botanist Rembert Dodoens was born in Mechelen, Habsburg Netherlands. In 1554 his herbal ‘Cruydeboeck’ was published, which at the time would become the most translated book after the Bible