History: Belgium has had a very turbulent history and has had a number of rulers throughout the ages. Its first inhabitants were a Celtic tribe called the Belgae. These were overthrown by Julius Caesar in 54BC. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century Belgium was invaded by Germanic tribes. In was under this rule that Belgium converted to Christianity during the 7th century. It was under the power of the Frankish empire during the 1100's and up until the 14th century, The country was going through a boom due to it's the location of its port cities. Belgium came under Spanish Law at that time which ignited a long battle against Spanish rule. The Spaniards were eventually booted out and Belgium won independence in 1830. However the peace that was created after this did not last for long. When World War 1 broke out in 1914 Belgium was not left out of the loop. The Germans invaded the country in 1914 and again in 1940 despite Belgian Neutrality. Belgium has played a huge part in recent history as it is now home to the headquarters of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
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