Some estimates suggest that up to a third of the current Scottish population may have had Flemish ancestors. While this is almost certainly an exaggeration, many Flemish emigrés did settle in Scotland over a 600 year period between the 11th and 17th centuries. Many shed their continental sounding names to take on the name Fleming or its variants.

One version is that flamenco has Flemish roots. The legendary emperor Charles the 5th used Flemish body guards who were famous for their exuberant Burgundian behaviour. In those days the gypsy music was much heavier than the Castillian songs, they called it ‘flamenco’. You can read this statement and much more in the fascinating book Duende ...

Much of the history of modern Belgium consists of the struggle of the country’s Flemish-speaking community to gain equal status for its language and to acquire its fair share of political influence and economic opportunity in a society that was dominated largely by Walloons after the country achieved independence in 1830. In the 20th century the Flemings were successful in …

As with the birth of Belgium, Flemish nationalist historians and authors were quick to write their own history, linking up the County of Flanders to Flanders (northern part of Belgium) today. However, the parallels with their own cultural struggle were too easily transposed to the feudal conflict between the County of Flanders and medieval France.

07/02/2014 · This week’s posting, prepared by George English, provides the historical backdrop for this phase of emigration from Flanders. Introduction Flemish emigration in the 16th and early 17th centuries was mostly Protestants fleeing from …