Walloons are a group of people who live in southern Belgium. The region they inhabit is called Wallonia. It consists of the provinces of Brabant Wallon, Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, and Namur. The Walloons make up about 30 percent of the Belgian population.
Walloons trace their original heritage to the Belgae, a Celtic people, who were conquered by the Romans in the 50’s B.C. In the A.D. 200’s to 400’s, a Germanic tribe called the Franks invaded the region. In Wallonia, the Romanized inhabitants largely absorbed the Franks. The area to the north, now called Flanders, was more thinly populated, and many people fled. The Franks became dominant. Today, the people of Flanders are called Flemings.
During the early 1800’s, Wallonia became one of Europe’s most wealthy industrial regions. The Walloon cities of Liege and Charleroi became centers for coal mining and steelmaking. The newly independent Belgian government built extensive networks of canals and railroads in Wallonia. They also developed an advanced banking system.
Language and cultural differences have created friction between the Walloons and the Flemings. The Walloons speak French. The Flemings speak Dutch.
When Belgium became independent in 1830, French speakers largely controlled the government. The Flemings then organized a movement to gain recognition of their own language and culture. In reaction, French speakers organized their own Walloon movement. Conflicts between the Walloons and the Flemings continued during the 1900’s. Constitutional changes made from 1970 to 2001 granted extensive self-rule to Flanders and Wallonia.
