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 FLANDERS FLANDIN 259 1119, the county was held till 1127 by Charles I., the Good, son of Canute, king of Denmark ; then for a year by William Cliton, the nephew of Henry I. of England ; and finally by Thierry, son of the duke of Lorraine, whose dynasty, known as the Alsatian, reigned till 1280. A last family of counts was established by Guy de Dampierre, and lasted till 1384, when Flanders was united to the states of Philip the Bold of Burgundy, who had married the heiress of the last count. At the death of Charles the Bold in 1477, his daughter Mary, by marrying the arch- duke Maximilian, brought Flanders to the house of Austria. It was incorporated by the em- peror Charles V. among the 17 provinces which formed the circle of Burgundy. On his abdica- tion it became one of the dependencies of Spain, which lost a portion of it by its northernmost section being annexed to Zealand when the seven United Provinces declared their inde- pendence. Afterward a portion of its southern territory was conquered by Louis XIV., and received the name of French Flanders. In 1713 the peace of Utrecht transferred Flanders from Spain to Austria. In 1792 it was invaded by the French, who held it till 1814, during which period it formed the departments of Lys and Scheldt. On the fall of the French empire, it was given to the king of the Netherlands, who divided it into two provinces, East and West Flanders, which since 1831 have con- stituted an important part of the kingdom of Belgium. In spite of so many revolutions, Flanders has always been distinguished for its industrial, commercial, and agricultural pros- perity. As early as the 12th century its cities had acquired considerable importance through their manufactures, and had secured a certain degree of freedom. The democratic spirit kept even pace with the progress of trade and in- dustry; and in the following centuries the Flemish cities were so many republican com- munities, paying little more than a nominal obedience to their counts. They more than once took the management of affairs into their own hands, and successfully resisted their lord paramount, the king of France. Such was the case in 1337, when Jacob van Artevelde, the brewer of Ghent, expelled Count Louis I. from the country, caused his countrymen to ac- knowledge Edward III. of England as king of France, and held for a while the balance be- tween the two great contending nations. Even vla-n the cities of Flanders submitted to their sovereigns, they protected their liberties and privileges against any encroachment, revolting repeatedly during the 14th and 15th centuries. The interest of their lords, however, was to deal mildly with the subjects from whom they could obtain immense sums of money by volun- tary taxation. It was through them that the house of Burgundy became the wealthiest in Europe, for they had then reached the height of their prosperity ; many burgesses of Ghent, Ypres, and Bruges had princely fortunes, and plenty was apparent everywhere. Charles V., by forbearance and skilful management, con- ciliated the Flemings, and even the despotism of Philip II. could not entirely alienate them from Spain. Flanders is still a well cultivated country, famous for its industry and commerce, and forming the richest part of Belgium ; but the indomitable spirit of old times has been tamed into a moderate love of political liberty. (See FLEMISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE.) FLANDERS, East, a province of Belgium, bounded N. by Holland, E. by the Scheldt (separating it from the province of Antwerp) and by South Brabant, S. by Hainaut, and W. by West Flanders; area, 1,158 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 837,726. It forms an extensive plain, drained by the Scheldt and its tributa- ries, which, being united by canals, afford am- ple water communication. Its soil is not of superior quality, but is industriously cultivated, and it gives excellent crops of flax, hemp, wheat, rye, colewort, hops, beets, potatoes, and other vegetables. Great numbers of cattle are raised. Manufactures are prosperous, and comprise lin- en, woollen, and cotton, and beet-root sugar. Capital, Ghent; other chief towns, Oudenarde, Dendermonde, Eecloo, Alost, and St. Nicholas. FLANDERS, West, a province of Belgium, bounded N. W. by the North sea, S. W. and S. by France, and E. by the provinces of Hainaut and East Flanders, and Holland; area, 1,249 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 668,976. Besides the Lys and the Scheldt, by which it is watered on the southeast, it has only small streams emptying into the sea. Its surface is generally flat ; and although most of its soil is sandy and poor, it has been so much improved that it yields abun- dant crops of wheat, oleaginous plants, flax, and tobacco. Cattle and horses are abundant. The manufacture of linen and damask is the prin- cipal industry. Capital, Bruges; other chief towns, Ostend, Furnes, Ypres, Courtrai, and Dixmude. FLANDIN, Eugene Napoleon, a French painter and archaeologist, born in Naples, Aug. 15,1809. His father was chief of the military commissa- riat under Murat, and settled in Paris after the downfall of Napoleon. Young Flandin studied drawing and painting without a master, visited Italy in 1834, and exhibited in 1836 " Venice" and the "Bridge of Sighs." In 1838, after a brief sojourn in Algeria, he painted the " Storm- ing of Constantine," which became the proper- ty of Louis Philippe. In 1839 Flandin was cho- sen by the academy of fine arts to accompany to Persia the French ambassador De Sercey ; and on his return in 1842 his report and drawings were adopted by the academies and published by the government. He was at once chosen by the academy of inscriptions and belles-lettres to go to Nineveh with P. E. Botta to continue explorations there, and to sketch the monuments. He- returned in 1845, and the chambers unanimously voted to publish the result of their labors, which appeared in the Monuments de Ninive and at- las (1849-'50). In 1846, while preparing this