THE CATHEDRAL OF TOURNAI 88 Religious spirit of Belgium in the Middle Ages--The Romanesque churches--Introduction of Gothic; Period of transition, early Gothic, secondary period, third period--French and Flemish languages during the Middle Ages--Picard writers in Walloon Flanders--First translations and chronicles in French--Origin of Flemish letters, Willem's _Reinaert_, Van Maerlant. CHAPTER IX THE GREAT DUKES OF THE WEST 102 Decline of the Communes--Policy of the Burgundian dukes: Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good--Territorial unification and political centralization--Philip's external policy--Charles the Bold--Dream of a new central Empire. CHAPTER X THE TOWN HALLS 112 The meaning of Belgium's Gothic Town Halls--Result of a compromise between centralization and local liberties--Decline of the cloth industry--Economic prosperity under the new regime--Transformation of trade--Antwerp succeeds Bruges. CHAPTER XI THE ADORATION OF THE LAMB 124 Civilization under Burgundian rule--French and Flemish; bilingualism--Flemish letters: Jean Boendaele, Ruysbroeck--The Brothers of the Common Life--Writers in French: Jean Le Bel, Froissart, Chastellain--Development of music: Dufay, Ockeghem, etc.--Life in fifteenth-century Belgium--The early "Flemish School of Painting"--Its place in the history of Art--The brothers Van Eyck--Origins of the school; sculpture, illuminating. CHAPTER XII 140 Reaction after the death of Charles the Bold--The "Great Privilege" of Mary of Burgundy--Her marriage with Maximilian; its consequences--Conflict between Burgundian and Hapsburgian policies--Philip the Handsome--Margaret of Austria--Accession of Charles to the Empire--Projects of founding a separate kingdom--Margaret's second governorship. CHAPTER XIII THE LAST STAGE OF CENTRALIZATION 154 Mary of Hungary--Revolt of Ghent--Complete unification--Augsburg transaction--Pragmatic Sanction--Abdication of Charles V. CHAPTER XIV ANTWERP 163 Development of modern trade--Rural industry--Humanism and Lutheranism--The placards--Anabaptism--Calvinism. CHAPTER XV THE BEGGARS 174 Philip II--Marguerite of Parma and the Consulta--Resistance of the Council of State--The "Compromise"--The Iconoclasts--Catholic reaction. CHAPTER XVI