SEPARATION 182 North and South--The Duke of Alba and the Council of Blood--Requesens--"Spanish Fury"--Pacification of Ghent--Don Juan--Policy of Orange--Archduke Matthias--The Duke of Anjou--The "Malcontents"--Confederation of Arras--Union of Utrecht--"French Fury"--The fall of Antwerp. CHAPTER XVII DREAM OF INDEPENDENCE 204 Albert and Isabella--Catholic reaction--Siege of Ostend--Policy of the Spanish kings--The Walloon League--The States-General. CHAPTER XVIII THE TWELVE YEARS' TRUCE 213 Period of reconstruction--Ruin of Antwerp--Revival of industry and agriculture--Social conditions under Albert and Isabella--Influence of the Church. CHAPTER XIX RUBENS 221 Contrast between Flemish Art in the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries--Italian influence--Intellectual action of the Jesuits--Neglect of Flemish--Popular Art: Breughel, Jordaens. CHAPTER XX POLITICAL DECADENCE UNDER SPAIN 230 Situation of the Southern Netherlands between the United Provinces and France--Projects of Partition--Muenster Treaty--Wars of the Spanish Succession--The Anglo-Batavian Conference--Treaty of Utrecht--The Barrier system. CHAPTER XXI THE OSTEND COMPANY 245 Economic Renaissance under the Austrian regime--Efforts to liberate Belgian trade--War of Austrian Succession--Charles de Lorraine--Intellectual decadence--Popular restlessness. CHAPTER XXII THE BRABANCONNE REVOLUTION 254 Joseph II and Philip II--Strength of the Burgundian tradition-- Suppression of the Barrier--The "War of the Cauldron"--The emperor's internal reforms--Popular resistance: Van der Noot and Vonck--The "Etats Belgiques Unis"--"Statists" and "Vonckists"--The Reichenbach Convention--Restoration of the Austrian regime. CHAPTER XXIII LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY 268 Jemappes--Excesses of the "Sans Culottes"--Neerwinden--Treaty of The Hague--Policy of the Convention towards occupied territory--Annexation--The "War of the Peasants"--Napoleonic rule--The Vienna Treaty. CHAPTER XXIV BLACK, YELLOW AND RED 279 The Joint Kingdom--Causes of failure--Belgian grievances--Policy of William I--Reconciliation of Catholics and Liberals--The September days. CHAPTER XXV