Historical Tour: In Search of the Spanish Footprints in Brussels -The Wars of Flanders: Charles V and Philip II-

🇧🇪The tour of the Spanish footprint in Brussels invites you to rediscover one of the most forgotten—and yet most decisive—epics in the history of Spain and Europe: the presence of the Hispanic Monarchy in the former Low Countries. 

Javier Rubio will explain the places where kings like Charles V and Philip II, or ministers like Margaret of Parma, Duke of Alba, Don John of Austria, or Alexander Farnese passed through. The Spanish governors who changed the history of Europe and defended the Catholic south of Europe with the Tercios of Flanders... That's why Belgium is a Catholic nation and not Calvinist like the north!

A way to learn about the Spanish history of a city, guided by someone who has been working on the ground for more than three years as a journalist for media outlets like "VozPópuli" or "Escudo Digital". He also knows the politics of the European Parliament, as he frequently visits it for work. Author of the essay with more than 1,000 copies sold in Spain about "The Footprint of Spain in Flanders"

The tour will discuss the political, military, and cultural connection between the Spanish and the Flemish within the same Empire. From the pikes and arquebuses of the Tercios to the brush of Peter Paul Rubens: Why did the Spanish kings bring paintings from Belgium by Bosch, Van der Weyden, or Jan Van Eyck? 

The guide's experience will make this tour an unforgettable experience, as he knows the secrets hidden in the city of Brussels. Additionally, he will give food and drink tips that, as the Duke of Alba said, “were plentiful in this land”... See you in the capital of the former Spanish Low Countries!

What will we learn?

- The history of Burgundy
- Joanna of Castile and Philip "the Handsome"
- The era of Emperor Charles V
- The beginning of the civil revolts in Flanders 
- Philip II and the response of the Duke of Alba
- Black legend against Spain?
- The invasion of Napoleon
- The influence of Freemasonry
- Spanish colonization VS Belgian Congo colonization