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During
the 15th and 16th centuries, northern Europe was one of
the centers of the Renaissance. Flemish painters Hubert
van Eyck and Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, and Pieter
Bruegel the Elder were among the outstanding artists of
this period. Dominant in the 17th century were Rubens
and Sir Anthony van Dyck, who are regarded by many as
two of the greatest Flemish painters. Belgium became independent
from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany
during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past
half century as a modern, technologically advanced European
state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between
the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking
Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional
amendments granting these regions formal recognition and
autonomy.
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