History
Freemasonry began in Belgium whilst the region was ruled by Austria, and later came under influence from Freemasonry in France (following the area's annexation) and the Netherlands (in the period between 1815 and 1830). When the state of Belgium was formed in 1830, Freemasonry there expanded greatly, but faced dramatic changes and challenges over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Read more about this topic: Freemasonry In Belgium
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“We aspire to be something more than stupid and timid chattels, pretending to read history and our Bibles, but desecrating every house and every day we breathe in.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It gives me the greatest pleasure to say, as I do from the bottom of my heart, that never in the history of the country, in any crisis and under any conditions, have our Jewish fellow citizens failed to live up to the highest standards of citizenship and patriotism.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“All history and art are against us, but we still expect happiness in love.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)