Belgium is a relatively young country, having gained its independence less than 200 years ago. Prior to that it was a region long fought over by already established European powers with ownership shifting with relative frequency. Following Charlemagne’s reign however, Belgium was once again split in two, with half falling to France and half to Germany. From here, the separation became marked with the Flanders region fostering prosperous cities such as Bruges, Ghent and Ypres while the south continued to develop in a less unified fashion.