Walloons ( ; ; ; ) are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to the Wallonia region of Belgium. Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic, with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era.
In modern Belgium, Walloons are, by law, termed a "distinctive linguistic and ethnic community" within the country, as are the neighbouring Flemish, a Dutch (Germanic) speaking community.
When understood as a regional identification, the ethnonym is also extended to refer to the inhabitants of the Walloon region in general, regardless of ethnicity or ancestry.
Etymology
The term Walloon is derived from *walha, a Proto-Germanic term used to refer to Celtic and Latin speakers.John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, English and Welsh, in Angles and Britons: O'Donnell Lectures, University of Cardiff Press, 1963.
Walloon originated in Romance languages alongside other related terms, but it supplanted them. Its oldest written trace is found in Jean de Haynin's Mémoires de Jean, sire de Haynin et de Louvignies in 1465, where it refers to Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands. Its meaning narrowed yet again during the French and Dutch periods and, at Belgian independence, the term designated only Belgians speaking a Romance language (French, Walloon, Picard, etc.) The linguistic cleavage in the politics of Belgium adds a political content to "the emotional cultural, and linguistic concept".French: Au concept sentimental, linguistique et culturel s'est ajouté peu à peu, par la suite de l'évolution intérieure en Belgique, depuis 1880 surtout, un contenu politique Albert Henry, Histoire des mots Wallons et Wallonie, Institut Jules Destrée, Coll. «Notre histoire», Mont-sur-Marchienne, 1990, 3rd ed. (1st ed. 1965), p. 14. The words Walloon and Wallons can be seen in the book of Charles White, The Belgic Revolution (1835): "The restless Wallons, with that adventurous daring which is their historical characteristic, abandoned their occupations, and eagerly seizing the pike and the musket marched towards the centre of the commotion."Charles White, The Belgic Revolution of 1830, Whittaker, London, 1835, p. 308, see also, pp. 5, 45, 266, 307 where the same word as in French - Wallons - was used Oxford University's copy The Spanish terms of Walon and Walona from the 17th century referred to a Royal Guard Corps recruited in the Spanish Flanders. They were involved in many of the most significant battles of the Spanish Empire.
Albert Henry wrote that although in 1988 the word Walloon evoked a constitutional reality, it originally referred to Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands and was also used to designate a territory by the terms provinces wallonnes or pays wallon (Walloon country), from the 16th century to the Belgian revolution, and later Wallonia.Albert Henry, En 1988, le terme Wallonie évoque (...) une réalité politique et administrative constitutionnellement reconnue (...) En 1830, et au cours des années qui suivirent, on avait continué à se servir des expressions provinces wallonnes, cette dernière déjà employée au seizième siècle, au moins et pays wallon plus rarement attestées avant le dix-huitième siècle, opus citatus, pp. 15-16 The term 'Walloon country' was also used in Dutch viz. Walsch land.Het naembouck van 1562, Tweede druk van het Nederlands - Frans Woordenboek van Hoos Lambrech, published by R.Verdeyen, Liège-Paris, 1945, p.221. (from Albert Henry, opus citatus, p.81) The term existed also in German, perhaps Wulland in Hans Heyst's 1571 book, where that word is later (1814) translated to Wallonia in English.Hans Heyst, Philippi II, Koenigs in Spanien, Reise aus Spanien nach Genos, und dann ferner durch Italien und Teutschland ins Wulland, und von dannen herauf in die Stadt Augsburg von anno 1549 bis 1551, Journey and Voyage of Philipp II, from Spain to Genos, and then further through Italy and Germany into Wallonia and to hence into the City of Augsburg, Augsburg, 1571, 4to. Published by Par John Pinkerton; Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1814, see the translation of Wulland in the English Wallonia p. 89 A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World: Many of which are Now First Translated Into English. Digested on a New Plan, Copy of the University of Michigan In German it is however generally Wallonenland.Le païs de Valons, Belgolalia, Wallonennland, in Le Grand Dictionnaire Royal, Augsbourg, 1767 in Etudes d'histoire wallonne, Fondation Plisnier, Bruxelles, 1964 Etudes d'histoire wallonne In English, it is Walloon country (see further James Shaw).Albert Henry, Un témoignage anglais, opus citatus, p.48 In French it is le Pays wallon.Le pays wallon comprenait la plus grande partie de ce qui forme aujourd'hui la Belgique, la Flandre occidentale et orientale, dites ensemble Flandre wallonne, la province de Namur, le Hainaut, le pays de Liège, le Limbourg et même le Luxembourg in Dictionnaire Bescherelle Paris, 1856, Vol II, p. 1664 Bescherelle, Vol II, 1856, Paris, p. 1664 For Félix Rousseau, Walloon country is, after le Roman pays the old name of the country of the Walloons.French "En ce qui concerne les termes employés pour désigner la Terre des Wallons au cours des âges, nous avons noté le Roman pays, ensuite le Pays wallon. Il y eut aussi l'expression: les Provinces wallonnes." Félix Rousseau, La Wallonie, terre romane, 6th edition, Charleroi, 1993, p.120, DL/1993/0276/1
Institutional aspects
The term "state reform" in the Belgian context indicates a process towards finding constitutional and legal solutions for the problems and tensions among the different segments of the Belgian population, mostly Dutch-speakers of Flanders and French-speakers of Wallonia. In general, Belgium evolved from a unitary state to a federal state with communities, regions and language areas."Belgium is a federal State composed of Communities and Regions." – Article 1 of the Belgian Constitution
Conceptual aspects
Wallonia
The area now known as Wallonia has been settled by various Celtic tribes and later by Roman and Frankish settlers. From the early Middle Ages up until the early modern period, the region has been separated between many city-states and external powers. Such changing rule brought variations to borders, culture, and language. The Walloon language, widespread in use up until the Second World War, has been dying out of common use due in part to its prohibition by the public school system, in favor of French.
Starting from the end of the 19th century, the Walloon Movement, aiming to assert the identity of Walloons as French-speaking (rather than Walloon speaking) people of Belgium. In this context, the concept of Wallonia, as a heartland of the Walloon people was invented in 1886.« ‘Wallonia’ as a concept was invented at that time, and ‘Flanders’ took its present meaning to denote the whole region. » Stefaan De Rynck, « Civic culture and institutional performance of the Belgians regions », in Patrick Le Gales, Christian Lequesne, Regions in Europe : The Paradox of Power, Routledge, 27 of February 2006, 328 pages p. (ISBN 9781134710614), p. 162« the privilege of educated men who studied a ‘forgotten’, but in effect invented region and celebrated its folkloric traditions, its dialects, its past and its landscape » Maarten Van Ginderachter, « Nationalist Versus Regionalist? The Flemish and Walloon Movements in Belle Epoque Belgium », in Region and State in Nineteenth-Century Europe : Nation-Building, Regional Identities and Separatism, Palgrave Macmillan, 24 of October 2012, 293p p. (ISBN 9780230313941), p. 220.
Later, this was complicated by the federal structure given to Belgium, which splits Belgium into three communities with the privilege of using their own tongues in official correspondence, but also into three autonomous regions. The communities are: French community (though not Walloon, but sometimes controversially called Wallonia-Brussels),From 1 January 2009, "Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) "will further enhance the visibility of Wallonia-Brussels international activities, both in Belgium and abroad. WBI will pool all of the international relations work of the French Community, the Walloon Region and the French Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region. Wallonia-Brussels International Flemish community (which uses Dutch), and German-speaking community. The division into political regions does not correspond with the communities: Flemish Region, Walloon Region (including the German community but generally called Wallonia), and the bilingual (French-Dutch) Brussels-Capital Region.
Brussels - not Walloon and mostly French-speaking Many non-French-speaking observers (over)generalize Walloons as a term of convenience for all Belgian French-speakers (even those born and living in the Brussels-Capital Region). The mixing of the population over the centuries means that most families can trace ancestors on both sides of the linguistic divide. But, the fact that Brussels is around 85% French-speaking, but is located in Dutch-speaking Flanders, has led to friction between the regions and communities. The local dialect in Brussels, Brussels Vloms, is a Brabantic dialect, reflecting the Dutch heritage of the city.
Walloons are historically credited with pioneering the Industrial Revolution in Continental Europe in the early 19th century."Walloons pioneered the industrial revolution in the Continent", The Guardian, 7 Aug 2008 In modern history, Brussels has been the major town or the capital of the region. Because of long Spanish and minor French rule, French became the sole official language. After a brief period with Dutch as the official language while the region was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the people reinstated French after achieving independence in 1830. The Walloon region, a major coal and steel-producing area, developed rapidly into the economic powerhouse of the country. Walloons (in fact French-speaking elites who were called Walloons) became politically dominant. Many Flemish immigrants came to work in Wallonia. Between the 1930s and the 1970s, the gradual decline of steel and more especially coal, coupled with too little investment in service industries and light industry (which came to predominate in Flanders), started to tip the balance in the other direction. Flanders became gradually politically and economically dominant. In their turn, Walloon families have moved to Flanders in search of jobs. This evolution has not been without political repercussions.
Walloon identity The heartland of Walloon culture are the Meuse and Sambre river valleys, Charleroi, Dinant, Namur (the regional capital), Huy, Verviers, and Liège.
Regional language statistics The Walloon language is an element of Walloon identity. However, the entire French-speaking population of Wallonia cannot be culturally considered Walloon, since a significant portion in the west (around Tournai and Mons) and smaller portions in the extreme south (around Arlon) possess other languages as mother tongues (namely, Picard, Champenois, Lorrain, Flemish, German and Luxembourgish).