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Tardis

Belgium

Belgium was a nation in western Europe.

Geography[]

Southern Belgium was known as Wallonia, and located there were Waterloo and Plancenoit. (AUDIO: The Curse of Davros [+]Jonathan Morris, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2012).)

Ostend and Brussels were cities in Belgium, (AUDIO: Year of the Pig [+]Matthew Sweet, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2006).) the latter of which served as its capital. (PROSE: Escape Velocity [+]Colin Brake, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2001).)

The forests of Soignes (AUDIO: The Curse of Davros [+]Jonathan Morris, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2012).) and Mormal were both located there. (COMIC: Warfreekz! [+]Alan Barnes, DWA comic stories (BBC Magazines, 2006).)

History[]

Early history[]

DocRobinHood

The Doctor in the Ardennes. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp)

Belgium was located in the same region as 5th century Gaul. (PROSE: Combat Magicks [+]Steve Cole, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2018).)

The Tenth Doctor rescued the kidnapped Charlemagne from Momus, an insane computer, in 800. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008)., PROSE: The Lonely Computer [+]Rupert Laight, Doctor Who online short stories (2008).)

19th century[]

Belgians were among the Allied army which opposed Napoléon Bonaparte in 1815. (PROSE: World Game [+]Terrance Dicks, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).) The Battle of Waterloo took place on 18 June, with both the Sixth Doctor (AUDIO: The Curse of Davros [+]Jonathan Morris, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2012).) and the Second Doctor present, and ended in victory for the Allies. (PROSE: World Game [+]Terrance Dicks, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).)

In 1865, Leopold II was crowned King of the Belgians. (AUDIO: Assassin in the Limelight [+]Robert Ross, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2008).)

20th century[]

In 1913, the Sixth Doctor and Peri Brown encountered Toby the Sapient Pig and Marcel Proust in a hotel in Ostend. (AUDIO: Year of the Pig [+]Matthew Sweet, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2006).)

In 1914, Belgium was allied with France. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Germany invaded Belgium. As the United Kingdom was also allied with France, it declared war against Germany. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Steve Tribe, BBC Books (2008).)

The Tenth Doctor visited the battlefields of the First World War in Belgium twice, once with Rose Tyler and once with Daniel Francis Thompson. (COMIC: Warfreekz! [+]Alan Barnes, DWA comic stories (BBC Magazines, 2006)., PROSE: Deep and Dreamless Sleep [+]Paul Cornell, 2006.) Belgium was notable for being a key location on the Western Front. Its towns and cities, including Mons, (COMIC: The Weeping Angels of Mons [+]Robbie Morrison, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor (Titan Comics, 2014-2015).) Ypres (TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2017 (BBC One, 2017).) and Antwerp saw much of the action during the conflict. (AUDIO: Brotherhood of the Daleks [+]Alan Barnes, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2008).)

In October 1914, Germany bombarded Antwerp. Using her yacht, a British woman named Jessica Borthwick evacuated numerous Belgians across the English Channel while under German fire. (AUDIO: Brotherhood of the Daleks [+]Alan Barnes, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2008).)

In 1939, the Seventh Doctor told Adolf Hitler that Belgium was one of the countries Germany would conquer. By 1940, the Wehrmacht had overrun Belgium. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus [+]Terrance Dicks, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1991).)

On 7 June 1941, the German fleet was preparing to depart harbours all along the Dutch and Belgian coast when Koenig and Wyckham's plot to use Chronosteel to enable the German invasion of Britain was thwarted by Clyde Langer and George Woods in Little Malding. (TV: Lost in Time [+]Rupert Laight, The Sarah Jane Adventures series 4 (CBBC, 2010).)

In 1944, the country faced further conflict in the Second World War, when the region of Ardennes became the location of the Battle of the Bulge. The Eighth Doctor, Sam Jones and Fitz Kreiner become involved in this battle. (PROSE: Autumn Mist [+]David A. McIntee, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 1999).)

21st century[]

In February 2001, Anji Kapoor and her boyfriend Dave Young encountered Kulan agents whilst in Brussels. Fitz Kreiner met them, suspecting the Eighth Doctor's involvement. Also in February 2001, Pierre-Yves Dudoin attempted to launch his Star Dart, but it was destroyed. (PROSE: Escape Velocity [+]Colin Brake, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2001).)

The sale of Dogon eyes were somewhat popular with collectors of alien artefacts, especially in Belgium. (TV: Random Shoes [+]Jacquetta May, Torchwood series 1 (BBC Three, 2006).)

Around the 2010s, Missy ordered the Cybermen to blow up Boat One as well as Belgium. She said they "might as well" kill some Belgians because they weren't even French. (TV: Death in Heaven [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 8 (BBC One, 2014).)

Culture[]

According to the Tenth Doctor, Belgium had the finest chocolatiers in all the galaxy. (COMIC: Warfreekz! [+]Alan Barnes, DWA comic stories (BBC Magazines, 2006).) According to Agatha Christie, they made "such lovely buns". (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

References[]

The collision of the TARDISes of the tenth and fifth incarnations threatened to blow a hole in the space-time continuum the exact size of Belgium, a somewhat anticlimactic apocalypse. (TV: Time Crash [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2007 (BBC One, 2007).)

The Tenth Doctor's psychic paper convinced an Alexandra Palace security guard that the Doctor was the King of Belgium. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern [+]Mark Gatiss, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).)

Agatha Christie made her fictional detective Hercule Poirot a Belgian. (TV: The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)

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