Editing Walloons (section)

===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, Belgium|Mons]]) and smaller portions in the extreme south (around [[Arelerland|Arlon]]) possess other languages as mother tongues (namely, [[Picard language|Picard]], [[Champenois]], [[Lorrain language|Lorrain]], [[Flemish dialects|Flemish]], [[German language|German]] and [[Luxembourgish]]).{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

A survey of the ''Centre liégeois d'étude de l'opinion''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cleo-ulg.be/pages/012/Accueil.fr.php |title=Centre d'étude de l'opinion |publisher=Cleo-ulg.be |access-date=2014-07-22 |archive-date=19 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219044957/http://www.cleo-ulg.be/pages/012/Accueil.fr.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> pointed out in 1989 that 71.8% of the younger people of Wallonia understand and speak only a little or no Walloon language; 17.4% speak it well; and only 10.4% speak it exclusively.<ref>Lucy Baugnet, ''L'identité culturelle des jeunes Wallons'', Liège 1989</ref> Based on other surveys and figures, Laurent Hendschel wrote in 1999 that between 30 and 40% people were bilingual in Wallonia (Walloon, Picard), among them 10% of the younger population (18–30 years old).  According to Hendschel, there are 36 to 58% of young people have a passive knowledge of the regional languages.<ref>L.Hendschel, ''Quelques indices de la vitalité du wallon'', in Walloon ''Qué walon po dmwin?'' pp 114-134, Quorum, Gerpinnes {{ISBN|2-87399-072-4}}</ref>  On the other hand, [[Givet]] ''commune'', several villages in the [[Ardennes]] ''département'' in France, which publishes the journal ''Causons wallon'' (Let us speak Walloon);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ardenne-wallonne.fr/FR~Lassociation|title=L'association|trans-title=The Association|language=fr|work=Ardenne Wallonne|access-date=10 June 2016}}</ref> and two villages in [[Luxembourg]] are historically Walloon-speaking.

====Walloons in the Renaissance====
In 1572 [[Jean Bodin]] made a funny play on words which has been well known in Wallonia to the present:
{{blockquote| Ouallonnes enim a Belgis appelamur [nous, les "Gaulois"], quod Gallis veteribus contigit, quuum orbem terrarum peragrarent, ac mutuo interrogantes qaererent ''où allons-nous'', id est quonam profiscimur? ex eo credibile est Ouallones appellatos quod Latini sua lingua nunquam efferunt, sed g lettera utuntur.<ref>Albert Henry, opus citatus, p. 112.</ref>}}

Translation: "We are called ''Walloons'' by the Belgians because when the ancient people of [[Gallia]] were travelling the length and breadth of the earth, it happened that they asked each other: 'Où allons-nous?' [Where are we going? : the pronunciation of these French words is the same as the French word ''Wallons'' (plus 'us')], i.e. 'To which goal are we walking?.' It is probable they took from it the name ''Ouallons'' (''Wallons''), which the Latin speaking are not able to pronounce without changing the word by the use of the letter G."  One of the best translations of his (humorous) sayings used daily in Wallonia<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?hl=fr&q=Wallons-nous%3F&btnG=Rechercher |title=Wallons-nous? |access-date=2014-07-22}}</ref> is "These are strange times we are living in."

[[Shakespeare]] used the word Walloon: "A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace/Thrust Talbot with a spear in the back."  A note in ''[[Henry VI, Part I]]'' says, "At this time, the Walloons [were] the inhabitants of the area, now in south Belgium, still known as the 'Pays wallon'."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=gv4RdLciiwIC&dq=Shakespeare+%2B+Walloon&pg=PA1 William Shakespeare, ''Henry VI, Part 1''], (Michael Taylor, ed.) [[Oxford University Press]], 2003 {{ISBN|0-19-818392-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-818392-1}}, p.104, note 137</ref> Albert Henry agrees, quoting Maurice Piron,<ref>''Note sur le sens de Wallon chez Shakespeare'', Académie de langue et de littérature françaises, 42 (1964)</ref> also quoted by A.J. Hoenselaars:<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=l2iIOkFJdYAC&dq=Maurice+Piron+%2B+Shakespeare&pg=PA24 ''Reclamations of Shakespeare''], Rodopi, 1994, p. 24 {{ISBN|90-5183-606-6}}, a mistake with the inverted figures of 1492, in fact 1429 (the [[Siege of Orléans]])</ref> "'Walloon' meaning 'Walloon country' in Shakespeare's '[[Henry VI, Part 1|Henry VI]]'..."<ref>''Histoire des mots wallons et Wallonie'', op. cit., note 1, Chapter II, p. 81</ref>

====Walloons and the Enlightenment====

A 1786 history of the Netherlands noted, "[The] [[Hainaut Province|Haynault]] and [[Namur Province|Namur]], with [[Artois]], now no longer an Austrian Province, compose the Walloon country.  The Walloon name and language are also extended into the adjacent districts of the neighbouring Provinces. A large part of Brabant, where that Province borders on Haynault and Namur, is named [[Walloon Brabant]]. The affinity of language seems also on some occasions to have wrought a nearer relation."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nKEBAAAAYAAJ James Shaw, ''Sketches of the History of the Austrian Netherlands: With Remarks on the Constitution, Commerce, ...''], London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson, 1786, p. 64</ref>

====The Belgian revolution of 1830====

The [[Belgian revolution]] was recently described as firstly a conflict between the [[Brussels]] municipality which was secondly disseminated in the rest of the country, "particularly in the Walloon provinces".<ref>French une ''tension entre l'autorité communale bruxelloise et le pouvoir hollandais dans un premier temps, et une diffusion de la colère dans le reste du pays -notamment dans les principales villes wallonnes - dans un deuxième temps'' Bruno Demoulin and Jean-Louis Kupper (editors) ''Histoire de la Wallonie'' opus citatus, p. 239</ref> We read the nearly same opinion in Edmundson's book:    <blockquote>The royal forces, on the morning of September 23, entered the city at three gates and advanced as far as the Park. But beyond that point they were unable to proceed, so desperate was the resistance, and such the hail of bullets that met them from barricades and from the windows and roofs of the houses. For three days almost without cessation the fierce contest went on, the troops losing ground rather than gaining it. On the evening of the 26th the prince gave orders to retreat, his troops having suffered severely. The effect of this withdrawal was to convert a street insurrection into a national revolt. The moderates now united with the liberals, and a Provisional Government was formed, having amongst its members [[Charles Rogier]], [[Sylvain Van de Weyer|Van de Weyer]], [[Alexandre Gendebien|Gendebien]], {{Interlanguage link|Emmanuel van der Linden d'Hooghvorst|lt=|nl||WD=}}, [[Félix de Mérode]] and [[Louis de Potter]], who a few days later returned triumphantly from banishment. The Provisional Government issued a series of decrees declaring Belgium independent, releasing the Belgian soldiers from their allegiance, and calling upon them to abandon the Dutch standard. They were obeyed. The revolt, which had been confined mainly to the [[Wallonia|Walloon]] districts, now spread rapidly over [[Flanders]].<ref>George Edmundson ''The History of Holland'' Cambridge
at the University Press, 1922, pp. 389-404 [http://www.authorama.com/history-of-holland-33.html The History of Holland]</ref></blockquote> Jacques Logie wrote: "On the 6th October, the whole [[Wallonia]] was under the Provisional Government's control. In the Flemish part of the country the collapse of the Royal Government was as total and quick as in Wallonia, except [[Ghent]] and [[Antwerp]]."<ref>Jacques Logie, ''1830. De la régionalisation à l'indépendance'', Duculot, Gembloux,1980, p.168, {{ISBN|2-8011-0332-2}}</ref> [[Robert Demoulin]], who was professor at the [[University of Liège]], wrote:  "[[Liège]] is in the forefront of the battle for liberty",<ref>RobertDemoulin, ''La Révolution de 1830'', La Renaissance du Livre, Bruxelles, 1950, p. 93</ref> more than Brussels but with Brussels. He wrote the same thing for [[Leuven]]. According to Demoulin, these three cities are the ''républiques municipales'' at the head of the Belgian revolution. In this chapter VI of his book, ''Le soulèvement national'' (pp.&nbsp;93–117), before writing "On the 6th October, the whole Wallonia is free",<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus p. 113</ref> he quotes the following municipalities from which volunteers were going to Brussels, the "centre of the commotion", in order to take part in the battle against the Dutch troops: [[Tournai]], [[Namur]], [[Wavre]] (p.&nbsp;105) [[Braine-l'Alleud]], [[Genappe]], [[Jodoigne]], [[Perwez]], [[Rebecq]], [[Grez-Doiceau]], {{Interlanguage link|Limelette|fr}}, [[Nivelles]] (p.&nbsp;106), [[Charleroi]] (and its region), [[Gosselies]], [[Lodelinsart]] (p.&nbsp;107), [[Soignies]], [[Leuze-en-Hainaut|Leuze]], [[Thuin]], [[Jemappes]] (p.&nbsp;108), [[Dour, Belgium|Dour]], [[Saint-Ghislain]], {{Interlanguage link|Pâturages|fr|Pâturages (commune)}} (p.&nbsp;109) and he concluded: "So, from the Walloon little towns and countryside, people came to the capital.."<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus, p. 109</ref> The Dutch fortresses were liberated in [[Ath]] ( 27 September), [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]] (29 September), [[Tournai]] (2 October), Namur (4 October) (with the help of people coming from [[Andenne]], [[Fosses]], [[Gembloux]]), [[Charleroi]] (5 October) (with people who came in their thousands).The same day that was also the case for [[Philippeville]], [[Mariembourg]], [[Dinant]], [[Bouillon, Belgium|Bouillon]].<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus, pp. 111-113</ref> In [[Flanders]], the Dutch troops capitulated at the same time in [[Bruges]], [[Ypres]], [[Ostend]], [[Menen]], [[Oudenaarde]], [[Geeraardsbergen]] (pp.&nbsp;113–114), but nor in [[Ghent]] nor in [[Antwerp]] (only liberated on 17 October and 27 October).
Against these interpretation, in any case for the troubles in Brussels, John W. Rooney Jr wrote: <blockquote>It is clear from the quantitative analysis that an overwhelming majority of revolutionaries were domiciled in Brussels or in the nearby suburbs and that the aid came from outside was minimal. For example, for the day of 23 September, 88% of dead and wounded lived in Brussels identified and if we add those residing in Brabant, it reached 95%. It is true that if you look at the birthplace of revolutionary given by the census, the number of Brussels falls to less than 60%, which could suggest that there was support "national" (to different provinces Belgian), or outside the city, more than 40%.But it is nothing, we know that between 1800 and 1830 the population of the capital grew by 75,000 to 103,000, this growth is due to the designation in 1815 in Brussels as a second capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the rural exodus that accompanied the Industrial Revolution. It is therefore normal that a large part of the population of Brussels be originating provinces. These migrants came mainly from Flanders, which was hit hard by the crisis in the textile 1826-1830. This interpretation is also nationalist against the statements of witnesses: [[Charles Rogier]] said that there were neither in 1830 nor nation Belgian national sentiment within the population. The revolutionary [[Jean-Baptiste Nothomb]] ensures that "the feeling of national unity is born today." As for [[Joseph Lebeau]], he said that "patriotism Belgian is the son of the revolution of 1830.." Only in the following years as bourgeois revolutionary will "legitimize ideological state power.<ref>John W. Rooney Jr., ''Profil du combattant de 1830'' dans ''Revue belge d'histoire contemporaine'', T. 12, 1981, p.487 [http://www.flwi.ugent.be/btng-rbhc/pdf/BTNG-RBHC,%2012,%201981,%203,%20pp%20479-504.pdf Profil du combattant de 1830] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610152553/http://www.flwi.ugent.be/btng-rbhc/pdf/BTNG-RBHC,%2012,%201981,%203,%20pp%20479-504.pdf |date=10 June 2007 }}</ref></blockquote>

====In the Belgian State====

A few years after the [[Belgian revolution]] in 1830, the historian Louis Dewez underlined that "Belgium is shared into two people, Walloons and Flemings. The former are speaking French, the latter are speaking Flemish. The border is clear (...) The provinces which are back the Walloon line, i.e.: the [[Liège Province|Province of Liège]], the [[Walloon Brabant|Brabant wallon]], the [[Namur Province|Province of Namur]], the [[Hainaut Province|Province of Hainaut]] are Walloon [...] And the other provinces throughout the line [...] are Flemish. It is not an arbitrarian division or an imagined combination in order to support an opinion or create a system: it is a fact..."<ref>French ''La Belgique est partagée entre deux peuples, les Wallons et les Flamands. Les premiers parlent la langue française; les seconds la langue flamande. La ligne de démarcation est sensiblement tracée. [...] Ainsi les provinces qui sont en deçà de la ligne wallonne, savoir: la province de Liège, le Brabant wallon la Province de Namur, la Province de Hainaut, sont wallonnes [...] Et celles qui sont au-delà de la ligne [...] sont flamandes. Ce n'est point ici une division arbitraire ou un plan fait d'imagination pour appuyer une opinion ou créer un système; c'est une vérité de fait...'' Louis Dewez, ''Cours d'histoire de Belgique contenant les leçons publiques données au musée des Lettres ert des Sciences de Bruxelles'', tome II, pp. 152-153, JP Méline, Bruxelles, 1833</ref> [[Jules Michelet]] traveled in Wallonia in 1840 and mentions many times in his ''History of France'' his interest for Wallonia and the Walloons<ref>{{Cite book |last=Michelet |first=Jules |title=History of France |pages=35,120,139,172, 287, 297,300, 347,401, 439, 455, 468}}</ref> (this page on the [[Culture of Wallonia]]), 476 (1851 edition published online)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/histoiredefranc18michgoog |quote=Jules Michelet + hIstoire de France. |title=Histoire de France |via=[[Internet Archive]] |year=1861 |publisher=Chamerot |access-date=2014-07-22}}</ref>

====Relationship with the German-speaking community====

The Walloon Region institutionally comprises also the [[German-speaking community of Belgium]] around [[Eupen]], in the east of the region, next to Germany which ceded the area to Belgium after the [[World War I|First World War]]. Many of the 60,000 or so inhabitants of this very small community reject being considered as Walloon and – with their community executive leader [[Karl-Heinz Lambertz]] want to remain a federating unit, and to have all the powers of the Belgian Regions and Communities. Even if they do not want them absolutely and immediately (10 July 2008, official speech for the Flanders' national holiday).<ref>''Neben Flandern, Brüssel und der Wallonie möchten sie [die deutschsprachigen Belgier] ein eigenständiger Bestandteil, eine autonome gliedstaatliche Körperschaft, eine eigene „Gemeinschaft/Region“ bleiben, die für alle Gemeinschaftszuständigkeiten und jene regionalen Zuständigkeiten verantwortlich ist, die sie eigenverantwortlich gestalten will. Und auch wenn sie diese nicht unbedingt und unmittelbar fordert.''
[http://www.dglive.be/PortalData/2/Resources/downloads/staat_gesellschaft/reden/Ansprache_Festtag_Flandern_10__Juli_definitive_Fassung.pdf Ansprache von Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Ministerpräsident der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Belgiens, 10. Juli 2008]</ref>