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The 16th c. ceiling of St Jacques' Church at Liege, Belgium is a whole different level of beauty. Photos: Visitez Liege

#OTD in 1584, Francis of Anjou died. This French prince was at some point appointed as Sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands by the rebellious States-General, but his reign turned out to be a massive disaster. Here he is after his coronation as Duke of Brabant in Antwerp

#OTD in 929, Ælfthryth of Wessex, d. of Alfred the Great died in Ghent. In 884 she married Count Baldwin II of Flanders. She was laid to rest next to her husband at Ghent’s St Peter’s Abbey

#OTD in 1403, Duke John IV of Brabant and Limburg was born. He became Duke after his father was killed at Agincourt and would turn out to be a pretty weak ruler. He supported the foundation of the University of Leuven though in 1425. He died in 1427.

Italian Renaissance painters are often credited for introducing realism and observation into painting. Well, this was painted by Jan van Eyck in Bruges 2 decades before Da Vinci was born and almost 70 years before Rafael made his first painting.

#OTD in 1840, princess Charlotte of Belgium was born as d. King Leopold I and Queen Louise-Marie. Named after her father’s 1st wife, Charlotte of Wales, the princess would marry Maximilian of Austria and became Empress of Mexico, but ended her life suffering from insanity

Coat of Arms of Emperor Charles V at St Baafs' Cathedral in Ghent (Belgium). This coat of arms was made for the Chapter of the Golden Fleece that met in Ghent in 1559 - a year after Charles' death -.

16h

Little Iron box which contained the heart of Philip the Fair. After Philip's death in 1506 his heart was removed a shipped to Bruges where it would be buried in his mother's tomb. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

When it comes to 16th c. European portrait painters, Antonis Mor really smashes most of his colleagues out of the park. Here is his portrait of English merchants/trader Thomas Gresham who was also active in Antwerp.

Interesting fact: during the German occupation of Belgium during #WWI, the old Charlotte spent her life as a recluse at the Castle of Bouchout near Brussels. German soldiers were forbidden to enter the domain however as she was the Austrian Emperor’s sister-in-law.

Vincenzo DM