Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg are collectively known as the Low Countries because most of the land lies near the coast of the North Sea. These countries came together for trade and became rich in the Middle Ages.
The French dukes controlled this area for a while. But, they chose to join the Habsburg family in the 1500s, which ruled over Spain and Austria. Peace did not prevail in the Low Countries even though they were rich. There were a series of wars and they were ruled by foreign powers time and again. Belgium broke free from Netherlands in 1830 and Luxembourg gained independence in 1867.
In 1948, these countries joined again in an economic union. This union is referred to as Benelux, a combination of the first sounds of the three countries. Benelux was a founding member of the European Economic Community.
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