The origin of the name "Flawinne".
Since the 12th century, different versions of the name can be found with still the
same root :
latinized forms : Flovanna or Flawinna at the end of the
12th century;
Walloon or old French forms : Flawenne in 1187, Flauuenn
in 1231, Flawen in 1236 or again Flawaine in 1257;
francized forms : Flavines in 1537, Flawinnes in 1542, Flawynes
in 1558;
final forms : Flawinne or Flawinnes with the Walloon
versions Flawenne or Flawaine.
According to Octave Petitjean, the etymology of Flawinne's name is unknown.
Albert Carnoy suggests a Germanic origin starting from the world
"Hloupa" meaning "jump", which would be explained by a rapid on the
Sambre river at that place.
The recent finding in Namur of the tombstone of a Roman citizen named Sicinius Flavinius
or Flavianus, maybe gives another possible etymology. Annals of the Namur Society of
Archaeology (Volumes XIV, page 9 and XXXIII, page 1) teach us that there
was "an opulent Roman villa" on today's territory of Flawinne. The phonic
similarity makes that it is tempting to believe that Flawinne draws its name from one of
the owners, if not of the founder of the Roman villa.
This is however only a personnal assumption that is still to be demonstrated !
;>)
A little chronology.
From the Roman conquest to the reign of Charles the Fifth of
Spain
- 1st century AD : building of a Roman villa whose estate includes today's territories of
Flawinne, Belgrade and a large part of Malonne
- by 675: the owner of the Roman villa of Flawinne is believed to be a lady called Roga.
She made donation to Saint Berthuin of the ground on which the abbey of Malonne was built
- on an unspecified date: the landowner of Flawinne made donation of his domain to the
canons of the Saint-Lambert chapter of Liège
- until the end of the 12th century: the canons of the Saint-Lambert chapter charge the
Count of Namur with the administration of their goods in Flawinne as solicitor - Flawinne
is managed by the baillif of Fleurus - constitution of the Saint-Lambert Land Court,
composed of a mayor and aldermen
- September 23rd, 1246: founding of a parish including Flawinne and Ronet - Jean, first
priest of Flawinne
- November 2nd, 1251: Henri, bishop of Liège, yields the incomes of the church of
Flawinne to the canons of the Saint-Lambert chapter
- by 1265: Flawinne is composed of 46 " fires " (houses), that is to say
approximately 200 inhabitants
1515-1555 : reign of Charles the Fifth of Spain
- 1554 : the diocese of Namur is
detached from the diocese of Liège
1598 : The Belgian provinces become the Spanish Netherlands
- March 12th, 1605: the abbey of Malonne redeems from the Saint-Lambert chapter the
patronage of the church of Flawinne - the priest of Flawinne
will be a monk of the abbey until the French revolution
- 1683: building of the large roadway connecting Namur with Nivelles - improvement of the
village economic situation - beginning of the hamlet of Belgrade
- September 24th, 1686: Jean-Jacques d' Hinslin, the province general receiver, buys the
seigniory of Flawinne for 3.000 guilders
- August 4th, 1687: the seigniory is demarcated by boundary marking and is surrounded by
the suburbs of Namur, Suarlée, the mill of Salzinnes, Ronet, the Sambre river, Floriffoux
and Falize
- May 25th, 1692: Louis XIV besieges Namur and establishes his headquarters at the Rouge
Cense, on the heights of Flawinne. Boileau and Racine accompany him
1693: Treaty of Utrecht - the Belgian provinces become the Austrian Netherlands
- 1695: Guillaume III of Orange, king of England besieges Namur and establishes his
headquarters at the Rouge Cense
- about 1710-1720: end of the construction of the castle of Flawinne undertaken by
Jean-Jacques d' Hinslin and finished by his son, Albert Nicolas d' Hinslin
- 1712: erection of the spire of the bell-tower of the church
- September 6th, 1746: the Count de Clermont, prince of blood, the Grand Condé
great-grandson, besieges Namur and sets his camp at the castle of Flawinne
- 1758: the Flawinne community accounts 101 heads of family
- 1773: edict of the Austrian empress Marie-Thérèse involving the Comognes sharing
1789: French revolution - Revolution brabançonne against the emperor of
Austria Joseph II
- April 6, 1790: conference at the castle of Flawinne between the Statistes Belgians of
van der Noot and the Progressistes of Vonck revolted against the emperor Joseph II
- November 21, 1792: General Valence, commanding the right wing of the French Army of
Dumouriez, besieges Namur and establishes his
headquarters at the castle of Flawinne - Flawinne is occupied by the French sans-culottes
October 1st, 1795: the French Convention annexes the Austrian Netherlands and
the principality of Liege to France
- March 21st, 1795: Flawinne becomes a village of the French department of
Sambre-and-Meuse whose Namur is the chief town
- November 22nd, 1804: the final limits of Flawinne are fixed
- 1806: constitution of the commune of Flawinne, under the French empire
- 1814: resulting of Napoleon's defeat in Leipzig, a Russian detachment occupies the
seigniory of Flawinne and makes serious depredations there
- June 1815 : in the days following the battle of Waterloo, rough engagement between
French in retirement, and their English and Prussians followers in the neighbourhoods of
the castle of Flawinne
1815: Congress of Vienna - the Belgian provinces are linked to the kingdom of
the Netherlands
- 1820-1826: the Sambre is canalized
1830: Independence of Belgium
- 1830: Flawinne extends on 950 hectares, counts 230 houses and 1.100 inhabitants
- 1840: completion of the railway line Namur-Charleroi
- 1841: construction of the current church
- 1860: construction of the schools with two classes
- 1863: completion of the road between Namur and Nivelles
- 1867: establishment of the station of Flawinne
- shortly before 1870: institution of the parish of Belgrade
- 1880: construction (or enlarging) of the Quatre Seigneurs castle
- 1888: construction of the fort of Malonne
- 1897: Belgrade is detached from Flawinne and becomes a distinct commune counting about
800 inhabitants
- 1890: creation of the marshalling yard of Ronet
- 1907: enlarging of the schools - creation of a third classe
- 1910: restoration of the church
- 1914-1918: World War I - a detachment of 120 German soldiers occupies the "Grande
Salle"
- 1920: establishment of the water distribution - closing of the public fountains
- 1925: establishment of the electric lighting
- in the 30s : creation of the bus line between the top of Flawinne and Namur
- 1937: construction of the Sous-Lieutenant Thibaut barracks
- 1940-1945: World War II
- 1943-1944: The marshalling yard of Ronet is bombed many times - construction of the
kindergarten
- 1961: the 2nd Commando battalion settles within the Sous-Lieutenant Thibaut barracks
- 1965: standardization work on the Sambre
- 1977: in spite of the opposition of a majority of the population, the village of
Flawinne is merged into the "Greater Namur"
©D.Reuviaux@2003-12-16
