Europe¶
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Albania¶- Coins
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After the collapse of the Roman empire, Albania was overrun by Goths, Byzantines, Venetians, and Turks. In 1443 the hero Skanderbeg established independence. It wasn't long-lived though -- the Turks were back 25 years later and Albania remained a part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years. There was an independence revolt in 1912, Italy moved in during 1939, Germany took a turn in 1943, and communists took over the following year. They hung on until 1992 before getting the boot.
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Andorra¶- Coins
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Andorra is a very tiny country on the slopes of the Pyrenees Mountains on the border of France and Spain. Luckily, it's on the sunny side of the mountains. Tradition says that Charlemagne granted Andorra independence in 806 for their help battling the Moors. The French and Spanish apparently respected that and the Andorrans enough to cooperate and share the task of looking out for Andorra. They started this cooperative task in 1278, and apparently continue to this day.
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Austria¶- Coins
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Austria is in central Europe and has lots of mountains. The area was part of the Roman Empire, and was later overrun with various peoples (Huns, Rugii, Lombards, Ostrogoths, Bavarii, Avars, and Franks, in that order). Around the middle of the thirteenth century, German King Rudolf I of Hapsburg gave the area to his boys, and the 'Hapsburgs' ruled Austria into the twentieth century. There was a bit of messing around in World War I, then again in World War II, when Austria became part of Germany in 1938. The Allied Forces occupied the country after the war until 1955, when Austria became an independent Republic sworn to neutrality. Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the Euro monetary system in 1999. Austria is a representative democracy.
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Belgium¶- Coins
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Belgium has been the site of many battles through the years between the European powers, earning it the nickname "the cockpit of Europe." Upheavals in the area can be traced back to the first century BCE, when the Roman Republic took over the area. Belgium is linguistically divided with Dutch dominant in the north and French in the south. There is also a German-speaking minority in the east. This has resulted in many heated and divisive political debates. The largest diamond trading centre in the world is located in Antwerp in the north. Belgium was one of the founding members of the European Union and is the site of its headquarters.
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Bulgaria¶- Coins
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Bulgaria is one of Europe's oldest countries. The kingdom of Bulgaria was established in 681 when the Bulgars, a tribe from Asia, moved in and merged with the local populations. A significant European power by the ninth century, Bulgaria had some ups and downs with the Byzantine Empire before being overrun by the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 14th century. By 1908, Bulgaria was a fully independent kingdom again. Shortly after, it became involved in the Balkan Wars, then fought on the losing side in both world wars. It is important to note that Bulgaria refused to comply with Germany's 1943 resolution to deport all Jews to Auschwitz. Instead, Bulgaria choose to protect and save the 50,000 Jewish members of the community. After WWII, Bulgaria fell into the Soviet camp, where it remained until 1990 when multi-party elections were held. Bulgaria is set to join the European Union on January 1, 2007.
