The standard reference work for Belgian Postal Stationery is "Les Entiers Postaux de Belgique" published by the Postal Stationery Society of Belgium with the support of Pro-Post, available in French or Dutch. In order to fully understand the complexity of Belgian Postal Stationery it is necessary to understand the country's history. Belgium is a relatively new country on the European scene with most of modern Belgium forming part of the Southern Netherlands, a part of the Low Countries or "Pays-Bas". The Southern Netherlands were controlled in turn by Spain (Spanish Netherlands 1579-1713) and then Austria (Austrian Netherlands 1713-94) before being captured by the French in 1794 and annexed to France. The Netherlands (Holland) overthrew French rule in 1813 and became known as the "United Provinces of the Netherlands". [excerpt] ; N/A