▁Sax ons ▁who ▁lived ▁in ▁the ▁territory ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁had ▁no ▁sense ▁of ▁common ▁identity ▁or ▁un ifying ▁factors . ▁The ▁name ▁“ D utch ” ▁that ▁bind s ▁the ▁people ▁together ▁as ▁a ▁single , ▁un ified ▁group ▁was ▁not ▁yet ▁in ▁use . ▁ ▁Instead , ▁the ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁the ▁lands ▁were ▁loyal ▁to ▁local ▁l ords , ▁the ▁territory ▁that ▁they ▁lived ▁on ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁towns ▁of ▁which ▁they ▁were ▁burg h ers . ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁stages ▁of ▁existence , ▁ ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁national ▁identity ▁had ▁not ▁been ▁developed ▁as ▁a ▁way ▁by ▁which ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁people ▁could ▁self - ident ify ▁as ▁such . ▁Instead , ▁they ▁were ▁l abeled ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁place ▁that ▁they ▁live ▁and ▁by ▁their ▁prof essions . ▁Over ▁time , ▁these ▁independent ▁towns ▁were ▁sub ordinate ▁to ▁German , ▁French , ▁Roman ▁or ▁Spanish ▁rule . ▁ ▁The ▁turning ▁point ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁was ▁the ▁F lem ish ▁u pr ising ▁in ▁ 1 3 0 2 ▁against ▁the ▁Franc oph iles , ▁put ▁into ▁power ▁by ▁the ▁French ▁king . ▁The ▁Dutch ▁burg h ers ▁together ▁defeated ▁the ▁French ▁army ▁at ▁K ort rijk ▁and , ▁in ▁so ▁doing , ▁developed ▁a ▁sense ▁of ▁their ▁own ▁strength ▁and ▁community . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁four teenth ▁century , ▁the ▁F lem ish ▁veh ement ly ▁denied ▁their ▁French ▁citizens hip ▁and ▁identified ▁themselves ▁as ▁F lem ing . ▁This ▁tr end