Roman Empire

Nevertheless, after some time, among Caesar's successors, the Morins had to submit themselves, and their ports, especially Boulogne, were used for the traffic with Britain.

By the time of the decay of the Roman Empire the Saxon, Suevi and Frisians came from the north and started occupying our region more and more. It was also the period, in which the second transgression of Dunkirk began: more than half of the actual West Flanders and a part of the French Flanders were flooded. Only a small amount of dune islands along the coast remained above sea level: the biggest one extended from Malo up to the present Sint-Joris.

It probably takes three centuries till the sea withdraws and meanwhile the Franconians had invaded the country. But as far as we can trace back, they never reached the islands, because when in the 7th century Saint Elooi put on his bold water boots, he found "Flandrenses, Andoverpenses, Frisones et Suevi" from which he alleged that they were poor people having nothing in common with the Franconians!