Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The earliest Leo Belgicus was drawn by the Austrian cartographer Michael Aitzinger in 1583 , when the Netherlands were fighting the Eighty Years ' War for independence .
Simplified: The Leo Belgicus that came first was drawn by the Austrian cartographer Michael Aitzinger in 1583 . The Netherlands were fighting the Eighty Years ' War for freedom at this time .