In 1830, the French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand said something like, “There are no Belgians, there never have been, and there never will be: there are Frenchmen, Flemings or Dutchmen (which is the same thing) and Germans.”
Basically, for a long time, the region that is now Belgium was always fought over by different European countries. Talleyrand believed that in 1830, things would continue as usual, with France and Austria sorting out any conflicts in Belgium. But that year, protests in Brussels and other places showed that many people didn’t agree with Talleyrand’s view of Belgium.
The Beginnings
The name Belgium comes from Julius Caesar’s mention of an area in Gaul where the Belgae lived, a group that existed since around the 3rd century BCE. However, Belgium was not always included on maps of Europe throughout history.
To understand how Belgium became a country in the 19th century, it’s important to know about Dutch history. The story starts with the Netherlands fighting for independence from Spain in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Eventually, the northern part of the Netherlands gained independence and formed the United Provinces or Dutch Republic in 1648.
The leader of the Dutch states back then was William the Silent, also known as Stadtholder. Apart from his role in the United Provinces, he was the Prince of Orange and established the Orange-Nassau lineage. According to Samuel Humes, a descendant seven generations down from William the Silent, William I, would have a significant part in the tale of Belgian independence.
The southern region of the Netherlands, which eventually became Belgium, was under Spanish control. However, in 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht shifted the Spanish Netherlands to the Austrian Habsburgs. Samuel Humes mentions that the Austrian Netherlands quickly became the most prosperous area within the Habsburg Empire.
The Conflict between France and Belgium during the Revolutionary Wars
The history of modern Belgium, like much of Europe, really kicks off during the French Revolutionary era. Back then, the Austrian Netherlands was made up of ten provinces, with the prince-bishopric of Liège also in the mix. Although Liège was independent from Habsburg rule, it still fell under the Holy Roman Empire.
During the early years of Habsburg rule, each province had its own set of privileges and self-governance. Before 1789, there wasn’t a common government or institutions in Belgium, except for those established by the Habsburgs.
However, things started to change in the 1780s when Habsburg Emperor Joseph II began to reduce Belgian autonomy. His unpopular policies faced opposition from two main groups. On one side, you had the Statists who were against Habsburg reforms and wanted to maintain the traditional privileges of each province.
On the other side, there were the Vonckists, a group of revolutionaries led by Jan-Frans Vonck, who aimed for a republic similar to what had been set up in France. Despite their differences, the Statists and Vonckists joined forces when Joseph II challenged the traditional governance of Brabant. Together, they defeated the Austrians at Turnhout, leading to the declaration of the United Belgian States in January 1790, which included Liège.
Unfortunately, this independence didn’t last long as internal conflicts between the Statists and Vonckists allowed the Austrians to return in November of the same year. However, Austrian rule was short-lived as French revolutionary forces took over Belgium by late 1792.
Belgium during the Napoleonic Era
After the Austrian defeat at Fleurus, Belgium became more closely linked to France. By 1796, all French laws automatically applied to Belgium. Initially, French rule faced challenges due to unpopular anti-religious policies, leading to a major revolt in 1798.
Napoleon took steps to centralize the Belgian state according to the needs of the French Empire. French became the official language of government in Belgium, and even the Belgian elites started favoring French regardless of their background.
Despite some opposition, Belgium’s economy thrived under Napoleon, with industries like textiles and coal mining doing well. The port of Antwerp also saw increased commercial activity.
Napoleon’s defeats in battles like Leipzig in 1813 led to his exile to Elba, and the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 was held to plan Europe’s future.
At the Congress of Vienna, British Foreign Secretary Lord Castlereagh supported the idea of a stronger Dutch state to prevent French expansion. This led to William, Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands, occupying present-day Belgium without much resistance.
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The Kingdom of the Netherlands
The majority of Belgians didn’t want to be part of a bigger Dutch state. However, William became King William I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands on March 16, 1815. Shortly after, in June 1815, Napoleon was defeated for the last time at the Battle of Waterloo. William also took charge of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by swapping his ancestral lands with the King of Prussia.
Many Belgians were not happy with William’s policies, such as making the Protestant Dutch Reformed faith the official religion and enforcing Dutch as the official administrative language, even though most Belgians were Roman Catholics who spoke French or Dutch dialects.
In 1830, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands faced challenges due to Belgian independence and European leaders worrying about revolutionary movements inspired by the French Revolution of 1789.
Barriers in Brussels: The Push for Belgian Independence, 1830
To begin with, Williams kingdom faced a bad harvest which made Belgian nationalists more confident. The movement for Belgian independence was also influenced by the events of July 1830 in France. In Paris, King Charles X stepped down amidst unrest and Louis-Philippe became the new Citizen King.
The revolutionary activities in Brussels escalated in late August 1830. Several public events celebrating King Williams birthday were canceled due to the anticipation of riots. However, the opera at Theater de la Monnaie in central Brussels went on as planned on August 25, 1830. After the opera performance, attendees joined crowds outside singing patriotic songs from the show, leading to riots in Brussels.
Worried citizens in Brussels formed a militia to protect the city from the unruly crowds. The militia representatives tried to negotiate a separation of the northern and southern Netherlands with Prince William, but he declined.
Instead of Prince William, King William sent his other son, Prince Frederick, along with inexperienced Dutch troops to suppress the rebellion in Brussels. However, Prince Frederick found out that Belgian rebels had set up barricades across the city and volunteers from all over the country had joined the movement.
Rather than directly attacking the barricades, Frederick decided to bombard Brussels, which backfired. This led to militia leaders joining the rebel volunteers to form a provisional committee to defend the city.
Eventually, Dutch troops retreated, leaving the rebel colors of black, yellow, and red flying in Brussels, which later became the Belgian national flag.
Belgium Welcomes a New King
After the Dutch left, Belgian rebels set up a temporary government led by Charles Latour Rogier. They declared independence on October 4, 1830, similar to the famous American Declaration in 1776.
King William of the Netherlands was angry and wanted help from other countries, but they recognized Belgium as independent under certain conditions. They decided Prince Leopold from Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha would be a good king for a constitutional monarchy.
Prince Leopold became King of Belgium on July 21, 1831, which is now celebrated as Belgium’s national day.
Historian Richard J. Evans mentions that before becoming king, Leopold had a military career in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. He also had ties to the British royal family through his marriage to Princess Charlotte, who unfortunately passed away. To secure the throne, Leopold agreed to marry a French princess.
The Ten Days Campaign
In 1831, a Belgian state was formed but King William didn’t accept Belgian independence. The Belgians then invaded his territory in Luxembourg, which European leaders didn’t oppose. This made the Dutch people angry, leading to King William invading Belgium in the Ten Days Campaign.
The Dutch troops attacked Belgium in August 1831, but Leopold asked the French army for help. The French quickly pushed the Dutch back, except for one garrison in Antwerp. People got worried when the French army stayed in Belgium longer than expected, but they eventually left in September due to international pressure.
After the war, Luxembourg’s territory was divided between Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. King William’s family ruled the Grand Duchy until 1890. However, the Dutch soldiers remained in Antwerp. In November 1832, the French fought the Dutch again with support from the British Royal Navy, leading to the Dutch surrendering Antwerp in December 1832.
Consequences
King William I officially acknowledged Belgian independence with the Treaty of London in 1839. This treaty wasn’t just about independence; it also recognized Belgium’s neutrality internationally. When Germany broke this agreement by invading Belgium in 1914, it caused Britain to join World War I.
