State consisting of modern-day Netherlands and Belgium (1815–1839)
This article is about the kingdom between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the independence of Belgium and Luxembourg in 1839. For the modern kingdom, seeKingdom of the Netherlands.
The polity collapsed in 1830 with the outbreak of theBelgian Revolution. With thede facto secession ofBelgium, the Netherlands was left as arump state and refused to recognise Belgian independence until 1839 when theTreaty of London was signed, fixing the border between the two states and guaranteeing Belgian independence and neutrality as theKingdom of Belgium. Today, the Netherlands and Belgium are still kingdoms and Luxembourg is still a grand duchy and the only surviving grand duchy in the world.
In Romance languages, this state is referred to names derived from the Latin name forthe Low Countries, "Belgica". After the Belgian Revolution, the now independent Belgium was called these former names andthe Netherlands were now literally referred to as "Low Countries" (les Pays-Bas, Paises Bajos etc.)
In 1813, the Netherlands was liberated from French rule by Prussian andRussian troops during theNapoleonic Wars. It was taken for granted that any new regime would have to be headed by the son of the last Dutchstadhouder,William Frederik of Orange-Nassau. A provisional government was formed, most of whose members had helped drive out the House of Orange 18 years earlier. However, they realised that it would be better in the long term to offer leadership of the new government to William Frederik themselves rather than have him imposed by the allies. Accordingly, William Frederick was installed as the "sovereign prince" of a newSovereign Principality of the United Netherlands. The future of the Southern Netherlands, however, was less clear. In June 1814, theGreat Powers secretly agreed to theEight Articles of London which allocated the region to the Dutch as William had advocated. That August, William Frederik was madeGovernor-General of the Southern Netherlands and thePrince-Bishop of Liège, which combined are almost all of what is now Belgium. For all intents and purposes, William Frederik had completed his family's three-century dream of uniting the Low Countries under a single rule.[citation needed]
From the start, the administrative system proved controversial. Representation in the seat House of Representatives, for example, was divided equally between south and north, although the former had a larger population. This was resented in the south, which believed that the government was dominated by northerners. Additionally, the king had somewhat greater power than is the case for Dutch and Belgian monarchs. The ministers were responsible to him.[citation needed]
New Map of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and Luxemburg, 1815Map of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The United Netherlands was divided into 17 provinces and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which was constitutionally distinct. All of these provinces can trace their origin to a medievallordship,county,duchy orbishopric, apart from Antwerp (previously part ofDuchy of Brabant) and Limburg (previously part ofPrince-Bishopric of Liège andDuchy of Gelderland). Their status changed when they came under French rule, when their administration was centralised, reducing their powers. They included:
Dutch troops in the Flemish city ofDendermonde in 1820
Economically, the United Netherlands prospered. Supported by the state, theIndustrial Revolution began to affect the Southern Netherlands where a number of modern industries emerged, encouraged by figures such asJohn Cockerill who created thesteel industry inWallonia.Antwerp emerged as major trading port.[citation needed]
Willem I felt that one nation must have one language and began a policy ofDutchification in politics and education. In the southern provinces of Antwerp, East-, West-Flanders, Limburg (1819), and the bilingual South Brabant (1823); Dutch was made the sole official language. While in the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Liège, Namur; French was maintained as official language but Dutch was gradually introduced into education. Although French was still used to some degree in administration in both North and South.[6] In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, French was thede facto official language while German was used in education.[citation needed]
Differences between Southern and Northern Netherlands were never totally resolved. The two were divided by the issue of religion because the south was stronglyRoman Catholic and the north largelyDutch Reformed.[7] TheCatholic Church in Belgium resented the state's encroachment on its traditional privileges, especially in education. InFrench-speaking parts of the south, attempts to enforce the use of Dutch language were particularly resented among the elite.[8] Many Belgians believed that the United Netherlands' constitution discriminated against them. Though they represented 62 percent of the population, they were only allocated 50 percent of the seats in the House and less in the Senate while the state extracted money from the richer south to subsidise the north. By the mid-1820s, aunion of opposition had formed in Belgium, unitingliberals and Catholicconservatives against Dutch rule.[citation needed]
Fighting between Belgian rebels and the Dutch military expedition in Brussels in September 1830
The Belgian Revolution broke out on 25 August 1830, inspired by the recentJuly Revolution in France. A military intervention in September failed to defeat the rebels inBrussels, radicalising the movement. Belgium was declared an independent state on 4 October 1830. A constitutional monarchy was established underKing Leopold I.[citation needed]
William I refused to accept the secession of Belgium. In August 1831, he launched theTen Days' Campaign, a major military offensive into Belgium. Though initially successful, the French intervened to support the Belgians and the invasion had to be abandoned.[9] After a period of tension, a settlement was agreed at theTreaty of London in 1839. The Dutch recognised Belgian independence, in exchange for territorial concessions.[10] The frontier between the two countries was finally fixed by theTreaty of Maastricht in 1843. Luxembourg became an autonomous state inpersonal union with the Dutch, though ceding some territory to Belgium.[citation needed]
^The Kingdom did not cease to exist at this time and continues to the present day; however; this is the when the Dutch crown relinquished its claims toBelgium andLuxembourg and recognised them as independent sovereign states.
^Dutch:Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden;French:Royaume uni des Pays-Bas
^Dutch:Koninkrijk der Nederlanden;French:Royaume des Belgiques
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