Belgian Revolution

Belgian Revolution
Part of the Revolutions of 1830

Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Gustaf Wappers
Date25 August 1830 – 21 July 1831 (10 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days)
Location
Result Treaty of London
Territorial
changes
Most European powers' recognition of Belgium's independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Belligerents
 United Netherlands
Commanders and leaders
Strength
  • Belgium: 60,000[1]
  • France: 70,000 men[2]
50,000[1]

The Belgian Revolution (French: Révolution belge, Dutch: Belgische Revolutie/opstand/omwenteling) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

The people of the south were mainly Flemings and Walloons. Both peoples were traditionally Roman Catholic as contrasted with Protestant-dominated (Dutch Reformed) people of the north. Many outspoken liberals regarded King William I's rule as despotic. There were high levels of unemployment and industrial unrest among the working classes.[3]

On 25 August 1830, riots erupted in Brussels and shops were looted. Theatregoers who had just watched the nationalistic opera La muette de Portici joined the mob. Uprisings followed elsewhere in the country. Factories were occupied and machinery destroyed. Order was restored briefly after William committed troops to the Southern Provinces but rioting continued and leadership was taken up by radicals, who started talking of secession.[4]

Dutch units saw the mass desertion of recruits from the southern provinces and pulled out. The States-General in Brussels voted in favour of secession and declared independence. In the aftermath, a National Congress was assembled. King William refrained from future military action and appealed to the Great Powers. The resulting 1830 London Conference of major European powers recognized Belgian independence. Following the installation of Leopold I as "King of the Belgians" in 1831, King William made a belated attempt to reconquer Belgium and restore his position through a military campaign. This "Ten Days' Campaign" failed because of French military intervention. The Dutch accepted the decision of the London conference and Belgian independence in 1839 by signing the Treaty of London.

  1. ^ a b A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East, by Spencer C. Tucker, 2009, p. 1156
  2. ^ "1830–1831 The Belgian Revolution". Timeline Dutch History. Rijksmuseum. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  3. ^ E.H. Kossmann, The Low Countries 1780–1940 (1978) pp. 151–54
  4. ^ Paul W. Schroeder, The Transformation of European Politics 1763–1848 (1994) pp. 671–91

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