The Belgian revolution of 1830 is the revolt of the provinces of the south of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands against the king Guillaume  I {{er}}. It led to the independence of the Belgium.

Context

The Treated of Vienna

With the Congress of Vienna (1815), the the United Kingdom, anxious to ensure its own security by a European balance, had convinced the other powers (the Austria, the Prussia and the Russia) to join together the southernmost Netherlands and the United Provinces in the same kingdom (Kingdom of the Netherlands), which would be entrusted to the Maison of Orange-Nassau. This kingdom should make obstacle with all new hegemonic attempt of the France. Austria, which sought to exchange these too distant provinces, subscribed immediately to this proposal and accepted the Venezia in compensation. On the plan of the principles, William of Orange accepted Belgium in compensation for the loss of the colony of the Cape of Good Hope and Comptoir S Indian with the profit of the United Kingdom. In the same way, it accepted the Grand-duché of Luxembourg in compensation of the loss of family fields in Germany.

The Fundamental law

Guillaume  Ier was penetrated by the German political designs, such as they were expressed in the majority of the States of the Germanic Confédération and in particular in Prussia. His/her mother, Wilhelmine, were the sister of the king de Prusse Frederic Guillaume II and had until her death a great influence on him. In addition, he was mainly educated by a Prussian soldier, the baron De Stamford and had his first political experiences as a prince of Fulda (1802 - 1806) and as a landowner in Eastern Prussia. Logically, Guillaume  Ier intended to behave as a king like a enlightened Despote.

The Fundamental law which he proposed in 1815 with the provinces of the South was rejected by a college of thousand six hundred and three notable Belgians, but the king applied to the result of the poll the “arithmetic Dutchwoman”: he supposed that the Abstention nists supported the project and excludes from the calculation those which had voted against for religious reasons. The Fundamental law was thus imposed on the South. It was one of the most liberal constitutions of the time, although it appears very preserving to us today.

• the principle of the Séparation of the capacities was not recognized: the king and his ministers held the Legislative power like the Executive power.
• the ministers were not responsible in front of the general states and were only the instruments of the sovereign.
• the king had very wide capacities. He reserved in particular the right to decide only politics foreign and monetary.
• the general states did not have legislative power and did not have competence to even vote the budget.
• the members of the general states were designated in a very preserving way. The first room, on the model of the House of Lords made up of noble was named by the king. The second room were elected by the provincial states, elected to them-even by a very complex Suffrage censitaire.

Objections of the provinces of the South

The objections of the provinces of the South related to several points.

• Although the South counted 3,5 million (62  %) inhabitants and North only 2 million, the Belgians represented only 50  % of the seats to the general states. Let us note however that North, especially the Holland, paid more taxes.
• the national debt of the old States had been gathered and were now supported by the whole of the kingdom. However it was at the beginning of 1,25 billion Florin S for the United Provinces and only 100 million for the South.
• the majority of the institutions had their seat in North and the public offices were distributed inequitably. Only a minister on four was Belgian. That was nevertheless partly due to the opposition of the catholic to the Fundamental law. Maurice de Broglie, bishop of Ghent of French origin, threatened even of Excommunication those which lent oath to it.
• the Contingent imposed on Belgium by the recruitment of militiamans was proportionally high, whereas the proportion of Belgians among the officers was weak: only an officer on six was originating in the South and still it were especially represented in the ranks low and the Cavalerie and the Infanterie. In the Artillery and the genius, where a specialized training was necessary, the number of Belgians was really reduced. The majority of the Belgian soldiers were thus ordered by officers of North.
• the unsatisfactory application of the Freedom of the press and the Right to meet were regarded by the Belgian intellectuals as a method of control of the South by North.
• In 1823, a linguistic reform devoted the Dutch like official language in the Flemish provinces , including the the southernmost Brabant (except Nivelles). This legislation raised the opposition of the French-speaking classes. The June 4th 1830, linguistic freedom was restored.
• the conservatives of the Netherlands of North made pressure so that only the faithful ones of the old Church of State (Protesting E) can be named with the government, whereas the Belgian conservatives wanted to restore the Catholicisme like Religion of State in Belgium. The coexistence of two religions of State on the whole of the kingdom was unacceptable by the two camps. Until 1821 the government made use of the opposition of the catholics to the Fundamental law to preserve the protesting character of the apparatus of State by the means of the nominations of civils servant. Guillaume  Ier himself was a partisan of the tradition German Lutheran, according to which the sovereign is the chief of the Church. He thus tried to counter the authority of the Pape on the Catholic church of his kingdom by naming itself of the bishops. He also abolishes in 1825 catholic secondary education. However, conscious owing to the fact that its new kingdom was mainly catholic (3,8 million catholics for 1,2 million Protestants), it made provisions so that it is possible that a catholic king reaches the throne. To control the future priests and to give them an adapted formation, it obliged the seminarists to initially follow two years of course to the philosophical College of Leuwen, that its civils servant created in the buildings which had sheltered the central seminar of Joseph II.
• the Belgian tradesmen and industrialists complained about the policy of Libre-échange carried out starting from 1827. The separation of the France had made lose with the industry of the South most of sound Turnover. In addition, the colony of the the Eastern Indies knew one long period of revolt and the British products competed with the Belgian production. With the end of the continental Blockade, the continent was invaded by cheap British products, appreciated by North, still especially agricultural, but which excluded the productions from the South.

Union of the oppositions

See also: Unionism (Belgium)

The liberals were initially anticlericals. Starting from the end of the Years 1820, a group of young liberals started to attach more importance to political freedoms than with the anticlericalism. They were called the radical liberals (in opposition to the liberals voltairiens). These young people had not known the privileged position of the Church of before the French revolution. They were also under the influence of the liberals French, who fought at the sides of the Church against the absolutist mode of Charles X. In the framework of the Freedom of thought, the Freedom of faith and thus even the catholic faith became acceptable. These young liberals, such as the Brugean Louis De Potter, the Inhabitant of Li2ege Charles Rogier and Joseph Lebeau and the Luxembourg Jean-Baptiste Nothomb, were influenced by the Philosophe free Suisse Benjamin Constant.

The catholics, dissatisfied with the school policy, at the same time were influenced by the priest French Félicité on Lamennais, which introduced the concept of liberal Catholicisme. He preached a liberal State and strict a Separation of the Church and the State. According to him, freedom could only be beneficial with the Church, as with the economy.

In December 1825, the Inhabitant of Li2ege Etienne de Gerlache launched a call to the Second Room of the General states for a union of the oppositions. It bound the Liberté of teaching, that the Church claimed, to the freedoms of religion and of the press guaranteed by the Fundamental law. It invited the liberals to defend freedom on all the grounds.

In 1828, catholics and liberals published a joint list of objections against the mode of Guillaume  I {{er}}. Thereafter, they developed their criticisms together in the press.

In parallel, the mode became increasingly authoritative. The king declared that its sovereignty was former to the Fundamental law and that the latter could not thus limit it. In May 1829, in full political crisis, it named his/her son, the prince d' Orange, president of the the Council of Ministers and vice-president of the Council of State, sign clear that the responsibility for the ministers before the Parliament would never be granted. Thus, the critics against the governorship of the State or the government became also critics against the dynasty. In December 1829, the royal message was at the same time an apology for the work achieved by the mode and a warning for the opposition. beginning 1830, four eminent journalists of the provinces of the South were condemned to the exile.

The toughening of the Belgian opposition caused also the weakening of the liberal opposition of the provinces of North and reinforced the antidemocratic reflex. Popular sovereignty in a unit Kingdom of the Netherlands would have indeed inevitably caused a prevalence of the Belgians (who represented 62  % of the population) and the catholics on Protestant North. The over-representation of the Netherlanders in the administration, the army and the diplomacy would have also ended. This explains why the elected officials of the provinces of North formed a block behind the government and the dynasty of Nassau (after the independence of Belgium, the capacity of the king will remain intact until the Fundamental law of 1848).

The pressure of the opposition pushed nevertheless king Guillaume to make concessions. At the beginning of 1830, it made vote a new law on the press, much less repressive, withdrew a bill on the instruction, abrogea the decrees of 1825 on secondary education, restores linguistic freedom, recognized the principle of the irremovability of the magistrates and removed the philosophical College. These measurements mainly made conceal criticisms of the opposition.

Let us note in the passing, that in Holland, especially in the wearing of Amsterdam, there for a certain time existed a movement preaching the return to the United Provinces.

The revolt of August 1830

Immediate causes

The Revolution of July which burst in France the July 27th 1830 against Charles X, carried in three days the king-middle-class man Louis-Philippe to the capacity, within the framework of a Constitutional monarchy. The king became the “king of the French by the national will”. This liberal revolution, overheated the spirits in Belgium. Also let us note that the other revolutions which burst in Europe between 1829 and 1831, were rather nationalist revolutions , inspired by the ideals of the Romantisme, which wanted that each people were entitled to a nation and autonomy (principle of Autodétermination of the people).

In addition, the economic factors supported the disorders. Unemployment among the worker manuals caused by the beginnings of the Mechanization and raises it prices of the foodstuffs caused by the bad harvest of 1829 will be a fertile ground for popular risings.

the Dumb woman of Portici

The August 25th 1830 (day of the fifty-ninth birthday of the king), one authorizes with Brussels the representation of the romantic opera of Auber, the Dumb woman of Portici to the Théâtre of the Currency. At the end of the representation, certain spectators continue to shout “Lives freedom! ”. At the exit of the spectacle, a crowd is formed on the Place of the Currency. Soon, it moves towards the residence of the publicity agent Georges Libry-Bagnano, who is plundered. Later, it is the hotel of the Minister for the Justice Cornelis Van Maanen (with the Petit Fine sand) which is burnt. The shootings of the services of order will make victims among the rioters. Those were mainly Prolétaire S, often of the unemployed.

The following day, the middle-class, realizing that the legal authorities were exceeded and feeling threatened, created a middle-class guard, in order to restore the order. The August 26th few disorders indeed took place in the center of Brussels, but the rioters moved towards the periphery, where they attacked factories and destroyed machines there (defendants to be the cause of unemployment). The middle-class, which ensured now the maintenance of law and order in Brussels, wished that the king made some concessions with the provinces of the South in order to calm the spirits. The August 28th, it thus sent a delegation near the king, with for mission of requiring of him the resignation of Cornelis Van Maanen and the immediate convocation of the General states in order to tackle the question of the recovery of the objections.

Learning the events from Brussels, the people thundered a little everywhere in the country, in the cities as in the campaigns. Often, a middle-class guard (to Liege, Verviers, Namur, Dining, Mons, Turned, Charleroi, Bruges, Courtrai, Ghent, Grammont, Antwerp, Geel, Tongres, Hasselt, Saint-Trond, Leuwen) or a commission of safety (in Liege, Verviers, Huy and Namur) was created, sometimes front even as the disorders do not burst. Sometimes, on the volunteers decided to leave for Brussels to counter a possible Dutch attack. The Liégeois were organized thus and it is behind a flag held up by Charles Rogier that, the September 4th 1830, the volunteers left Liege for Brussels.

Appearance of the Belgian flag

See also: Flag of Belgium

The communal guard raised also a flag to the colors brabançonnes (already used during the Révolution brabançonne for the independence of the State-Belgium-Plain ). This flag had been designed the August 26th by the lawyer Lucien Jottrand, writer of the Courrier of the Netherlands , and the Journaliste Edouard Ducpétiaux. The goal of this flag for the middle-class guard was, according to the declarations of Emmanuel d' Hooghvorst with the prince d' Orange the August 31st, to counter the appearance that and there French Drapeau and to move away any idea from fastening to the France. Commercial, Marie Abts, made some specimens of them, as recalled by a commemorative plaque with the corner of the streets of the Hill and of the Market to the grasses. The first was placed by Jottrand and Ducpétiaux with the Town hall of Brussels, whereas the following was walked in the streets by Theodore Van Hulst, an employee of the ministry for the War.

To be distinguished clearly from the Dutch flag, the bands were placed vertically on the following specimens, with the red on the side of the Hampe. Indeed, the colors of the horizontal lines of the Belgian and Dutch flags could merge. In conflict with Dutch, it was not question about a battle field smoked out to be mistaken in colors. It is thus for military reasons that the Belgian flag was reversed. Later, the January 23rd 1831, it was decided to officially recognize this flag like that of independent Belgium in the Constitution. Article 125 (today article 193) appeared the February 7th. As of the February 12th the flag was reversed: the black band was placed at the pole.

Days of September

The hesitant and awkward actions of Guillaume Ier and his sons led in September 1830 to a final rupture. The king sent the crown prince Guillaume to Brussels. Its other wire, the prince Frederic, who was commander-in-chief it of the army, was sent with a troop of six thousand men to the neighborhoods of Vilvorde.

After negotiations with the leaders of the middle-class guard of Brussels, prince Guillaume agreed to leave his troops to Vilvorde and to enter Brussels under the protection of the guard. The prince noted the hostility of the people of Brussels to the dynasty and let himself convince by the middle-class guard to plead near his father the cause of the administrative separation of the Belgium and the Plain Provinces. He thus went back to the Netherlands. Guillaume Ier does not react during several weeks.

While the Belgian members of the General states went the September 13rd 1830 to $the Hague, the incidents of Brussels took again a violent character, especially after the arrival of armed reinforcements from Liege. Spontaneously irregular forces, directed by elected or autoproclamés chiefs appeared. The September 23rd, the army of the government, strong of twelve thousand men (in which two thirds were originating in the Netherlands of the South) and ordered by prince Frederic, entered Brussels. The majority of the leaders of the middle-class guard fled Brussels, believer that all was lost and fearing to be severely punished for their inaccuracy with the dynasty. The Dutch army however encountered a sharp resistance of the irregular forces formed by the people of Brussels and the volunteers come from province. It could not go beyond the park of Brussels, where it became the target of the patriots. Foreign volunteers also took part in the operations, thus the Belgian Legion Paris ienne (financed in particular by Felix and Frederic de Mérode), which provides two battalions of four hundred men. The September 24th, the political main leaders returned to Brussels and an administrative commission settled with the town hall. This core of being able will include/understand Emmanuel van der Linden d' Hooghvorst, André Jolly and Charles Rogier. It will name gift Juan Van Halen commander-in-chief of the patriots. It will become then the provisional government. In the night of the 26 to the September 27th, the governmental army was withdrawn out of the city.

October: the revolution takes the control of the territory

From its constant contact with the local population, the governmental soldiers, generally stationed in the areas in which they were originating, showed themselves very sensitive to the revolutionary ideas. The troops were mutinèrent, refused to obey the orders and deserted massively. In certain garrisons, the Dutch officers were imprisoned by their soldiers. Starting from the October 16th, the deliquescence of the army still accelerated when the prince Guillaume, in imitation of the Provisional government, proclaimed the independence of the southernmost provinces (in-on this side the Rhine) and declared his intention to divide the army into northerner divisions and Southerners.

In spite of their composition and their heteroclite framing (one counted among its leaders the Spanish adventurer gift Juan Van Halen and of the French officers), the Belgian voluntary brigades succeeded in taking almost everywhere the place of the regular troops. Thus, those were driven back on the Nèthe (battles of Waelhem), then on Antwerp (battles of Berchem and Borgerhout). At the end of October, all the territory was released from the troops of North, even current the Dutch Limbourg and Grand-duché of Luxembourg, since there does not exist whereas only one Limbourg and only one Luxembourg (these provinces will be cut into 2 in 1839). Only the citadels of Antwerp, Maastricht and Luxembourg (the latter being occupied by a Prussian garrison ) remained with the hands of the government of Guillaume  Ist.

Cease-fire and National congress in November

As from November, the military positions are consolidated and one tries to arrive to a cease-fire. The November 3rd are held already of the elections for the National congress. This one will sit for the first time the November 10th and will confimera the declaration of independence “except for the relations of the Luxembourg with the Germanic Confédération”. The November 22nd, the Congress chooses the Monarchie like forms government and discusses opportunity of choosing or not Nassau like sovereign. After the bombardment of the town of Antwerp since the citadel by the Dutch general David Chassé, the deputies decide exclusion of the members of the Maison of Orange-Nassau to the throne of Belgium. The votes go then in majority to the duke of Nemours. The king of the French Louis-Philippe refuses the crown for his son. One then offered the throne to the German prince Léopold of Saxony-Coubourg-Gotha, which lived in England. Léopold accepted and the July 21st 1831, he became the first king of the Belgians by lending oath to the Royal Place. International erkenning in military Franse steun Frankrijk blijft denken aan een verdeling tussen of buurlanden van het opstandige gebied (zie Verdelingsplan Talleyrand). Of andere grootmachten willen vooral of feitelijke situatie van rust handhaven in laten het Belgische bewind zijn gang gaan. In maart 1831 kan het een orangistische poging om het gezag van Oranje you herstellen, verijdelen. Rusland had in Pollen puts to een andere opstand you maken, zodat het of Nederlandse koning geen steun kon bieden. Het nieuwe mode werd stilaan door of grootmachten aanvaard, zeker nadat het eindelijk een koning had gevonden. Willem I aanvaardde deze situatie niet. In augustus 1831 rukt het light Nederlandse opnieuw zonder veel tegenstand COp naar Brussel (Tiendaagse veldtocht). Nadat een light Frans of grens is overgestoken, trekt Willem I zijn troepen, die Al voor Leuven stonden, terug.

Gevolgen van of scheuring

Economische gevolgen

Het Separatism dat leidde early of Belgische secessy was voor of belangrijkste industriestad Race een catastrofe. In 1832 verwerkte of Gentse textielnijverheid nog slechts 2 miljoen kg Katoen, tegenover 7,5 miljoen kg in 1829. Of meeste Arbeider S waren als direct gevolg van of Belgische afscheuring werkloos geworden in anderen verdienden nog amper 30% van hun loon uit 1829.
In havenstad Antwerpen was of ramp nog groter. In 1829 bedroeg of haventrafiek 1028 schepen in 129.000 tone. Antwerpen verstouwde dat jaar zelfs dubbel zoveel goederen als Rotterdam in Amsterdam samen. In 1831 was het aantal schepen teruggevallen van 1028 early 398, in handel puts kolonies herleid early no one.

Culturele gevolgen

Onder het bewind van Koning Willem I verdubbelde het aantal lagereschoolkinderen van 150.000 early 300.000 dankzij of oprichting van 1500 nieuwe scholen. Omdat evenwel iedereen kreeg in volkstaal betekende known as dat in heel Vlaanderen (Brussel inbegrepen) ale scholieren “onderworpen” werden aan Nederlandstalig onderwijs. Eén DER eerste daden van het Voorlopig Bewind was daN ook of afschaffing van álle openbare scholen in België, puts to uitzondering van of Franstalige universiteiten van Gent in Luik die dienden om of nieuwe elites COp you leiden.

Als gevolg van deze maatregel telde het light Belgische in het begin van of jaren 1900 10,1% analfabeten, tegenover slechts 2,3% in Nederland, 4,7% in Frankrijk, in amper 0,5% in Duitsland. In 1913 waren er in België (puts zijn 7,5 miljoen inwoners) minder lagereschoolkinderen daN in Nederland (puts 6 miljoen inwoners). België stond due qua scholing in 1914 nog steeds COp hetzelfde peil als in 1814.

Zie ook

• Tiendaagse Veldtocht
• Verdrag van Londen (1839)
• Voor of novel van Hendrik Conscience over deze revolutie, zie Of omwenteling van 1830
• Voorstellen early indeling van België in 1830

Brussels revolts in its turn (September-November), the Wallonia coming in reinforcement quickly and spontaneously. The Europe (Austria, Prussia, Russia and England) which fears a fastening of the Belgium to the revolutionary France, is the object of new mistrust and threats of war. In spite of the popular will to annex his/her Belgian sister, Louis-Philippe Ier and Talleyrand must reassure Europe and thus concedes “ Belgium Indépendante, and with perpetual neutrality ”, thus offering a pledge in good faith.

The independence of the Belgium arranges finally everyone, since the England, the France, and the Prussia make sure of freedom of movement on the the Scheldt and divide into two the ex- Kingdom of the Netherlands. -->

Chronology

• August 22nd: The exercise of the communal guard of Brussels is cancelled. The authorities fear that the guards refuse to return the weapons.
• August 23rd: Publication in the newspapers of opposition of a letter of Louis De Potter. Cancellation of the Fireworks envisaged for the birthday of the king officially due to bad weather.
• August 24th: Cancellation of the illumination of the Park of Brussels envisaged for the birthday of the king officially due to bad weather. The evening, various minor incidents in the streets of Brussels.
• August 25th: The evening, the Dumb woman of Portici starts the riot. Bag of the printing works of the governmental newspaper the National and of the residence of various governmental agents.
• August 26th: In Brussels, the rioters attack factories and destroy machines. Constitution of a middle-class guard to restore the order.
• August 27th: Destruction minor in the park of Brussels. The burgomaster of Wellens returns to Brussels. Emmanuel d' Hooghvorst is named with the head of the middle-class guard, which restores the order. With Liege, creation of a middle-class guard and a commission of safety, which writes an address with the king.
• August 28th: The council of the middle-class guard of Brussels sends an address to the king to express his objections. Riots with Verviers. Creation of a middle-class guard and a commission of safety to Namur. Creation of a middle-class guard with Dining. Guillaume Ier joins together his Council of Ministers.
• August 30th: Creation of a middle-class guard and a commission of safety to Huy.
• August 31st: Guillaume Ier receives the delegations inhabitant of Li2ege then of Brussels.
• September 3rd: The commission of safety of Namur sends an address to the king.

See too

proletarian Insurrection of 1830 in Belgium

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