The Belgian Revolution

The uprising in which the southern provinces broke away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Background

The Congress of Vienna joined the Dutch and Belgian territories under King William I in 1815. Catholics, liberals and many French speakers in the south objected to the Dutch language policy, the dominance of northerners in government and the state's religious policy.

Course of events

Unrest began in Brussels in August 1830 after a performance of the opera La Muette de Portici. Fighting spread, and a provisional government declared independence in October. A national congress drew up a liberal constitution, and Leopold of Saxe-Coburg became the first king of the Belgians in 1831.

Legacy

The great powers guaranteed Belgian neutrality, and the Netherlands recognised the new state in the Treaty of 1839. Belgium became an early industrial nation with one of Europe's most liberal constitutions of the time.