Ten days campaign
Encyclopedia
The Ten Days' Campaign (August 2 – August 12, 1831) was a failed attempt to suppress the Belgian revolution
by the Dutch king William I
.
began in August 1830, Dutch armies stationed in what is now Belgium suffered from extensive desertion by Southern Dutch troops, who were reluctant to fight the people among whom they lived. In total, about two-thirds of the troops stationed in the Southern Netherlands deserted, and the morale of the remaining troops was severely damaged. This, together with the fact that the bulk (and often the best trained part), of the Dutch military was stationed in its colonies, allowed the Belgian revolutionaries to quickly gain control over what is now Belgium.
However, the leaders of the Belgian revolution had grown overconfident because of their early success and had not taken steps to build up a military force of their own.
King William I
viewed the failure to suppress the Belgian revolt as an enormous shame and wanted to get revenge on the rebels. Moreover, if a reunification was not possible anymore, he wanted to negotiate peace from a position of strength. When William learned that the rebels had asked Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
to be their king, he invaded Belgium.
. Belgian scouts
had noticed the troops and a number of roads were blocked by cutting the trees down around them. The first skirmishes took place around Nieuwenkerk
, the Dutch supreme commander, the Prince of Orange
, arrived in the afternoon to support his troops and, at the same time, Zondereigen
was taken by the Dutch and some 400 Belgians were repulsed. Around Ravels
, the Belgian army was rapidly driven into the surrounding forests by the Dutch and subsequently into a swamp
. The Belgians later retreated to Turnhout, allowing the Dutch to set up camp, but the sound of Dutch artillery scared the population of Turnhout and people started to flee towards Antwerp en masse. The next day some 11,000 Dutch soldiers prepared themselves to take Turnhout, while another Dutch army made it seem they were heading for Antwerp (in reality they would attack Turnhout from another direction). In the following battle the Dutch smashed the Belgian forces by breaking their morale early, and after a number of events (the Belgian banner was torn apart by Dutch artillery and a soldier lost a leg to a cannonball), caused the Belgians to flee.
On August 4 Dutch troops took Antwerp, the Brabantic flag was taken down and the Dutch flag was hoisted. The Prince of Orange nevertheless, demanded that the flag be taken down again, because it would symbolise occupation rather than a restoration of Dutch power. At the same time various Dutch armies split up and moved further into Belgium, defeating numerous militias and two regular Belgian armies with ease. The division led by Prince Bernhard then moved upon Geel
and Diest
, the Third division moved into Limburg. On August 8, the Dutch defeated the Belgian Army of the Meuse near Hasselt
. On August 11, the advance guard of the Belgian Army of the Scheldt was defeated near Boutersem
. The next day the Dutch army attacked and defeated the Belgians near Leuven
.
For the Belgians all seemed lost. However, on August 8, they had decided to ask for French support, despite the request not being formally authorised by the government. A French army under Marshal Gérard
crossed the border the very next day. The Dutch had taken a risk by invading Belgium without supporting allies (Russia wanted to assist but experienced trouble with suppressing the Polish revolution
and Prussia would not risk sending troops without Russia being able to secure its western borders) and now they faced a possible war with the French and after an intervention by the British, the Dutch halted their advance and a ceasefire was signed on August 12. The last Dutch troops returned to the Netherlands around August 20 and Antwerp would remain occupied until 1832, when it was taken by siege
.
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
by the Dutch king William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
.
Prelude
When the Belgian RevolutionBelgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
began in August 1830, Dutch armies stationed in what is now Belgium suffered from extensive desertion by Southern Dutch troops, who were reluctant to fight the people among whom they lived. In total, about two-thirds of the troops stationed in the Southern Netherlands deserted, and the morale of the remaining troops was severely damaged. This, together with the fact that the bulk (and often the best trained part), of the Dutch military was stationed in its colonies, allowed the Belgian revolutionaries to quickly gain control over what is now Belgium.
However, the leaders of the Belgian revolution had grown overconfident because of their early success and had not taken steps to build up a military force of their own.
King William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
viewed the failure to suppress the Belgian revolt as an enormous shame and wanted to get revenge on the rebels. Moreover, if a reunification was not possible anymore, he wanted to negotiate peace from a position of strength. When William learned that the rebels had asked Leopold of Saxe-Coburg
Leopold I of Belgium
Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
to be their king, he invaded Belgium.
The campaign
On the morning of August 2 1831, the Dutch crossed the border near PoppelRavels
Ravels is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Poppel, Ravels proper and Weelde. On January 1, 2006 Ravels had a total population of 13,762. The total area is 94.99 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km²...
. Belgian scouts
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
had noticed the troops and a number of roads were blocked by cutting the trees down around them. The first skirmishes took place around Nieuwenkerk
Ravels
Ravels is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Poppel, Ravels proper and Weelde. On January 1, 2006 Ravels had a total population of 13,762. The total area is 94.99 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km²...
, the Dutch supreme commander, the Prince of Orange
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
, arrived in the afternoon to support his troops and, at the same time, Zondereigen
Baarle-Hertog
Baarle-Hertog is a municipality belonging to the Belgian province of Antwerp, but for the biggest part located in the Netherlands province of North Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Baarle-Hertog proper. On January 1, 2006 Baarle-Hertog had a total population of 2,306...
was taken by the Dutch and some 400 Belgians were repulsed. Around Ravels
Ravels
Ravels is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Poppel, Ravels proper and Weelde. On January 1, 2006 Ravels had a total population of 13,762. The total area is 94.99 km² which gives a population density of 145 inhabitants per km²...
, the Belgian army was rapidly driven into the surrounding forests by the Dutch and subsequently into a swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
. The Belgians later retreated to Turnhout, allowing the Dutch to set up camp, but the sound of Dutch artillery scared the population of Turnhout and people started to flee towards Antwerp en masse. The next day some 11,000 Dutch soldiers prepared themselves to take Turnhout, while another Dutch army made it seem they were heading for Antwerp (in reality they would attack Turnhout from another direction). In the following battle the Dutch smashed the Belgian forces by breaking their morale early, and after a number of events (the Belgian banner was torn apart by Dutch artillery and a soldier lost a leg to a cannonball), caused the Belgians to flee.
On August 4 Dutch troops took Antwerp, the Brabantic flag was taken down and the Dutch flag was hoisted. The Prince of Orange nevertheless, demanded that the flag be taken down again, because it would symbolise occupation rather than a restoration of Dutch power. At the same time various Dutch armies split up and moved further into Belgium, defeating numerous militias and two regular Belgian armies with ease. The division led by Prince Bernhard then moved upon Geel
Geel
Geel is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp which acquired the status of a city in the 1980s.It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns : Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum...
and Diest
Diest
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of...
, the Third division moved into Limburg. On August 8, the Dutch defeated the Belgian Army of the Meuse near Hasselt
Battle of Hasselt
The Battle of Hasselt was a battle of the ten days campaign. The battle took place on 8 August 1831. In the battle the Dutch army defeated the Meuse army of the Belgian rebels and took about 400 prisoners. The Rebels had suffered around the 700 dead while the Dutch losses where very...
. On August 11, the advance guard of the Belgian Army of the Scheldt was defeated near Boutersem
Boutersem
Boutersem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Boutersem proper, Kerkom, Neervelp, Roosbeek, Vertrijk and Willebringen. On January 1, 2006 Boutersem had a total population of 7,532. The total area is 30.75 km² which gives a...
. The next day the Dutch army attacked and defeated the Belgians near Leuven
Battle of Leuven (1831)
The Battle of Leuven was a battle of the ten days campaign. The battle took place on 12 August 1831. The Dutch army defeated the Belgian rebels and took the city on 13 August but decided to retreat because a French army under Maréchal Gérard had crossed the border to support the Rebels....
.
For the Belgians all seemed lost. However, on August 8, they had decided to ask for French support, despite the request not being formally authorised by the government. A French army under Marshal Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard, comte Gérard was a French general and statesman. He served under a succession of French governments including the ancien regime monarchy, the Revolutionary governments, the Restorations, the July Monarchy, the First and Second Republics, and the First Empire , becoming...
crossed the border the very next day. The Dutch had taken a risk by invading Belgium without supporting allies (Russia wanted to assist but experienced trouble with suppressing the Polish revolution
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
and Prussia would not risk sending troops without Russia being able to secure its western borders) and now they faced a possible war with the French and after an intervention by the British, the Dutch halted their advance and a ceasefire was signed on August 12. The last Dutch troops returned to the Netherlands around August 20 and Antwerp would remain occupied until 1832, when it was taken by siege
Siege of Antwerp (1832)
The siege of the citadel of Antwerp took place after fighting in the Belgian Revolution ended. It occurred from 15 November to 23 December 1832 and faced off Dutch troops occupying Antwerp's citadel against France's Armée du Nord...
.