United States of Belgium
Encyclopedia
The United States of Belgium, ( or Verenigde Belgische Staten, was a confederation
of the Southern Netherlands
which existed from January to December 1790, during a short-lived revolt against the Habsburg
Emperor Joseph II
. Other English translations are United Belgian States or United Dutch States.
, Habsburg Emperor Joseph II pushed through a series of large-scale reforms in the Austrian Netherlands in the 1780s, designed to radically modernize and centralize the political, judicial and administrative system. The old decentralized system would be replaced with a uniform judicial system for the whole empire, and the independent provinces of the Austrian Netherlands were to be replaced with 9 kreitsen and 35 districten. Joseph also secularized the education system and reorganized or abolished a number of religious orders.
, who initially supported the reforms but then joined the opposition, due to the clumsy way in which the reforms were carried out.
The uprising started in Brabant
, which in January 1789 declared that it no longer recognized the emperor's rule, in what is called the Brabant Revolution
. The leader of the Statisten faction, Hendrik Van der Noot
, crossed the border into the Dutch Republic
and raised a small army in Breda
in Staats-Brabant, the northern (Dutch Republic) part of Brabant.
In October, he invaded Brabant and captured Turnhout, defeating the Austrians in the Battle of Turnhout
on October 27. Ghent
was taken on November 13, and on November 17 the imperial regents Albert of Saxony
and Archduchess Maria Christina
fled Brussels
. The remains of the imperial forces withdrew behind the citadel walls of Luxembourg
and Antwerp.
Van der Noot now declared Brabant independent, and all other provinces of the Austrian Netherlands (except Luxembourg
) soon followed suit. On January 11, 1790 they signed a pact, establishing a confederation under the name Verenigde Nederlandse Staten / États-Belgiques-Unis (United States of Belgium) and a governing body known as the Sovereign Congress. The Dutch Act of Abjuration in 1581 and the American Declaration of Independence
in 1776 stood model for the treaty of the United Belgian States.
Independently, in 1789, a revolution had broken out in the Bishopric of Liège. The revolutionaries established a republic which joined the United States of Belgium in a kind of alliance.
Realizing the fragility of the new state, Van Der Noot attempted to approach foreign states for support and suggested a unification with the Dutch Republic, with little success. Also, the factions of the Statisten and the Vonckisten were in constant conflict, bordering on civil war.
had succeeded him as emperor. Leopold quickly moved to recapture the Austrian Netherlands. On October 24 imperial troops took the city of Namur
, forcing the province of Namur
to recognize the authority of the emperor. Two days later, the province of West Flanders followed suit, and by December the entire territory was again in imperial hands.
In 1830, the inhabitants of the Southern Netherlands successfully revolted against the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
in the Belgian Revolution
, creating the modern state of Belgium
.
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
of the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
which existed from January to December 1790, during a short-lived revolt against the Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
. Other English translations are United Belgian States or United Dutch States.
History
Influenced by the EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, Habsburg Emperor Joseph II pushed through a series of large-scale reforms in the Austrian Netherlands in the 1780s, designed to radically modernize and centralize the political, judicial and administrative system. The old decentralized system would be replaced with a uniform judicial system for the whole empire, and the independent provinces of the Austrian Netherlands were to be replaced with 9 kreitsen and 35 districten. Joseph also secularized the education system and reorganized or abolished a number of religious orders.
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The Brabant Revolution
In 1789, a church-inspired popular revolt broke out in the Austrian Netherlands in reaction to the emperor's centralizing policies. Two factions appeared: the Statisten who opposed the reforms, and the Vonckisten, named for Jan Frans VonckJan Frans Vonck
Johannes Franciscus Vonck was a lawyer and one of the leaders of the Brabant Revolution from 1789-1790. This Revolution led to the founding of the United States of Belgium in January 1790. Vonck was the leader of the Vonckists faction which was named after him...
, who initially supported the reforms but then joined the opposition, due to the clumsy way in which the reforms were carried out.
The uprising started in Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
, which in January 1789 declared that it no longer recognized the emperor's rule, in what is called the Brabant Revolution
Brabant Revolution
The Brabant Revolution took place between January 1789 and December 1790, when a popular revolt broke in the Austrian Netherlands against the unpopular reforms of the Emperor Joseph II...
. The leader of the Statisten faction, Hendrik Van der Noot
Hendrik Van der Noot
Hendrik Karel Nicolaas van der Noot was a jurist, lawyer and politician from Brabant. He was one of the main players of the Brabant Revolution against the Austrian rule of Emperor Joseph II)...
, crossed the border into the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
and raised a small army in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
in Staats-Brabant, the northern (Dutch Republic) part of Brabant.
In October, he invaded Brabant and captured Turnhout, defeating the Austrians in the Battle of Turnhout
Battle of Turnhout (1789)
The Battle of Turnhout was a revolt against Austrian rule of the Southern Netherlands began in the Kempen region. On October 27, 1789, this led to a battle near Turnhout against the Austrian army, in which the latter was defeated. The rebel army was able to lure the Austrians in to the city were...
on October 27. Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
was taken on November 13, and on November 17 the imperial regents Albert of Saxony
Prince Albert of Saxony, Duke of Teschen
Prince Albert Casimir August of Saxony, Duke of Teschen was a German prince from the House of Wettin who married into the Habsburg imperial family...
and Archduchess Maria Christina
Archduchess Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen
Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen , called "Mimi", was the fourth daughter and fifth child of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor...
fled Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The remains of the imperial forces withdrew behind the citadel walls of Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
and Antwerp.
Van der Noot now declared Brabant independent, and all other provinces of the Austrian Netherlands (except Luxembourg
County, Duchy and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
The County, later Duchy of Luxembourg was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg.-History:...
) soon followed suit. On January 11, 1790 they signed a pact, establishing a confederation under the name Verenigde Nederlandse Staten / États-Belgiques-Unis (United States of Belgium) and a governing body known as the Sovereign Congress. The Dutch Act of Abjuration in 1581 and the American Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
in 1776 stood model for the treaty of the United Belgian States.
Independently, in 1789, a revolution had broken out in the Bishopric of Liège. The revolutionaries established a republic which joined the United States of Belgium in a kind of alliance.
Realizing the fragility of the new state, Van Der Noot attempted to approach foreign states for support and suggested a unification with the Dutch Republic, with little success. Also, the factions of the Statisten and the Vonckisten were in constant conflict, bordering on civil war.
Suppression of the Revolt
Meanwhile, Joseph II had died and his brother Leopold IILeopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
had succeeded him as emperor. Leopold quickly moved to recapture the Austrian Netherlands. On October 24 imperial troops took the city of Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, forcing the province of Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
to recognize the authority of the emperor. Two days later, the province of West Flanders followed suit, and by December the entire territory was again in imperial hands.
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Legacy
Though short-lived, the United States of Belgium had long-lasting repercussions. It had given the Southern Netherlands their first taste of independence, and had sparked a new political idea: the state of Belgium.In 1830, the inhabitants of the Southern Netherlands successfully revolted against the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name used to refer to Kingdom of the Netherlands during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empire and before the new kingdom of Belgium split out in 1830...
in the Belgian Revolution
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....
, creating the modern state of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.