Belgian Revolution

In 1830 Belgians rose against rule from the Netherlands and won independence as a neutral kingdom under Leopold I.

Overview

The 1815 union of Belgium with the Netherlands had generated grievances over language, religion, and Amsterdam control of commerce and debt. News of the July Revolution in Paris sparked riots in Brussels in August 1830, and volunteer corps expelled Dutch troops in September street fighting. A national congress declared independence on 4 October 1830 and chose Leopold of Saxe-Coburg as king in July 1831, days before he repelled a Dutch invasion at the urging of France. The European powers guaranteed Belgian neutrality in the 1839 treaty. The revolution created a modern buffer state with a liberal constitution whose freedoms attracted political refugees from across Europe.