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The liberal bourgeoisie hastily formed a provisional government under Charles Rogier to negotiate with the Dutch, officially declaring Belgian independence on 4 October 1830. The Belgian National Congress was formed to draw up a constitution. Under the new constitution, Belgium became a sovereign, independent state with a constitutional monarchy.
On 2 August 1831 the Dutch army, headed by the Dutch princes, invaded Belgium, in what became known as the "Ten Days' Campaign" On 4 August the Dutch force took control of Antwerp and moved deeper into Belgium. The Belgian army of the Meuse was defeated in the battle of Hasselt. On 8 August Leopold called for support from the French and the ...
As the independent state of Belgium consolidated after the Revolution, the issue of a consensus language in the country became an increasingly important political question. [11] At the start of the period, French was the dominant language, and was the only language that was approved for use in legal and government business anywhere in the country.
As part of this (ultimately failed) colonial project, many Belgians settled in what would become the United States during the 1600s. During the American Revolutionary War many of the aforementioned Belgian settlers in North America fought in the Continental Army. In 1830, Belgium declared its independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Belgian Congo becomes independent; on the eve of the celebrations Ambroise Boimbo snatches the ceremonial sabre of King Baudouin. 1 November Treaty establishing Benelux Economic Union comes into force, providing for the free movement of persons, goods, capital and services between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Of Belgium's other colonies, the most significant was Ruanda-Urundi, a portion of German East Africa, which was given to Belgium as a League of Nations Mandate, when Germany lost all of its colonies at the end of World War I. Following the Rwandan Revolution, the mandate became the independent states of Burundi and Rwanda in 1962. [2]
G. M. Trevelyan from a British standpoint called it "one of the most beneficent and difficult feats ever accomplished by our diplomacy"; [3] while the French too saw their goal of an independent Belgium, which was peacefully accepted by the other Great Powers, as being achieved. [4]
The Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 during the Congo Crisis; [41] Ruanda-Urundi followed with its independence two years later. Belgium joined NATO as a founding member and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in ...