New and comprehensive insights into the seminal events that shaped Belgian identity. In 1790, between the birth of America (1776) and the creation of the French National Assembly (1789), nine provinces nestled between the French and Dutch borders declared themselves a new free and independent country: the United States of Belgium. Before then, the provinces had been part of the vast Austrian Habsburg Empire ruled by Joseph II. In 1789 revolutionaries from Brussels to Ghent to Namur recruited a grass-roots army that, to the surprise of many, successfully chased imperial forces from the majority of the territories. The exhilaration of military triumph and political independence quickly faded as revolutionary factions fought each other and the European monarchies became more nervous in the face of French radicalization. Yet, the course of events had fostered the solidification of a new identity among the provinces' inhabitants: Belgianness. This is the story of the emergence of Belgianness in the crucible of revolution. The United States of Belgium tells the story of the First Belgian Revolution before the creation of a language barrier between French and Dutch. It incorporates over 50 contemporary images of the revolutionary era.
Author(s): Jane C. Judge
Publisher: Leuven University Press
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 311
Tags: Belgian Revolution, Belgian Identity
Table of Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 12
The First Belgian Revolution......Page 16
Belgian History......Page 20
The Story in an “Age of (National) Revolution”......Page 28
Setting the Stage: The Context of the Belgian Provinces and Joseph II’s Reforms......Page 38
The Habsburg Empire and the Belgian Provinces......Page 42
Joseph’s Motives and His Reforms......Page 51
First Stirrings of Revolution: Resistance to Joseph II’s Reforms......Page 66
The General Seminary......Page 69
Codifying Resistance......Page 78
Provincial Unity: The Vienna Delegation and an Increase in Violence......Page 98
For Hearth and Home: Fomenting Revolt in the Belgian Provinces......Page 114
The Breda Committee......Page 116
Pro Aris et Focis......Page 120
Melding the Committees......Page 130
Vive les patriotes: the Fight for Independence......Page 136
Armed Conflict......Page 137
A “National” Triumph......Page 153
“The Former Duke”: Declaring Independence......Page 160
Declaring Independence in the Eighteenth Century......Page 161
Belgians Declare Independence......Page 165
Creating a State: Strength in Union or the Beginning of the End?......Page 178
The Creation of the United States of Belgium......Page 180
Troubles From Within......Page 197
Revolutionary Dissent: Debating A Belgian Nation......Page 206
“Esperances Fallacieuses:” The End of the United States of Belgium......Page 232
Austrian Rhetoric and Generosity......Page 233
European Diplomacy......Page 240
Belgian Reactions: Inaction, Obstinacy, and Defeat......Page 243
Epilogue......Page 256
Notes......Page 264
Bibliography......Page 294
Illustration Credits......Page 306
