Belgian Revolution facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Belgian Revolution
Charles Rogier leads the 250 revolutionary volunteers from Liège to Brussels (Charles Soubre, 1878)
Date 25 August 1830 – 14 July 1831 Location Northwestern Europe the Netherlands and Belgium Result Belgian victory; the main European powers recognized Belgium's de facto independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Belligerents
United Kingdom of the Netherlands	Southern Provinces Kingdom of the French
Commanders and leaders
William I of the Netherlands	Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier Charles Latour Rogier Étienne Maurice Gérard

The Belgian Revolution was the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It made an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

The people of the southern part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands were mostly Roman Catholic and the elite was French-speaking. They did not like the Protestant King William I's rule, or that he had revoked certain special privileges granted to the Catholic Church.

On August 25, 1830 riots started in Brussels and shops were looted. There was an opera playing about liberty of the fatherland, and the theatre-goers joined the rioters. The King sent troops to stop the riots.

A battle took place in Brussels. The French came to support the breakaway province of Belgium. Belgium won the battle and became an independent country. Leopold I was made "King of the Belgians" in 1831. It took until 1839 for the Dutch to say Belgium was independent. They signed the Treaty of London.

Images for kids

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  The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Limburg in 1839 1, 2 and 3 United Kingdom of the Netherlands (until 1830) 1 and 2 Kingdom of the Netherlands (after 1830) 2 Duchy of Limburg (1839–1867) (in the German Confederacy after 1839 as compensation for Waals-Luxemburg) 3 and 4 Kingdom of Belgium (after 1830) 4 and 5 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (borders until 1830) 4 Province of Luxembourg (Waals-Luxemburg, to Belgium in 1839) 5 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (German Luxemburg; borders after 1839) In blue, the borders of the German Confederation.

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  Belgian rebels on the barricade of the Place Royale facing Brussels Park (1830)

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  Leopold taking the constitutional oath (Gustaf Wappers, 1831)

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  Germany's defiance of the 1839 Treaty of London in 1914 outraged British opinion

See also

In Spanish: Revolución belga para niños