
The United States of Belgium
The Story of the First Belgian Revolution
Jane Judge
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.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE FIRST BELGIAN REVOLUTION
SETTING THE STAGE: THE CONTEXT OF THE BELGIAN PROVINCES AND JOSEPH II’S REFORMS
FIRST STIRRINGS OF REVOLUTION: RESISTANCE TO JOSEPH II’S REFORMS
FOR HEARTH AND HOME: FOMENTING REVOLT IN THE BELGIAN PROVINCES
VIVE LES PATRIOTES: THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE
“THE FORMER DUKE”: DECLARING INDEPENDENCE
CREATING A STATE: STRENGTH IN UNION OR THE BEGINNING OF THE END?
REVOLUTIONARY DISSENT: DEBATING A BELGIAN NATION
“ESPERANCES FALLACIEUSES:” THE END OF THE UNITED STATES OF BELGIUM
EPILOGUE
Format: Monograph - ebook
Size: 234 × 156 mm
310 pages
ISBN: 9789461662637
Publication: October 24, 2018
Languages: English
Bart Verheijen, BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review, 135(2). DOI: http://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.10829
Aktief, 2019, nr 4