United Kingdom of the Netherlands

Concert of Europe era state consisting of modern-day Netherlands and Belgium (1815–1839)

This article is about the kingdom between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the independence of Belgium and Luxembourg in 1839. For the modern kingdom, see Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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Kingdom of the Netherlands

Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Dutch)
Royaume des Belgiques (French)[1]

1815–1839[a]

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: Je maintiendrai
("I will uphold")
Anthem: Wien Neêrlands Bloed
("Those in whom Dutch blood")

*   Location of the Netherlands in 1815
*   Location of Luxembourg

Capital

and largest city

| Amsterdam
52°22′N 4°53′E﻿ / ﻿52.367°N 4.883°E﻿ / 52.367; 4.883
Government seat| The Hague
Official languages| Dutch
Recognized regional languages| French
Common languages| Frisian
Limburgish
Low Saxon
Yiddish
Romani
Religion

* Dutch Reformed Church
* Catholic Church

Demonym(s)| Dutch
Government| Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
King|

• 1815–1839

| William I
Legislature| States General

• Upper house

| Senate

• Lower house

| House of Representatives
Historical era| Concert of Europe

• Constitution adopted

| 24 August 1815

• Belgian Revolution

| 25 August 1830

• Treaty of London

| 19 April 1839[a]
Area

• Total

| 68,095 km2 (26,292 sq mi)
Population

• 1817

| 5,563,119
Currency| Dutch guilder

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands

|

| Provisional Government of Belgium
| Netherlands |

|

Belgium |
Duchy of Limburg |
Neutral Moresnet |
Today part of|

* Netherlands
* Belgium

The United Kingdom of the Netherlands[b] is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands[c] as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories that had belonged to the former Dutch Republic, Austrian Netherlands, and Prince-Bishopric of Liège in order to form a buffer state between the major European powers. The polity was a constitutional monarchy, ruled by William I of the House of Orange-Nassau.

The polity collapsed in 1830 with the outbreak of the Belgian Revolution. With the de facto secession of Belgium, the Netherlands was left as a rump state and refused to recognise Belgian independence until 1839 when the Treaty of London was signed, fixing the border between the two states and guaranteeing Belgian independence and neutrality as the Kingdom of Belgium. Today, the Netherlands and Belgium are still kingdoms and Luxembourg is still a grand duchy and the only surviving grand duchy in the world.

In Romance languages, this state was officially referred to by variants of "Belgium", the Latin name for northeastern Gaul, roughly corresponding to the modern Low Countries. However, after the Belgian Revolution, which resulted in the creation of an independent Kingdom of Belgium, the rump Netherlands reverted to being addressed either synecdochically as "Holland", or by calques of "the Low Countries" (Pays-Bas, Países Bajos, etc.).

## Background

[edit]

Main article: French period

Before the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802), the Low Countries was a patchwork of different polities created by the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). The Dutch Republic in the north was independent; the Southern Netherlands was split between the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège[2] – the former being part of Habsburg monarchy, while both were part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the War of the First Coalition broke out in 1792 and France was invaded by Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire. After two years of fighting, the Austrian Netherlands and Liège were captured by the French in 1794 and annexed into France.[3] The Dutch Republic collapsed in 1795 and became a French client state.[4]

## Creation of the United Netherlands

[edit]

In 1813, the Netherlands was liberated from French rule by Prussian and Russian troops during the Napoleonic Wars. It was taken for granted that any new regime would have to be headed by the son of the last Dutch stadhouder, William Frederik of Orange-Nassau. A provisional government was formed, most of whose members had helped drive out the House of Orange 18 years earlier. However, they realised that it would be better in the long term to offer leadership of the new government to William Frederik themselves rather than have him imposed by the allies. Accordingly, William Frederick was installed as the "sovereign prince" of a new Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands. The future of the Southern Netherlands, however, was less clear. In June 1814, the Great Powers secretly agreed to the Eight Articles of London which allocated the region to the Dutch as William had advocated. That August, William Frederik was made Governor-General of the Southern Netherlands and the Prince-Bishop of Liège, which combined are almost all of what is now Belgium. For all intents and purposes, William Frederik had completed his family's three-century dream of uniting the Low Countries under a single rule.[citation needed]

Discussions on the future of the region were still ongoing at the Congress of Vienna when Napoleon attempted to return to power in the "Hundred Days". William used the occasion to declare himself king on 16 March 1815 as William I. After the Battle of Waterloo, discussions continued.[citation needed]

In exchange for the Southern Netherlands, William agreed to cede the Principality of Orange-Nassau and parts of the Liège to Prussia on 31 May 1815. In exchange, William also gained control over the Duchy of Luxembourg, which was elevated to a grand duchy and placed in personal union with the Netherlands, though it remained part of the German Confederation.[citation needed]

* A British cartoon, satirising the "wedding" of Belgium and the Netherlands at the Congress of Vienna

* William I in March 1815 as King of the Belgians and Grand Duke of Luxembourg on a bronze medal by Michaut, obverse.

* On the back of this medal commemorating the unification of the Low Countries: Belgium and the Netherlands shake hands.

## Government

[edit]

### Constitution and government

[edit]

Though the United Netherlands was a constitutional monarchy, the king retained significant control as head of state and head of government. Beneath the king was a bicameral legislature known as the States General with a Senate and House of Representatives.[citation needed]

From the start, the administrative system proved controversial. Representation in the seat House of Representatives, for example, was divided equally between south and north, although the former had a larger population. This was resented in the south, which believed that the government was dominated by northerners. Additionally, the king had somewhat greater power than is the case for Dutch and Belgian monarchs. The ministers were responsible to him.[citation needed]

King William I

### Provinces

[edit]

New Map of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and Luxemburg, 1815 Map of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands

The United Netherlands was divided into 17 provinces and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which was constitutionally distinct. All of these provinces can trace their origin to a medieval lordship, county, duchy or bishopric, apart from Antwerp (previously part of Duchy of Brabant) and Limburg (previously part of Prince-Bishopric of Liège and Duchy of Gelderland). Their status changed when they came under French rule, when their administration was centralised, reducing their powers. They included:

Province  | Emerged from the former Départements | Members in the House of Representatives[5] | Presently part of  | Notes

|
|
|
|

Central Brabant | Southern part of Deux-Nèthes (Dutch: Twee Neten)  | 5  | Belgium | Later named to "Antwerp", after its capital.
Drenthe | Southern part of Ems-Occidental | 1  | Netherlands |
Frisia | Frise | 5  | Netherlands |
Guelders | Yssel-Supérieur | 6  | Netherlands | Excludes the city of Guelders itself.
Groningen | Northern part of Ems-Occidental | 4  | Netherlands |
Hainaut | Jemmape | 8  | Belgium |
Holland | Bouches-de-la-Meuse and the western part of the Zuyderzée | 22  | Netherlands | Divided into North Holland and South Holland in 1840.
Limburg | Meuse-Inférieure | 4  | Belgium, Netherlands | Excludes the city of Limburg itself, which is in Liège instead.
From 1839 onwards divided into the Belgian province of Limburg and the Duchy of Limburg, which became the Dutch province of Limburg in 1866.
Liège | Largest part of Ourthe | 6  | Belgium |
Namur | Western part of Sambre-et-Meuse, part of Ardennes | 2  | Belgium |
North Brabant | Bouches-du-Rhin, northern part of Deux-Nèthes, eastern part of Bouches-de-l'Escaut | 7  | Netherlands |
East Flanders | Southern part of Escaut | 10  | Belgium |
Overyssel | Bouches-de-l'Yssel | 4  | Netherlands |
Zeeland | Western part of Bouches-de-l'Escaut and the northern part of Escaut | 3  | Netherlands |
South Brabant | Dyle | 8  | Belgium | Renamed simply the Province of Brabant in 1831.
Divided into the provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and the Brussels Capital Region in 1995.
Utrecht | Southeastern part of Zuyderzée | 3  | Netherlands |
West Flanders | Lys | 8  | Belgium |

The United Netherlands was also a colonial power with overseas colonies in the East Indies and elsewhere:[citation needed]

* Curaçao and Dependencies
* East Indies
* Malacca (handed to the British in 1825, per the 1824 Treaty of London)
* Gold Coast
* Sint Eustatius and Dependencies (merged with Curaçao and Dependencies in 1828)
* Surat (handed to the British in 1825, per the 1824 Treaty of London)
* Surinam

## Economic policy

[edit]

Dutch troops in the Flemish city of Dendermonde in 1820

Economically, the United Netherlands prospered. Supported by the state, the Industrial Revolution began to affect the Southern Netherlands where a number of modern industries emerged, encouraged by figures such as John Cockerill who created the steel industry in Wallonia. Antwerp emerged as major trading port.[citation needed]

William I actively supported economic modernisation. Modern universities were established in Leuven, in Liège, and in Ghent in 1817. Lower education was also extended. The General Netherlands Society for Advancing National Industry (Algemeene Nederlandsche Maatschappij ter Begunstiging van de Volksvlijt) was created in 1822 to encourage industrialisation in the south, while the Netherlands Trading Society (Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij) was created in 1825 to encourage trade with the colonies. William I also embarked on a program of canal building that saw the creation of the North Holland, Ghent–Terneuzen and Brussels–Charleroi canals.[citation needed]

## Language policy

[edit]

Willem I felt that one nation must have one language and began a policy of Dutchification in politics and education. In the southern provinces of Antwerp, East-, West-Flanders, Limburg (1819), and the bilingual South Brabant (1823); Dutch was made the sole official language. While in the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Liège, Namur; French was maintained as official language but Dutch was gradually introduced into education. Although French was still used to some degree in administration in both North and South.[6] In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, French was the de facto official language while German was used in education.[citation needed]

## Regional tensions

[edit]

Differences between Southern and Northern Netherlands were never totally resolved. The two were divided by the issue of religion because the south was strongly Roman Catholic and the north largely Dutch Reformed.[7] The Catholic Church in Belgium resented the state's encroachment on its traditional privileges, especially in education. In French-speaking parts of the south, attempts to enforce the use of Dutch language were particularly resented among the elite.[8] Many Belgians believed that the United Netherlands' constitution discriminated against them. Though they represented 62 percent of the population, they were only allocated 50 percent of the seats in the House and less in the Senate while the state extracted money from the richer south to subsidise the north. By the mid-1820s, a union of opposition had formed in Belgium, uniting liberals and Catholic conservatives against Dutch rule.[citation needed]

### Belgian Revolution and secession

[edit]

Main article: Belgian Revolution

Fighting between Belgian rebels and the Dutch military expedition in Brussels in September 1830

The Belgian Revolution broke out on 25 August 1830, inspired by the recent July Revolution in France. A military intervention in September failed to defeat the rebels in Brussels, radicalising the movement. Belgium was declared an independent state on 4 October 1830. A constitutional monarchy was established under King Leopold I.[citation needed]

William I refused to accept the secession of Belgium. In August 1831, he launched the Ten Days' Campaign, a major military offensive into Belgium. Though initially successful, the French intervened to support the Belgians and the invasion had to be abandoned.[9] After a period of tension, a settlement was agreed at the Treaty of London in 1839. The Dutch recognised Belgian independence, in exchange for territorial concessions.[10] The frontier between the two countries was finally fixed by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1843. Luxembourg became an autonomous state in personal union with the Dutch, though ceding some territory to Belgium.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Netherlands portal
* Belgium portal

* Belgium–Netherlands relations
* Benelux Union
* Orangism (Belgium)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "La parenthèse française et hollandaise (1795–1830)". Encyclopædia Universalis (in French). Retrieved 4 July 2021.
2. ^ S Marteel, The Intellectual Origins of the Belgian Revolution (2018) p. 23
3. ^ A W Ward, The Cambridge History of British Foreign Policy 1783–1919 Vol I (Cambridge 1922) p. 263
4. ^ Affairs, Ministry of General (2014-12-17). "History of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - Royal House of the Netherlands". www.royal-house.nl. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
5. ^ Karl Heinrich Ludwig Pölitz (1817). "Die Constitutionen der europäischen Staaten seit den letzten 25 Jahren, Band 2". Google Books. Leipzig, Brockhaus. p. 495.
6. ^ "Structuur en geschiedenis van het Nederlands :: Niederländische Philologie FU Berlin". neon.niederlandistik.fu-berlin.de. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
7. ^ S Marteel, The Intellectual Origins of the Belgian Revolution (2018) p. 4
8. ^ D Richards, Modern Europe (London 1964) pp. 86–7
9. ^ D Richards, Modern Europe (London 1964) p. 88
10. ^ D Richards, Modern Europe (London 1964) p. 89

Part of a series on the

History of the Netherlands

Early

* Prehistory of the Netherlands
* Germanic tribes
* Frisii, Batavi, Cananefates, Chamavi
* Roman era
* Migration Period
* Frisians, Franks, Saxons

Medieval

* Frisian Kingdom
* Frankish Kingdom
* Middle Francia
* Lotharingia
* Lower Lotharingia
* Holy Roman Empire
* Burgundian Netherlands
* Habsburg Netherlands
* Seventeen Provinces
* Spanish Netherlands

Republic

* Eighty Years' War
* Dutch Golden Age (painting)
* Dutch colonial empire (evolution)
* VOC: East Indies, Cape Colony
* WIC: Americas, Guianas, Brazil
* List of wars

French period

* Batavian Revolution
* Batavian Republic
* Kingdom of Holland
* First French Empire

Monarchy

* Sovereign Principality
* United Kingdom
* Modern history
* World War II
* Netherlands
* constituent country within the kingdom

Economic history

* Economic history of the Netherlands (1500–1815)
* Dutch guilder
* Amsterdam Entrepôt
* Tulip mania
* Dutch disease
* Whaling in the Netherlands
* Polder model

Topics

* Military history (List of wars)
* Colonial history
* Language

* LGBT
* Literature
* Inventions and discoveries
* Flood control
* Healthcare
* Heraldry
* Religion

Netherlands portal

* v
* t
* e

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The Kingdom did not cease to exist at this time and continues to the present day; however; this is the when the Dutch crown relinquished its claims to Belgium and Luxembourg and recognised them as independent sovereign states.
2. ^ Dutch: Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; French: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas
3. ^ Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; French: Royaume des Belgiques

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Kossmann, E.H. (1988). The Low Countries, 1780–1940. Oxford: Clarendon. ISBN 9780198221081.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to United Kingdom of the Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Netherlands articles

Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

History|

* Germanic tribes
* Roman Era
* Frisii, Chamavi, Batavi, Cananefates
* Migration Period
* Saxons, Frisians, Franks
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* Development urban centers
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* Holy Roman Empire
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* Renaissance
* Seventeen Provinces
* Spanish Netherlands
* Eighty Years' War
* Dutch Republic
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* Batavian Revolution
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Belgian Revolution and the independence of Belgium (1830–1839)

Belgian Revolution|

* Belgian Revolution
* Rattachism
* Orangism
* La muette de Portici (August 1830)
* La Brabançonne (August 1830)
* Provisional Government of Belgium (September 1830 – February 1831)
* National Congress of Belgium (November 1830)
* Constitution of Belgium (February 1831)

First Belgian monarchs|

* Érasme, Baron Surlet de Chokier (Regent; February 1831 – July 1831)
* Leopold I (King of the Belgians; July 1831 – December 1865)

Important figures|

* Charles Niellon
* Alexandre Dechet (Jenneval)
* Frédéric de Mérode
* Juan Van Halen
(see also List of members of the National Congress)

Provisional Government|

* Alexandre Gendebien
* André Jolly
* Charles Rogier
* Louis de Potter
* Sylvain Van de Weyer
* Feuillien de Coppin
* Félix de Mérode
* Joseph Vanderlinden
* Emmanuel Van der Linden d'Hooghvorst

de Gerlache Government|

* Étienne Constantin de Gerlache
* Charles de Brouckère
* Alexandre Gendebien
* Albert Goblet d'Alviella
* Sylvain Van de Weyer

Lebeau I Government|

* Joseph Lebeau
* Étienne de Sauvage
* Charles de Brouckère
* Paul Devaux

United Kingdom of the Netherlands|

* King William I
* Prince William
* Ten Days' Campaign (August 1831)
* Siege of Antwerp (1832)

Treaties|

* London Conference of 1830
* Treaty of the Eighteen Articles (1831)
* Treaty of London (1839)
* Treaty of Maastricht (1843)
* Iron Rhine Treaty (1873)

Monuments and honours|

* Monument to the Martyrs of the 1830 Revolution
* Congress Column
* Civic Guard Merit Medal
* 1830 Star of Honour
* Iron Cross
* 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross

Authority control databases: National |

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