# Canonical recap data for Belgian Revolution (1830)
# Source: https://recap.at/1830/belgian-revolution
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: belgian-revolution
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1830/belgian-revolution"
title: Belgian Revolution
aliases:
- Belgian Independence
- Separation from the Netherlands
- 1830 Belgian Uprising
subtitle: Belgian rebels successfully seceded from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, establishing an independent constitutional monarchy in Western Europe.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1831-07-21
datePrecision: day
year: 1830
decade: 1830
country:
name: Belgium
slug: belgium
summaryShort: The Belgian Revolution was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
summaryLong: The Belgian Revolution was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
lede: In 1830, the southern provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands—primarily present-day Belgium—rose up against Dutch rule and declared independence. Led by a coalition of liberals, Catholics, and nationalists, the revolt succeeded in establishing the Kingdom of Belgium as a sovereign state, redrawing the map of Western Europe and settling a dispute that had festered since the 1815 Congress of Vienna.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg/1280px-Gustave_Wappers_-_%C3%89pisode_des_Journ%C3%A9es_de_septembre_1830_sur_la_place_de_l%27H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_de_Bruxelles.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Belgian Revolution"
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration
  value: August 1830 to June 1831
- label: Primary theater
  value: Brussels and the southern provinces of the Netherlands
- label: Treaty settlement
  value: Treaty of London (June 1831)
- label: First Belgian monarch
  value: Leopold I, crowned July 21, 1831
- label: Key grievance
  value: Imposition of Dutch language and Protestant culture on French-speaking, Catholic southern provinces
- label: Major European powers recognizing Belgium
  value: Britain, France, Austria, Prussia, Russia
- label: Population of new Belgium
  value: Approximately 3.4 million
timeline:
- date: 1815-01-01
  title: Congress of Vienna unites Netherlands
  description: The great powers create the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, merging the former Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium) with the Dutch Republic under King William I.
- date: 1830-08-25
  title: Unrest ignites in Brussels
  description: Riots erupt after a performance of 'La Muette de Portici' at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. Working-class discontent over language policy and economic grievance spills into the streets.
- date: 1830-09-23
  title: Dutch troops retreat from Brussels
  description: After initial clashes, King William I withdraws military forces from the capital, effectively ceding control to the insurgents.
- date: 1830-10-04
  title: Belgian independence declared
  description: A provisional government declares the independence of Belgium. The National Congress is convened to draft a constitution.
- date: 1830-11-15
  title: National Congress adopts constitution
  description: Belgium's founding constitutional document establishes a constitutional monarchy with bicameral legislature and guarantees of civil rights.
- date: 1831-02-07
  title: Leopold of Saxe-Coburg chosen as king
  description: The National Congress selects Leopold, uncle of Queen Victoria, as the first King of Belgium, avoiding choices that would antagonize major European powers.
- date: 1831-06-26
  title: Treaty of London signed
  description: The great powers formally recognize Belgian independence. The Netherlands reluctantly accepts the separation; Belgian territory is reduced but sovereignty is secured.
- date: 1831-07-21
  title: Leopold I crowned
  description: Leopold I is formally crowned, consolidating the legitimacy of the new state and marking the end of the revolutionary crisis.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Revolution"
  title: Belgian Revolution of 1830
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Belgian Revolution proved that a unified domestic coalition could overturn a major-power settlement. Its success emboldened nationalist movements across Europe and established Belgium as an independent nation that would play a strategic role in European politics for two centuries.
categories:
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- revolution
- regime_change
- independence_declaration
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
- governance
impactRadius: regional
velocity: cascading
predictability: emergent
intentionality: spontaneous
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "The 1830 Belgian Revolution: how southern Netherlands provinces seceded to form an independent kingdom."
wikidataQid: Q223933
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Insurrection in the Low Countries - Brussels in Flames
  publishedAt: 1830-09-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The Belgian provinces have risen in open revolt against the Dutch Crown. Barricades have been erected throughout Brussels, and reports indicate the military is engaged in fierce street combat with insurgent forces demanding separation from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: moniteur-universel
  headline: "FR: 'La Belgique se souleve contre l'Union Nederlandaise' / EN: Belgium Rises Against the Dutch Union"
  publishedAt: 1830-10-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'La revolution belge fait echo aux evenements de juillet a Paris' / EN: The Belgian revolution resonates with the July events in Paris. French observers note with interest the spread of liberal nationalism across Europe, as the southern provinces declare their intent to establish an independent Catholic kingdom."
  significance: 87
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Algemeen Handelsblad
  publisherSlug: algemeen-handelsblad
  headline: Opstand in het Zuiden - Regering Protesteert tegen Afscheiding
  publishedAt: 1830-10-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The Dutch government has dispatched reinforcements to suppress the insurgency in Antwerp and Brussels. Amsterdam merchants express alarm at the economic implications of a fractured Netherlands, though King William I remains resolute in defending the union.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Netherlands
- publisher: Oesterreichischer Beobachter
  publisherSlug: oesterreichischer-beobachter
  headline: Belgische Separatisten Proklamieren Unabhangigkeit
  publishedAt: 1830-11-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "Synthesized from period reporting - DE: 'Die belgischen Provinzen haben sich zur unabhangigen Nation erklart' / EN: The Belgian provinces have declared themselves an independent nation. Vienna views the matter with concern, as the Concert of Europe grapples with yet another nationalist upheaval."
  significance: 82
  type: newspaper
  region: Austria
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260605172950/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Revolution"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-05
  label: Belgian Revolution of 1830
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Revolution"
