task, and on November 18th the National Assembly, convoked, declared as
its first act the independence of the Belgians.
It was now necessary to find a head upon which to place the crown. The
first choice of the provisional government was the Duc de Nemours, the
son of Louis Philippe, but objection was made to him on the ground that
his selection would add too much, perhaps, to the power of France, so
his candidature was withdrawn.
Choice was fixed finally upon Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, who had but
recently declined the throne of Greece by advice of the European
diplomats. A resident of England, this Prince, who had espoused Princess
Charlotte, the daughter of George IV, was well known as a most clear
headed diplomat, a reputation he enjoyed during his whole career.
In his acceptance he said: "Human destiny does not offer a nobler or
more useful task than that of being called to found the independence of
a nation, and to consolidate its liberties."
The people hailed and received him with great enthusiasm, and on July
21st he was crowned King of the Belgians, with most impressive
ceremonies, at Brussels. The Dutch, however, viewed all this with much
concern, and at once began hostilities, thinking that the powers would
sustain them rather than permit France to occupy Belgium. At once Dutch
troops were massed for attack on both Brussels and Louvain. Outnumbered
by the Dutch, the badly organized national forces of Belgium met
disaster at Hasselt, and, realizing his peril, Leopold besought the
French, who were at the frontier, to come to his assistance.
Simultaneously with the assault on Louvain, therefore, the French
troops arrived at Brussels. Great Britain now entered the fray,
threatening to send a fleet of warships to occupy the Scheldt unless
King William recalled his army from Belgium. This settled the matter,
and the Dutch withdrew. The French likewise returned to their own
territory. Jealousy, however, was manifested by Austria, Prussia and
Russia toward the new kingdom, and their refusal to receive Leopold's
ambassadors was calculated to encourage hope in Holland that the reign
of the new monarch was to be limited.
New troubles began for the Belgians, in the presentation of the London
Protocol of October 15, 1831, in consequence of a demand that the
greater part of Limbourg and Luxembourg be ceded. Not only the Belgians
but the Dutch opposed this demand, as well as the conditions of the
protocol. And at once King William prepared for armed resistance.
Leopold immediately after obtaining votes for the raising of the sum of
three millions sterling for war purposes, increased the army to one
hundred thousand men.
Now ensued a most critical period for the little kingdom, but both
France and England held their shields over it, while Leopold's marriage
to the Princess Louise, eldest daughter of King Louis Philippe, gained
for it still greater strength in its relations with France.
King William, however, refused stubbornly to recognise the protocol,
and retained possession of Antwerp, which he held with a garrison of
five thousand soldiers. Antwerp Citadel being the pride of the kingdom,
the Belgians, restive under the control of the powers, demanded that
both England and France help them at once to recover it, alleging that
in case this help was refused, they, with their hundred thousand men,
were ready to capture it themselves. So in the month of November the
French troops, under Maréchal Gérard, laid siege to the Antwerp
stronghold, held by General Chassé, who after three weeks' siege
capitulated, and the Dutch, rather than have their warships captured,
burnt and sank them in the Scheldt.
With the surrender of Antwerp, the French withdrew their army, but the
Dutch sullenly refused to recognise the victory until the year 1839,
when they withdrew from and dismantled the forts on the Scheldt facing
Antwerp.
Naturally the support of the French and English brought about a deep and
lasting feeling of gratitude on the part of the Belgians. Louis Philippe
said, "Belgium owes her independence and the recovery of her territory
to the union of France and England in her cause."
Her independence thus gained and recognised, Belgium turned her
attention to the development of the country and its rich natural
resources. The Manufactures flourished, her mines of coal and iron
became famous throughout the world, and she trod the peaceful path of
strict neutrality among the great nations. Passing over the all familiar
history of Waterloo, one may quote the saying of M. Northomb: "The
Battle of Waterloo opened a new era for Europe, the era of
representative government." And this new era was enjoyed by Belgium
until the Franco-Prussian War confronted the little country with a fresh
crisis, and one fraught with danger. Although her absolute neutrality
had been earnestly proclaimed and presented to the powers, it was feared
that she might be invaded and be unable to maintain her integrity by her
military force.
Leopold promptly mobilized the army and massed it upon the frontier.
During and after the battle of Sedan, a large number of both French and
German soldiers crossed the border and were interned until the close of
the war.... Once more peace descended upon the Belgians, for a fresh
treaty prepared by England and signed by both France and Prussia engaged
the British Government to declare war upon the power violating its
provisions.
After his acceptance of the Crown of Belgium, the Constitution declared
the monarchy hereditary in the male line of the family of Prince Leopold
of Saxe-Coburg, which consisted of two sons and one daughter. The elder
of the sons was born in 1835, and succeeded his father as Leopold II,
in 1865. The Austrian Archduchess Marie Henriette became his wife in
1853, and their descendants were one son and three daughters, none of
whom is now living. The Salic Law prevailing in Belgium, the history of
the female descendants is not of political importance. The only son of
Leopold II dying in 1869, the succession passed to the brother of the
King, the Count of Flanders, who married Mary, Princess of Hohenzollern,
a sister of the King of Roumania.
The death of their son Prince Baldwin in 1891 was held to be a national
calamity. This left the nephew of Leopold II, Prince Albert (the present
King of Belgium), the heir presumptive to the throne. He married in 1900
the Princess Elizabeth of Bavaria; to them have been born three
children, two boys and a girl. Both the King and Queen, the objects of
intense devotion on the part of the Belgians, are very simple and
democratic in their bearing toward the people. The Queen is a very
beautiful woman, and a most devoted wife and mother.... Since the seat
of government has been removed to Havre, the Queen divides her time
between the little hamlet of La Panne, headquarters of the Belgian army,
near the town of Furnes on the dunes of the north sea, and London, where
the children are being cared for and educated.... May not one hope that
brighter days are in store for this devoted and heroic King and Queen,
for the once smiling and fertile land, and for the kindly, gentle, and
law abiding Belgian people?[5]
THE END
INDEX
Albert, King of Belgium, 102, 207
Alost, church of St. Martin's, 113, 114
Hôtel de Ville, 111
Antwerp, carillon of, 52
cathedral of, 41, 44, 143
Archers of St. Sebastian, 66
Artists of Malines, list of the, 183-195
Aymon, legend of the four sons of, 133-136
Baldwin Bras-de-Fer, 55, 171
Baldwin the Ninth, Count of Flanders, 72, 121
Battle of the Dunes, the, 101
Battle of the Spurs, the, 120, 172
Battle of Waterloo, the, 206
Bayard, the horse, 133-138
Beguinage, the, Courtrai, 121
" " Malines, 23-24
" " Ypres, 82
Bell-founding, process of, 45-48
Berincx, Grégoire, 186
" Grégoire le Jeune, 186, 191
Bethune, Robert of, Count of Flanders, 75, 79
Biset, Charles Emmanuel, 191
" George, 191
Bol, Jean, 188
Bouts, Dierick, 48, 149
Broël Towers, the, Courtrai, 119, 123
Bruges, cathedral of, 41
library, 171
Brussels, cathedral of, 41
Museum of Decorative Arts, 76, 149
Burgundy, House of, 68
" Mary of, 165
Carillons of Antwerp, 52
" of Bruges, 52
" of Ghent, 52
" of Louvain, 52
" of Malines, 52
" of Tournai, 52
Carpreau, Jean, 187
Cathedral of Antwerp, 41
" of Bruges, 41
" of Brussels, 41
" of Ghent, 41
" of Malines, 18-19, 41, 42
" of Ypres, 69, 73
Charlemagne, 134-136
Charles the Bold, 25, 76, 81
Charles the Eleventh, 119
Charles the Fifth, 18, 130, 165
Cloth Hall, the, Ypres, 69, 72-75, 78, 80, 81
Commines, Philip of, 86
Cossiers, I., 24
Coxie, Jean, 185
" Jean Michel, 185
" Michel, 184
" Michel le Jeune, 184
" Michel the Third, 185
" Michel the Fourth, 185
" Raphaël, 185
Counts' Chapel, the, Courtrai, 121
Courtrai, the Counts' Chapel, 121
the Hall of the Magistrates, 129
the Town Hall, 129
Cuyp, 36, 102
De Gruyter, Jean, 185
De Hornes, Jacques, 191, 193
Deklerk, 44, 45
De Poindre, Jacques, 187
De Vos, Lambert, 188
Douai, Hôtel de Ville, 157, 160
Douai Bible, the, 158
Dyle, the river, 21, 26, 152
Elle, Ferdinand, 192
Franchoys, Luc, 189
" Luc le Jeune, 190, 192, 193
" Pierre, 190
Franco-Prussian War, the, 206
Furnes, Hôtel de Ville, 173
Ghent, the carillons of, 52
Gild of St. Luke, the, 181
Gothic architecture, styles of, 90
Great Wars of Flanders, the, 86
Hall of the Magistrates, the, Courtrai, 129
Hals, Frans, 141, 190
Hanseatic League, the, 69
Hanswyk, the Tower of Our Lady of, Malines, 26
Haweis, 41, 43, 49, 50
Hemony, 42, 49
Henry the First, 152
Herregouts, David, 191
Hoogenbergh, Jean, 186
Hôtel de Ville of Alost, 111
" " " of Douai, 157, 160
" " " of Furnes, 173
" " " of Louvain, 147, 149 150
" " " of Oudenaarde, 164
" " " of Ypres, 73
Huet, 87, 89
Hunin, Matthieu Joseph Charles, 194
" Pierre Paul Aloys, 194
Hugo, Victor, 52
Ingelrams, André, 187
" Corneille, 187
Inghelbrugtorre, Courtrai, 119
Inquisition, the Spanish, 68
Jansenius, Cornelius, Bishop of Ypres, 73, 80
Janssens, Daniel, 193
Joffroy, Jean Barthelemy, 193
Jordaens, 141
Jube, at St. Martin's, Dixmude, 55, 57-59, 62, 79
Keldermans, 17, 18, 130
Knights of the Golden Fleece, 36
Knights Templar, the, 99, 101
La Panne, 74, 207
La Pla, Jacques, 193
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, King of Belgium, 203, 204, 205
Leopold the Second of Belgium, 207
Le Saive, Jean, 190, 193
Library, the, Bruges, 43, 171
Brussels, 43
Louvain, 43, 49, 150
Lion of Flanders, the, 22, 28
Louis of Maele, 66, 67
Louis of Nevers, 76
Louis Philippe, 203, 205
Louis the Eleventh, 157
Louis the Fourteenth, 158
Louvain, church of St. Peter, 147, 152
carillons of, 52
Hôtel de Ville, 149
library, 149
Loyola, Ignatius, 21
Luther, Martin, 21
Lys, the river, 119, 120, 122-123
Malines, carillons of, 52
cathedral of, 18-19, 41, 42
St. Rombauld, 17, 19, 22, 26, 37, 44
Margaret of Artois, 76
" of Austria, statue of, 22
" of Parma, 165
" of York, 25, 76
" the Courageous, the legend of, 150-153
Marguerite of Flanders, 152
" of Savoie, 18
Mary of Burgundy, 165
Matsys, Quentin, 149
Memling, 85, 148, 149
Mercier, Cardinal, Primate of Belgium, 21, 167
Moertens, Thierry, 112
Museum of Decorative Arts, the, Brussels, 76, 149
Mysteries of the Passion, the, 175
Nemours, Duc de, 202
Nieuwerck, Ypres, 70, 73, 77
Notre Dame, the church of, Courtrai, 121
Opdebeek, Antoine, 194
Oudenaarde, church of St. Walburga, 165
" Hôtel de Ville, 164
" Town Hall, 17, 165
Philip of Alsace, 119
" of Savoie, 18
" the Second of Spain, 85, 101
Place de la Boucherie, 25
Quesnoy, Jerome due, 24
Redel, August Casimir, 193
Rembrandt, 141
Rubens, 113, 141, 173, 190
Ruskin, 28, 42
St. Martin's, cathedral of, Ypres, 73, 77, 78, 79
" church of, Alost, 113, 114
" church of, Dixmude, 55, 56, 57, 60
St. Mary Bells, in Antwerp cathedral, 44
St. Nicholas, church of, Furnes, 99, 171
St. Peter, church of, Louvain, 147, 152
St. Pierre, tower of, Ypres, 80
St. Rombauld, Malines, chimes of, 19, 22
" " spire of, 17
" " tower of, 26-37, 44
St. Walburga, church of, Oudenaarde, 165, 174-176
St. Winoc, the abbey of, Bergues, 95
Sainte Begga, 23, 121
Salvator Bell, the, 20, 48
Scheldt, the river, 133, 204, 205
Smeyers, Egide Joseph, 192
" Gilles, 192
" Jacques, 192
Snellinck, Jean, 188
Speytorre, the, Courtrai, 119
Stevens, Pierre, 189
Taillebert, d'Urbain, 79
Thierry d'Alsace, 65, 85
Toeput, Louis, 188
Tournai, Town Hall, 52
Tower of the Templars, the, Nieuport, 99, 101
Town Hall of Brussels, 17
" " of Courtrai, 129
" " of Dixmude, 56
" " of Louvain, 17
" " of Oudenaarde, 17
" " of Tournai, 52
Trabukier, Guillaume, 184
Untenhoven, Martin, 78
Van Aken, Sebastian, 193
Van Artevelde, family of, 36
" " Philip, 66, 86
Van Avont, Pierre, 189
" " Rombaut, 189
Van Battele, Baudouin, 183
" " Gautier, 183
" " Jean, 183
" " Jean le Jeune, 183
Van den Gheyn, family of, 20, 33, 42, 44, 45, 158
" " " Mathias, 147
" " " Peter, 48
Van Dyck, 133
Van Eyck, Jean, 79
Van Halter, Catherine, 24
Van Ophem, Jean, 186
Van Orley, Bernard, 184
Van Orshagen, Jean, 183
Van Steynemolen, Zacherie, 184
Van Thieleu, Jean Philippe, 192
Van Valckenborgh, Luc, 188
" " Martin, 189
Van Yleghem, Daniel, 183
Van Yper, Carel, 80
Vauban, 65
Verbeek, François, 186
" Hans, 186
Vereeke, 65, 70
Verhaegan, P.J., 150, 153
Verhoeven, Jean, 191
" Martin, 191
Verhulst, Pierre Antoine, 194
Ver Vloet, Jean, 195
Vinckboons, Maur, 184
" Philip, 189
Waghemans, family of, 20
Waterloo, the Battle of, 206
Willems, Marc, 187
William the First of Holland, 199, 201, 204
Ypres, the Beguinage, 82
the cathedral of, 69, 72
the Cloth Hall, 69, 73, 74, 75, 78, 80, 81
the Hôtel de Ville, 73
Yser, the river, 55, 62
Zeelstman, 19
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Those who are interested in the subject are referred to C.
Lemonnier's "Histoire des Beaux Arts en Belgique" (Brussels, 1881), E.
Hessling's "La Sculpture Belge Contemporaire" (Berlin, 1903), Destree's
"Renaissance of Sculpture in Belgium," Crowe and Cavalcaselle's "Early
Flemish Painters" (1857).
[2] This passion play is described in detail in "Some Old Flemish
Towns." (Same author. Moffat, Yard & Co., New York, 1911.)
[3] See "Some Old Flemish Towns."
[4] The list is drawn in part from the "_Histoire de la Peinture et de
la Sculpture à Malines_," _par Emmanuel Neefs_--Gand, Van der Heeghen,
1876, translated from the manuscripts composed in Latin by the painter
Egide Joseph Smeyers, Malines, 1774.
[5] The author refers the reader to "The Constitution of Belgium," J.M.
Vincent, Phila., 1898; "Belgium and the Belgians," C. Scudamore, London,
1904; "History of Belgium," D.C. Boulger, London, 1900; "The Story of
Belgium," C. Smythe, London, 1902.