Is it true that Belgium gained independence thanks to Russia?

Russian President V. Putin said at the World Youth Festival in Sochi 03/06/2024: “Belgium has largely appeared on the world map as an independent state, including mainly thanks to Russia and Russia’s position”.

The reliability of the statement was assessed by Igor Todorov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor.

Facts

The first attempt to create Belgian statehood was the United Belgian States in 1790. But they lasted only a few months [1].

The Congress of Vienna in 1815 defined new borders of European states, according to which the Northern and Southern Netherlands, Luxembourg and Liege formed a unitary state - the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, such a unification turned out to be artificial, and contradictions between the north and south became the cause of conflicts.

On August 25, 1830, a revolution broke out in Brussels, upsetting the order established by the Congress of Vienna and maintained by the Holy Alliance (the unification of Austria, Russia and Prussia). While Austria, Prussia, France and Great Britain were ready to compromise with the rebel provinces, Russian Emperor Nicholas I intended to assist the Dutch king Willem I.

Nicholas I sought to prevent the spread of liberal ideas in Russia and considered it his duty to fight revolutionary movements in Europe. He is credited with the words: “Russia is not an industrial, agricultural or trading power, Russia is a military power, and its purpose is to be a threat to the rest of the world.” In 1830, the emperor was ready to send troops to suppress the revolution in Belgium, but neither the army nor the treasury were ready for this, and European countries did not support such an impulse.

The fate of Belgium was discussed at the London Conference of 1830. The British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston spoke about the right of peoples to self-determination. On December 20, 1830, Great Britain, France, Austria and Prussia recognized the independence of the new state and settled issues regarding the payment of debts. Only Russia actively opposed the independence of Belgium, but in the end it was also forced to recognize it [2].

On February 7, 1831, the Belgian Constitution was adopted. Its main principle was the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The parliament, consisting of two chambers, became the de facto head of state. The king and ministers were appointed by the executive branch, while royal power was greatly limited: not a single law passed by the king was valid without the signature of one of the ministers. The courts became independent and their meetings were to be held publicly. Residents of Belgium were guaranteed human rights, such as equality before the law, the right to freedom, private property, and freedom of speech.

Belgium became the first state with a form of government - a parliamentary monarchy. The Belgian Constitution had a great influence on the constitutional structure of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Prussia, Spain, Greece, and Romania [3].

Information sources

1. A.S. Namazova. Brabant Revolution 1787-1790 in the Austrian Netherlands. New and recent history. Moscow, Nauka, 2001. No. 6. (in Russian).

2. E. Witte, J. Craebeckx, A. Meynen. Political history of Belgium from 1830 onwards. Standard Uitgeverij publ., Antwerpen, 2000, 297 p. 

3. P.I.Savitsky. Belgian Constitution of 1831 (main stages of development). Russian legal journal. 1996. No. 1 (9). P. 88-94. (in Russian).

Verdict

Putin’s assertion that Belgium gained independence thanks to Russia is manipulation. Belgium gained independence not thanks to, but against the wishes of Russia. Nicholas I was going to send troops and suppress the Belgian revolution, but was forced to agree to recognize the independence of Belgium due to unfavorable internal circumstances and under pressure from other powers.

Cover image: Honoré Daumier. "London Conference",  1832 cartoon by FlamesArt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Chained lion - Netherlands, horse - Prussia, bear - Russia, monkey - Austria, fox - Britain, rabbit - France, chained turkey - Belgium, woman on the floor - Poland.

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