The United Kingdom of the Netherlands (; ) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (; ) as it existed between 1815 and 1830. 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.

Background

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 - 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. The Dutch Republic collapsed in 1795 and became a French client state.

Creation of the United Netherlands

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.

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.

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 and political union with the Netherlands, though it remained part of the German Confederation.

Government

Constitution and government
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.

From the start, the administrative system proved controversial. Representation in the 110-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 today. Most notably, the ministers were responsible solely to him.

Provinces

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:

Antwerp (part of modern-day Belgium)
Drenthe (part of the Netherlands)
East Flanders (Belgium)
Friesland (Netherlands)
Gelderland (Netherlands)
Groningen (Netherlands)
Hainaut (Belgium)
Holland (Netherlands)
Limburg (split between Belgium and the Netherlands)
Liège (Belgium)
Namur (Belgium)
North Brabant (Netherlands)
Overijssel (Netherlands)
South Brabant (Belgium)
Utrecht (Netherlands)
West Flanders (Belgium)
Zeeland (Netherlands)

The United Netherlands was also a colonial power with overseas colonies in the East Indies and elsewhere.

Economic policy

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.

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.

Language policy 
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. In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, French was the de facto official language while German was used in education.

Regional tensions
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. 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. 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.

Belgian Revolution and secession

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.

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. 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. 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.

See also

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

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links
 

 
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Former monarchies of Europe
States and territories established in 1815
States and territories disestablished in 1839
네덜란드 연합왕국()은 1815년부터 1831년까지 지금의 네덜란드와 벨기에를 아우르는 지역에 성립했던 유럽의 옛 나라이다. 빈 회의의 결정에 따라 옛 네덜란드 공화국, 오스트리아령 네덜란드, 리에주 주교령을 통합하여 창설되었고, 그 왕위는 오라녜나사우 왕가가 맡았다.

성립 배경 
빈 회의에서 프랑스는 1792년의 국경으로 되돌아간다는 것이 원칙이었으므로, 나폴레옹 전쟁 시기 프랑스로 귀속되었던 남부 네덜란드, 즉 옛 오스트리아령 네덜란드를 누가 차지하느냐는 중요한 안건 중의 하나였다.

협상은 쉽지 않았는데, 그것은 빌럼 1세가 가능한 최대의 결과물을 얻어내려고 했기 때문이었다. 클렌카티 백작이 이러한 빌럼 1세의 입장을 빈 회의에 대변하였다. 오스트리아령 네덜란드 문제에 있어서는 세 가지 협상안이 마련되었다.

 북부 네덜란드, 즉 옛 네덜란드 공화국은 옛 국경을 복구하고, 남부 네덜란드는 프랑스에 대한 방벽으로 삼기 위하여, 강대국 예를 들어 오스트리아 제국의 보호에 속하는 국가를 창설한다.
 만일 남부 네덜란드를 프랑스의 통치 하에 여전히 맡겨둔다면, 네덜란드를 강화하기 위하여 네테 강 혹은 플랑드르 전역으로 확장한다. 이에 따르면 독일의 일부가 네덜란드로 편입되는 것이며, 그 경계는 메클렌-마스트리히트-쾰른-뒤셀도르프를 잇는 선을 따라 라인강까지 연장될 터였다.
 프랑스는 1789년의 경계로 돌아가고, 북부 네덜란드는 남부 네덜란드를 흡수하며, 그 외에도 라인강 서안의 독일 영토들과 모젤 강의 북안, 베르크, 나사우 백작령 등을 보유한다.

위의 안들 중 1안과 2안은 라이프치히 전투 후에 대프랑스 동맹국들 사이에서 회람된 「네덜란드 메모」에서 언급된 것으로서 그 중 2안은 당시까지는 나폴레옹의 완전한 몰락 여부가 불분명했기 때문에 경우를 나누어 작성된 것에 불과하여 빈 회의 당시에는 이미 의미가 없었다. 3안은 빌럼 1세에 의하여 작성되었다.

빈 회의가 진행됨에 따라 1안은 현실화될 가능성이 점차 낮아졌는데, 그 이유는 강대국들이 오스트리아의 대공이 독립된 남부 네덜란드는 프랑스에 대한 방벽은 고사하고, 그 위협으로부터 독자 생존을 영위하기에도 벅찰 정도로 약하다고 생각했기 때문이고, 그렇다고 해서 오스트리아 제국이 이 지역의 직할을 되찾을 생각도 없었기 때문이다.

결국 강대국들은 3안을 선택했지만, 그렇다고 해서 빌럼 1세가 바란대로까지 네덜란드의 영토를 확장하지는 않았다. 빌럼 1세가 최종적으로 받게 된 영토는, 옛 네덜란드 공화국, 1789년의 오스트리아령 네덜란드, 리에주 주교령이었다.

1815년 3월 16일, 마침내 빌럼 1세는 신생 네덜란드 연합왕국의 국왕으로 즉위하였다. 또한 그는 룩셈부르크 대공국의 대공위에도 동시에 올랐는데, 룩셈부르크 대공국은 네덜란드 연합왕국과 동군연합을 이루면서도 독일 연방의 일원이 되는 이중적 지위를 가지게 되었다.

갈등 
1579년부터 그의 선조 네덜란드 공화국의 오라녜 공 빌럼 1세가 꿈꿔왔던 통일은 마침내 네덜란드 연합왕국의 초대 국왕 빌럼 1세의 대에 와서 이루어진 것처럼 보였다. 그러나 이는 문제의 끝이 아닌 시작일 뿐이었음이 곧 드러났다.

통합 당시 북부 네덜란드의 7주가 지고 있던 대외부채는 상당한 수준이었으며, 한편 인구는 남부 네덜란드의 10주보다 더 적었다. 그럼에도 북부 네덜란드가 가지고 있던 부채가 그대로 연합왕국에 떠넘겨져 인구가 많은 남부 네덜란드가 북부 네덜란드의 빚을 갚아주는 형국이 되었다. 한편 인구가 적은 북부 네덜란드는 인구가 많은 남부 네덜란드와 통합의회에서 동등한 대표권을 행사했다.

남부 네덜란드에서 로마 가톨릭의 교세가 강했음에도 불구하고, 개신교의 전통이 뿌리깊은 북부 네덜란드의 종교 정책은 연합왕국 전역에 그대로 적용되었다. 행정에 있어서는 남부 네덜란드에서 프랑스어의 사용인구가 많음에도, 연합왕국의 공용어는 네덜란드어 단일로 결정되었다. 통상정책에 있어서는 남부 네덜란드가 보호무역 정책을 필요로 했음에도 북부 네덜란드가 필요로 하는 자유무역 정책이 연합왕국의 정책으로 고집되었다.

분리 
흡사 식민지를 통치하는듯한 빌럼 1세의 통치에 반감이 깊어진 남부 네덜란드인들은 7월 혁명에 자극받아 브뤼셀을 중심으로 반란을 일으켰다. 빌럼 1세는 반란이 장기화되면 반드시 열강이 개입하리라 생각하여, 반도 전쟁에서의 종군 경험으로 로마 가톨릭 교회에 대해 관용적인 입장이어서 남부 네덜란드에서 인기가 있던 왕세자 빌럼 2세를 파견하여 반란군을 설득하려 했다.

빌럼 2세가 반란군에게 많은 양보를 제안했음에도 반란을 가라앉히는데는 실패했다. 1831년 1월, 유럽의 열강들은 남부 네덜란드가 벨기에로 독립하는 것을 승인했다.

1831년 8월, 빌럼 2세는 군대를 이끌고 벨기에로 침입하여 신생 벨기에 왕국의 초대 국왕으로 추대된 레오폴 1세의 군대를 무찔렀으나 프랑스의 개입 위협으로 물러날 수밖에 없었다. 그 후로도 벨기에의 독립을 승인하지 않고 있던 네덜란드의 빌럼 1세는 다시 벨기에를 되찾기 위한 전쟁을 벌이려 했으나 네덜란드 국민들조차 이를 지지하지 않고 있다는 사실에 충격을 받고 1840년 10월 퇴위했다. 벨기에의 독립은 돌이킬 수 없는 사실이 되었고, 네덜란드 연합왕국은 종언을 고했다.

같이 보기 
 네덜란드 공화국
 빈 회의
 빌럼 1세
 빌럼 2세
 1830년 혁명

 
유럽의 옛 나라
네덜란드의 역사
벨기에의 역사
1839년 네덜란드