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37-462: It is just north of the centre of Fléron. 50°38′N 5°42′E  /  50.633°N 5.700°E  / 50.633; 5.700 This Liège Province location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Li%C3%A8ge Province Liège ( French: [ljɛʒ] ; Walloon : Lîdje [liːtʃ] ; Dutch : Luik [lœyk] ; German : Lüttich [ˈlʏtɪç] )

74-634: A "scrap of paper". Britain declared war on Germany the same day. As early as 1830 a movement started for the reunification of Belgium and the Netherlands, called Orangism (after the Dutch royal color of orange ), which was active in Flanders and Brussels. But industrial cities, like Liège, also had a strong Orangist faction. The movement met with strong disapproval from the authorities. Between 1831 and 1834, 32 incidents of violence against Orangists were mentioned in

111-736: A Declaration of Independence on 4 October 1830. On 20 December 1830 the London Conference of 1830 brought together five major European powers: Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Prussia and Russia. At first, the European powers were divided over the Belgian cry for independence. The Napoleonic Wars were still fresh in the memories of the major European powers, so once the French, under the recently installed July Monarchy , supported Belgian independence,

148-601: A belated attempt to reconquer Belgium and restore his position through a military campaign. This Ten Days' Campaign failed because of French military intervention. The Dutch accepted the decision of the London conference and Belgian independence in 1839 by signing the Treaty of London . After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Congress of Vienna created a kingdom for

185-560: A newly formed Provisional Government in Brussels declared independence and called for the election of a National Congress . . King William refrained from future military action and appealed to the Great Powers . The resulting 1830 London Conference of major European powers recognized Belgian independence. Following the installation of Leopold I as King of the Belgians in 1831, King William made

222-594: A population of 1.12 million as of January 2024. The modern borders of the province of Liège date from 1795, which saw the unification of the Principality of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège with the revolutionary French Department of the Ourthe (sometimes spelled Ourte). (Parts of the old Principality of Liège also went into new French départements Meuse-Inférieure , and Sambre-et-Meuse .) The province of Ourthe, as it

259-613: A result of the Treaty of Versailles , were absorbed into the province of Liège. In World War II , Liège was the site of major fighting during the Battle of the Bulge . There, the Germans orchestrated their final offensive move against the combined Allied armies. Malmedy and Saint-Vith in particular saw intense battles against the Nazis . Malmedy was the site of a Waffen-SS massacre of U.S. Army prisoners of war. Liège's heavy industry thrived in

296-532: A sentimental and patriotic opera set against Masaniello 's uprising against the Spanish masters of Naples in the 17th century. After the duet, "Amour sacré de la patrie", (Sacred love of Fatherland) with Adolphe Nourrit in the tenor role, many audience members left the theater and joined the riots which had already begun. The crowd poured into the streets shouting patriotic slogans. The brawls and violence continued for several days, with protesters capturing key points in

333-460: A street fight and used to lead a counter-charge against the forces of Prince William. William I sent his two sons, Crown- Prince William and Prince Frederik to quell the riots. William was asked by the Burghers of Brussels to come to the town alone, with no troops, for a meeting; this he did, despite the risks. The affable and moderate Crown Prince William, who represented the monarchy in Brussels,

370-651: A total of 84 municipalities. The Province of Liège is divided into four administrative arrondissements: Municipalities that have city status have a (city) behind their name. Nine municipalities of Liège form the German-speaking Community of Belgium . From north to south they are: Kelmis (43), Lontzen (48), Raeren (60), Eupen (27), Bütgenbach (17), Büllingen (14), Amel (2), Sankt Vith (64), and Burg-Reuland (16) municipalities. Malmedy (49) and Waimes (80) are municipalities with language facilities for German speakers. The other municipalities of Liège are part of

407-701: Is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium . Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg , the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate , the Luxembourgish canton of Clervaux , the Belgian Walloon (French-speaking) provinces of Luxembourg , Namur and Walloon Brabant and

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444-463: The Armée du Nord and besieged the citadel taking it on 23 December 1832. William I would refuse to recognize a Belgian state until April 1839, when he had to yield under pressure by the Treaty of London and reluctantly recognized a border which, with the exception of Limburg and Luxembourg, was basically the border of 1790. On 19 April 1839 the Treaty of London signed by the European powers (including

481-531: The French Community of Belgium . Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution ( French : Révolution belge , Dutch : Belgische Revolutie/opstand/omwenteling ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands ) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium . The people of

518-518: The German advance through Belgium , giving time to construct trenches in Flanders which subsequently saw some of the worst fighting of that war. It also saw some of the war's worst civilian casualties as the Imperial German Army performed collective punishments against local villagers for acts of resistance. In 1925 the East Cantons and Neutral Moresnet , that had become part of Belgium as

555-535: The House of Orange-Nassau , thus combining the United Provinces of the Netherlands with the former Austrian Netherlands to create a strong buffer state north of France; with the addition of those provinces the Netherlands became a rising power. Symptomatic of the tenor of diplomatic bargaining at Vienna was the early proposal to reward Prussia for its fight against Napoleon with the former Habsburg territory. When

592-686: The Kingdom of Prussia . Liège University scholars helped to write the new Dutch constitution after the Napoleonic Wars . Despite these contributions there was a widespread perception among the people of Liège that they were discriminated against by the Dutch government due to religious and language differences. In September 1830, rumors spread of a revolt in Brussels to expel the Dutch. Liège intellectuals responded to these events by contacting Walloon scholars living in Paris to discuss Belgian independence. A militia

629-399: The 1950s and 1960s but has been in decline since that time. Nevertheless, Liège remains the last city of Wallonia to maintain a functioning steel industry. Liège continues to be the economic and cultural capital of Wallonia, with its university, medieval heritage and heavy industry . [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province

666-547: The Belgian Flemish (Dutch-speaking) provinces of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Part of the eastern-most area of the province, bordering Germany , is the German-speaking region of Eupen-Malmedy , which became part of Belgium in the aftermath of World War I . The capital and the largest city of the province is the city of the same name, Liège . The province has an area of 3,857 km (1,489 sq mi), and

703-554: The Dutch force took control of Antwerp and moved deeper into Belgium. The Belgian army of the Meuse was defeated in the battle of Hasselt . On 8 August Leopold called for support from the French and the British. As a result Marshal Étienne Maurice Gérard crossed the border with 70,000 French troops under his command on 9 August. The battle of Leuven (where King Leopold had placed his headquarters) began on 12 August. In order to avoid war with

740-637: The Dutch government, partly because of rebellions within some of their own borders (the Russians were occupied with the November Uprising in Poland and Prussia was saddled with war debt). Britain would come to see the benefits of isolating France geographically with the new creation of a new Belgian buffer state between France, the Netherlands and Prussia. In November 1830, the National Congress of Belgium

777-545: The Netherlands) Recognized Belgium as an independent and neutral country comprising West Flanders , East Flanders , Brabant , Antwerp , Hainaut , Namur , and Liège , as well as half of Luxembourg and Limburg . The Dutch army, however, held onto Maastricht , and as a result, the Netherlands kept the eastern half of Limburg and its large coalfields. Germany broke the treaty in 1914 when it invaded Belgium on 4 August and dismissed British protests over

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814-483: The United Kingdom insisted on retaining the former Dutch Ceylon and the Cape Colony , which it had seized while the Netherlands was ruled by Napoleon, the new Kingdom of the Netherlands was compensated with these southern provinces (modern Belgium). The revolution was due to a combination of factors, the main one being the difference of religion ( Catholic in today's Belgium , Protestant in today's Netherlands ) and

851-544: The approaching French the Dutch agreed an armistice with Belgium and withdrew after briefly taking control of the city. While the victorious initial campaign gave the Dutch an advantageous position in subsequent negotiations, the Dutch were compelled to agree to an indefinite armistice, although they continued to hold the Antwerp Citadel and occasionally bombarded the city from it. Gerard returned to Belgium in November 1832 with

888-522: The city including the Parc de Bruxelles and the Palais de Bruxelles . The Belgian rebels began to organize and fortify their positions in preparation for further confrontations with Dutch forces. The following days saw an explosion of the desperate and exasperated proletariat of Brussels, who rallied around the newly created flag of the Brussels independence movement which was fastened to a standard with shoelaces during

925-615: The general lack of autonomy given to the south. Other important factors are Catholic partisans watched with excitement the unfolding of the July Revolution in France, details of which were swiftly reported in the newspapers. On 25 August 1830, at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, an uprising followed a special performance, in honor of William I's birthday, of Daniel Auber 's La Muette de Portici (The Mute Girl of Portici) ,

962-511: The nationalistic opera La muette de Portici joined the mob. Uprisings followed elsewhere in the country. Factories were occupied and machinery destroyed. Order was restored briefly after William committed troops to the Southern Provinces but rioting continued and leadership was taken up by radicals, who started talking of secession. Dutch units saw the mass desertion of recruits from the southern provinces and pulled out. On September 27,

999-455: The other European powers unsurprisingly supported the continued union of the provinces of the Netherlands. Russia, Prussia, Austria, and the United Kingdom all supported the Netherlands, since they feared that the French would eventually annex an independent Belgium (particularly the British: see Flahaut partition plan for Belgium ). However, in the end, none of the European powers sent troops to aid

1036-459: The press and in 1834 Minister of Justice Lebeau banned expressions of Orangism in the public sphere, enforced with heavy penalties. The golden jubilee of independence set up the Cinquantenaire park complex in Brussels. In 2005, the Belgian revolution of 1830 was depicted in one of the highest value Belgian coins ever minted, the 100 euro "175 Years of Belgium" coin . The obverse depicts

1073-492: The south were mainly Flemings and Walloons . Both peoples were traditionally Roman Catholic as contrasted with Protestant-dominated ( Dutch Reformed ) people of the north. Many outspoken liberals regarded King William I's rule as despotic. There were high levels of unemployment and industrial unrest among the working classes. On 25 August 1830, riots erupted in Brussels and shops were looted. Theatergoers who had just watched

1110-468: The start of the Kingdom of Belgium. It is celebrated each year as Belgian National Day . King William was not satisfied with the settlement drawn up in London and did not accept Belgium's claim of independence: it divided his kingdom and drastically affected his Treasury. On 2 August 1831 the Dutch army, headed by the Dutch princes, invaded Belgium, in what became known as the " Ten Days' Campaign " On 4 August

1147-506: Was 31.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 6.9% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,200 € or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. GDP per person employed was 108% of the EU27 average. The province has an area of 3,857 square kilometres (1,489 sq mi), which is divided into four administrative districts ( arrondissements in French ) containing

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1184-487: Was convinced by the Estates-General on 1 September that the administrative separation of north and south was the only viable solution to the crisis. His father rejected the terms of accommodation that Prince William proposed. King William I attempted to restore the established order by force, but the 8,000 Dutch troops under Prince Frederik were unable to retake Brussels in bloody street fighting (23–26 September). The army

1221-707: Was established to create a constitution for the new state. The Congress decided that Belgium would be a popular , constitutional monarchy . On 7 February 1831, the Belgian Constitution was proclaimed. However, no actual monarch yet sat on the throne. The Congress refused to consider any candidate from the Dutch ruling house of Orange-Nassau . Eventually the Congress drew up a shortlist of three candidates, all of whom were French. This itself led to political opposition, and Leopold of Saxe-Coburg , who had been considered at an early stage but dropped due to French opposition,

1258-612: Was formed to press these demands led by Charlier "Wooden Leg" leading (eventually) to the formation of an independent Kingdom of Belgium . In the 19th century, the province was an early center of the Industrial Revolution . Its rich coal deposits and steel factories helped Belgium to form the basis of the region's increasing economic power. During the 20th century, due to Liège's borders with Germany, it saw fierce fighting in both World Wars. In World War I , Liège's strong line of reinforced concrete military forts temporarily halted

1295-475: Was known then, was under French control during the reign of Napoleon , who visited the city during one of his campaigns. Napoleon ordered the destruction of its vineyards in order to prevent the Liège wine industry from competing with those elsewhere in France . Following Napoleon's fall from power in 1815, Liège became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , while eastern half of modern Verviers became part of

1332-404: Was proposed again. On 22 April 1831, Leopold was approached by a Belgian delegation at Marlborough House to officially offer him the throne. At first reluctant to accept, he eventually took up the offer, and after an enthusiastic popular welcome on his way to Brussels , Leopold I of Belgium took his oath as king on 21 July 1831. 21 July is generally used to mark the end of the revolution and

1369-629: Was withdrawn to the fortresses of Maastricht , Venlo , and Antwerp , and when the Northern commander of Antwerp bombarded the town, claiming a breach of a ceasefire, the whole of the Southern provinces was incensed. Any opportunity to quell the breach was lost on 26 September when a National Congress was summoned to draw up a Constitution and the Provisional Government was established under Charles Latour Rogier . The Provisional Government then issued

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