Belgian Revolution

The Congress of Vienna joined the former Austrian Netherlands to the Dutch kingdom in 1815, creating the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as a barrier against France. Religious, linguistic, political and economic grievances remained strong in the southern provinces and erupted into revolt in Brussels in August 1830.

Street fighting and the withdrawal of Dutch forces allowed a provisional government to declare independence. European powers negotiated the new state’s position, and Leopold I became king in 1831, although the Netherlands did not formally recognise Belgian independence until 1839.

This context supports fiction about Brussels, urban revolution, the collapse of the Vienna settlement and foreign soldiers ordered to protect national interests without widening the conflict. Words of Command places the 6th Light Dragoons in Brussels during the Waterloo anniversary celebrations as the uprising begins.