The Treaty of the Eighteen Articles was a proposal for a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...

between

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

to establish borders between the two countries. The initial proposal was finalised in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 26 June 1831.

Background

The

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) 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. T ...

of 1830 challenged the territorial settlement of the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

, and - with French support for Belgium, but the opposition of the other continental Great Powers - threatened another continent-wide war. A conference was therefore organised in London, where France and England took the lead in arbitrating a solution.

Outcome

Among the more controversial issues debated in London 1830-1 were the financial settlement between the newly independent Belgium and Holland, and the territorial issue, with the disposal of Luxemburg and Limburg being especially inflammatory elements. Though the Treaty of Eighteen Articles (as set out in July 1831) was accepted by Belgium, it failed due to the resistance of the Dutch

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, who swiftly invaded Belgium in the Ten Days Campaign. Although the Great Powers intervened to force an armistice, the terms of the Treaty were revised in Dutch favour, to create the Treaty of Twenty-Four Articles. It was to those revised terms that the Dutch were to appeal at the end of the decade, in order to obtain the Luxemburg/Limburg territory allocated them therein, but previously retained still under Belgian control. A new Conference saw the Eighteen Articles succeeded by the Treaty of London, incorporating the Treaty of the Twenty-Four Articles of October 1831.E Halevy, ''The Triumph of Reform'' (London 1961) p. 73-4

References

External links

Chronology: The July Monarchy (1830 - 1848)
* {{Belgian Revolution of 1830 Treaties of Belgium Belgium–Netherlands border Boundary treaties 1831 treaties Treaties of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands 1831 in Belgium 1831 in the Netherlands

Background

Outcome

See also

References

External links