Baron Herman Baltia (1 September 1863 – 16 September 1938) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

military officer, the son of the Belgian General Charles Baltia (of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish origin) and of a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

mother.

Career

In 1907 Baltia was made an officer in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

's cartographic institute, charged with preparing a mission for setting the southern boundaries of the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

, although he did not get to begin this task. In 1908 he was promoted to Major. He became a member of the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

in 1910. A watercolour painter, he organised several exhibitions on the

Yser Front The Yser Front (, or ), sometimes termed the West Flemish Front in British writing, was a section of the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I held by Belgium, Belgian troops from October 1914 until 1918. The front ran alo ...

starting in 1916, even displaying some of his own works during the first exhibition. He did this while serving as commander of the 10th Ligne Regiment (the future

Chasseurs Ardennais The ''Bataillon de Chasseurs Ardennais'' (, or more figuratively, 'Ardennes Light Infantry', officially abbreviated as ChA) is an infantry formation in the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally formed in 1933 to ensure the defens ...

). Baltia received high military honours and was made a Major General in December 1916, having served with distinction in the vicinity of Yser and

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

and in North France. From 10 January 1920 (when the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

entered into force) to 1 June 1925 (in accordance with the law of 6 March 1925), Baltia, promoted to Lieutenant General on 26 March 1920, exercised the function of Royal High Commissioner of

Eupen-Malmedy Eupen-Malmedy is a small, predominantly German-speaking region in eastern Belgium. It consists of three administrative cantons around the towns of Eupen, Malmedy, and Sankt Vith which encompass some . Elsewhere in Belgium, the region is common ...

, responsible solely before the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. He obtained this post in particular due to his command of French as well as German but also, according to his detractors, due to his colonial experience, which would prove useful in a territory annexed by Belgium against its inhabitants' will. One of Baltia's first official acts was to have taken down the monument commemorating the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

of 1870-1871 located in the town of

Malmedy Malmedy (; , historically also ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a population dens ...

, where he had an official residence. After quickly fulfilling the high expectations on him, he was awarded the title of Baron by royal decree on 28 August 1920. Between 26 January and 23 July 1920, he organised a popular consultation of the type required by the Treaty of Versailles. In this vote, the opponents of annexation had to write their names and addresses in an ''ad hoc'' register. Supporters had to do nothing. Only 271 of 33,726 voters dared to do this.

Honours and arms

Bibliography

* ''Eupen, Malmedy et Son Gouverneur'' (1923) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baltia, Herman (Baron) 1863 births 1938 deaths People from Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Belgian generals Belgian Army generals of World War I 20th-century Belgian civil servants 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists 20th-century Belgian painters Belgian people of Luxembourgian descent Belgian barons 20th-century Belgian male artists