The Treaty of Union (; ) was a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

that led to the creation of the

United Belgian States The United Belgian States ( or '; ; ), also known as the United States of Belgium, was a short-lived confederal republic in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) established under the Brabant Revolution. It existed from January to Dece ...

, a

confederal A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

of the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...

that were in revolt against Emperor

Joseph II of Austria Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

during the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (, ), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed revolution, insurrection that occurred in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) between O ...

(1789–1790). It was signed by representatives of the provinces of Brabant,

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, ,

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

and

Tournaisis The Tournaisis (or Tournai and the Tournaisis) was a small territory in the Low Countries, Independent during the Middle Ages, it consisted of the city of Tournai (Dutch: ''Doornik'') and the surrounding area, which now forms part of Hainaut Provi ...

, Hainaut,

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

and the

Lands of Overmaas The Lands of Overmaas (; ) were a collection of lordships near Limburg in the Low Countries which were attached to the Duchy of Brabant and existed from the 13th to 18th centuries. Acquired by the Valois Dukes of Burgundy along with Brabant in ...

, Austrian

Upper Guelders {{unreferenced, date=November 2011 Upper Guelders or Spanish Guelders was one of the four quarters in the Imperial Guelders, Duchy of Guelders. In the Dutch Revolt, it was the only quarter that did not secede from the Habsburg monarchy to become pa ...

, and

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

in the States General of the Southern Netherlands (which thereby reconstituted themselves as the Sovereign Congress) on 11 January 1790, and ratified by the various provinces on 20 January 1790, after which it came into effect. The

Duchy of Luxemburg The Duchy of Luxembourg (; ; ; ) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg became one of the most important political forces in the 14th century, competing against th ...

did not sign or ratify the treaty, and therefore never became a part of the United Belgian States.

Content

This section includes a short summary of each article of the treaty. Article I: The provinces unite into the United Belgian States. Article II: The provinces give congress the following powers: managing defense, establishing peace and war, raising and maintaining a national army, constructing and maintaining the necessary fortifications, creating alliances with foreign powers, and sending and receiving residents, ambassadors and other agents. Article III: Each province will send representatives to congress. Article IV: The provinces are

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, will maintain their ties with the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and adhere to the fundamental rules of the Catholic faith. The rights of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

are respected. Article V: Only congress will be allowed to create

coins A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

under the stamp of the United Belgian States. Article VI: The provinces will provide for the expenses required to maintain congress. Article VII: The provinces will keep all powers and sovereignty not explicitly given to congress. Article VIII: In case of disputes between provinces, the congress will have the power to draft a solution. Article IX: If a province is attacked by a foreign power, all other provinces will join on their side. Article X: No province will be allowed to enter into an alliance or treaty with a foreign power or to unite with another province without the consent of congress. However, the province of West-Flanders will be allowed to unite with

. Article XI: No province will be allowed to leave the union for whatever reason. Article XII: No one may serve in both the military and congress. Also, those who have served under foreign powers will not be allowed to join congress.

References

External links

Text of the Treaty

{{Authority control United Belgian States 1790 treaties

Content

See also

References

External links