Editing Walloons (section)

====The Belgian revolution of 1830====

The [[Belgian revolution]] was recently described as firstly a conflict between the [[Brussels]] municipality which was secondly disseminated in the rest of the country, "particularly in the Walloon provinces".<ref>French une ''tension entre l'autorité communale bruxelloise et le pouvoir hollandais dans un premier temps, et une diffusion de la colère dans le reste du pays -notamment dans les principales villes wallonnes - dans un deuxième temps'' Bruno Demoulin and Jean-Louis Kupper (editors) ''Histoire de la Wallonie'' opus citatus, p. 239</ref> We read the nearly same opinion in Edmundson's book:    <blockquote>The royal forces, on the morning of September 23, entered the city at three gates and advanced as far as the Park. But beyond that point they were unable to proceed, so desperate was the resistance, and such the hail of bullets that met them from barricades and from the windows and roofs of the houses. For three days almost without cessation the fierce contest went on, the troops losing ground rather than gaining it. On the evening of the 26th the prince gave orders to retreat, his troops having suffered severely. The effect of this withdrawal was to convert a street insurrection into a national revolt. The moderates now united with the liberals, and a Provisional Government was formed, having amongst its members [[Charles Rogier]], [[Sylvain Van de Weyer|Van de Weyer]], [[Alexandre Gendebien|Gendebien]], {{Interlanguage link|Emmanuel van der Linden d'Hooghvorst|lt=|nl||WD=}}, [[Félix de Mérode]] and [[Louis de Potter]], who a few days later returned triumphantly from banishment. The Provisional Government issued a series of decrees declaring Belgium independent, releasing the Belgian soldiers from their allegiance, and calling upon them to abandon the Dutch standard. They were obeyed. The revolt, which had been confined mainly to the [[Wallonia|Walloon]] districts, now spread rapidly over [[Flanders]].<ref>George Edmundson ''The History of Holland'' Cambridge
at the University Press, 1922, pp. 389-404 [http://www.authorama.com/history-of-holland-33.html The History of Holland]</ref></blockquote> Jacques Logie wrote: "On the 6th October, the whole [[Wallonia]] was under the Provisional Government's control. In the Flemish part of the country the collapse of the Royal Government was as total and quick as in Wallonia, except [[Ghent]] and [[Antwerp]]."<ref>Jacques Logie, ''1830. De la régionalisation à l'indépendance'', Duculot, Gembloux,1980, p.168, {{ISBN|2-8011-0332-2}}</ref> [[Robert Demoulin]], who was professor at the [[University of Liège]], wrote:  "[[Liège]] is in the forefront of the battle for liberty",<ref>RobertDemoulin, ''La Révolution de 1830'', La Renaissance du Livre, Bruxelles, 1950, p. 93</ref> more than Brussels but with Brussels. He wrote the same thing for [[Leuven]]. According to Demoulin, these three cities are the ''républiques municipales'' at the head of the Belgian revolution. In this chapter VI of his book, ''Le soulèvement national'' (pp.&nbsp;93–117), before writing "On the 6th October, the whole Wallonia is free",<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus p. 113</ref> he quotes the following municipalities from which volunteers were going to Brussels, the "centre of the commotion", in order to take part in the battle against the Dutch troops: [[Tournai]], [[Namur]], [[Wavre]] (p.&nbsp;105) [[Braine-l'Alleud]], [[Genappe]], [[Jodoigne]], [[Perwez]], [[Rebecq]], [[Grez-Doiceau]], {{Interlanguage link|Limelette|fr}}, [[Nivelles]] (p.&nbsp;106), [[Charleroi]] (and its region), [[Gosselies]], [[Lodelinsart]] (p.&nbsp;107), [[Soignies]], [[Leuze-en-Hainaut|Leuze]], [[Thuin]], [[Jemappes]] (p.&nbsp;108), [[Dour, Belgium|Dour]], [[Saint-Ghislain]], {{Interlanguage link|Pâturages|fr|Pâturages (commune)}} (p.&nbsp;109) and he concluded: "So, from the Walloon little towns and countryside, people came to the capital.."<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus, p. 109</ref> The Dutch fortresses were liberated in [[Ath]] ( 27 September), [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]] (29 September), [[Tournai]] (2 October), Namur (4 October) (with the help of people coming from [[Andenne]], [[Fosses]], [[Gembloux]]), [[Charleroi]] (5 October) (with people who came in their thousands).The same day that was also the case for [[Philippeville]], [[Mariembourg]], [[Dinant]], [[Bouillon, Belgium|Bouillon]].<ref>Robert Demoulin, opus citatus, pp. 111-113</ref> In [[Flanders]], the Dutch troops capitulated at the same time in [[Bruges]], [[Ypres]], [[Ostend]], [[Menen]], [[Oudenaarde]], [[Geeraardsbergen]] (pp.&nbsp;113–114), but nor in [[Ghent]] nor in [[Antwerp]] (only liberated on 17 October and 27 October).
Against these interpretation, in any case for the troubles in Brussels, John W. Rooney Jr wrote: <blockquote>It is clear from the quantitative analysis that an overwhelming majority of revolutionaries were domiciled in Brussels or in the nearby suburbs and that the aid came from outside was minimal. For example, for the day of 23 September, 88% of dead and wounded lived in Brussels identified and if we add those residing in Brabant, it reached 95%. It is true that if you look at the birthplace of revolutionary given by the census, the number of Brussels falls to less than 60%, which could suggest that there was support "national" (to different provinces Belgian), or outside the city, more than 40%.But it is nothing, we know that between 1800 and 1830 the population of the capital grew by 75,000 to 103,000, this growth is due to the designation in 1815 in Brussels as a second capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the rural exodus that accompanied the Industrial Revolution. It is therefore normal that a large part of the population of Brussels be originating provinces. These migrants came mainly from Flanders, which was hit hard by the crisis in the textile 1826-1830. This interpretation is also nationalist against the statements of witnesses: [[Charles Rogier]] said that there were neither in 1830 nor nation Belgian national sentiment within the population. The revolutionary [[Jean-Baptiste Nothomb]] ensures that "the feeling of national unity is born today." As for [[Joseph Lebeau]], he said that "patriotism Belgian is the son of the revolution of 1830.." Only in the following years as bourgeois revolutionary will "legitimize ideological state power.<ref>John W. Rooney Jr., ''Profil du combattant de 1830'' dans ''Revue belge d'histoire contemporaine'', T. 12, 1981, p.487 [http://www.flwi.ugent.be/btng-rbhc/pdf/BTNG-RBHC,%2012,%201981,%203,%20pp%20479-504.pdf Profil du combattant de 1830] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610152553/http://www.flwi.ugent.be/btng-rbhc/pdf/BTNG-RBHC,%2012,%201981,%203,%20pp%20479-504.pdf |date=10 June 2007 }}</ref></blockquote>