Editing Flanders (section)

==== United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) ====
After the defeat of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] at the 1815 [[Battle of Waterloo]] in [[Province of Brabant|Brabant]], the [[Congress of Vienna]] (1815) gave sovereignty over the [[Austrian Netherlands]] – Belgium minus the [[East Cantons]] and Luxembourg – to the [[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands|United Netherlands]] (Dutch: ''Verenigde Nederlanden'') under Prince William I of Orange Nassau, making him [[William I of the Netherlands|William I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. William I started rapid industrialisation of the southern parts of the Kingdom. But the political system failed to forge a true union between the north and south. Most of the southern [[bourgeoisie]] was Roman Catholic and French-speaking, while the north was mainly Protestant and Dutch-speaking.

In 1815, the Dutch Senate was reinstated (Dutch: ''Eerste Kamer der Staaten Generaal''). The nobility, mainly coming from the south, became increasingly estranged from their northern colleagues. Resentment grew between the Roman Catholics from the south and the Protestants from the north, and also between the powerful liberal bourgeoisie from the south and their more moderate colleagues from the north. On 25 August 1830 (after the showing of the opera '[[La Muette de Portici]]' of [[Daniel Auber]] in Brussels) the [[Belgian Revolution]] sparked. On 4 October 1830, the [[Provisional Government of Belgium|Provisional Government]] (Dutch: ''Voorlopig Bewind'') proclaimed its independence, which was later confirmed by the [[National Congress of Belgium|National Congress]] that issued a new Liberal Constitution and declared the new state a [[Constitutional Monarchy]], under the House of [[Saxe-Coburg]]. Flanders now became part of the Kingdom of Belgium, which was recognized by the major European Powers on 20 January 1831. The cessation was recognized by the [[United Kingdom of the Netherlands]] on 19 April 1839.