Editing William I of the Netherlands (section)

===Principal changes===
The [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] was divided into two chambers. The ''Eerste Kamer'' (First Chamber or Senate or House of Lords) was appointed by the king. The ''Tweede Kamer'' (Second Chamber or House of Representatives or House of Commons) was elected by the Provincial States, which were in turn chosen by [[census suffrage]]. The 110 seats were divided equally between the north and the south, although the population of the north (2 million) was significantly less than that of the south (3.5 million). The States General's primary function was to approve the king's laws and decrees. The [[Constitution of the Netherlands|constitution]] contained many present-day Dutch political institutions; however, their functions and composition have changed greatly over the years.

The constitution was accepted in the north, but not in the south. The under-representation of the south was one of the causes of the Belgian Revolution. Referendum turnout was low, in the southern provinces, but William interpreted all abstentions to be ''yes'' votes. He prepared a lavish inauguration for himself in [[Brussels]], where he gave the people copper coins (leading to his first nickname, ''the Copper King'').
[[File:De plechtige installatie van de Universiteit van Gent door de prins van Oranje in de troonzaal van het stadhuis op 9 oktober 1817. Rijksmuseum SK-A-4088.jpeg|thumb|Establishment of the [[State University of Ghent]] in 1817]]
The spearhead of King William's policies was economic progress. As he founded many trade institutions, his second nickname was ''the King-Merchant''. In 1822, he founded the [[Société Générale de Belgique|Algemeene Nederlandsche Maatschappij ter Begunstiging van de Volksvlijt]], which would become one of the most important institutions of Belgium after its independence. Industry flourished, especially in the South. In 1817, he also founded three universities in the southern provinces, such as a new [[Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968)|University of Leuven]], the [[University of Ghent]] and the [[University of Liège]]. The northern provinces, meanwhile, were the centre of trade. This, in combination with the colonies ([[Dutch East Indies]], [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Surinam]], [[Curaçao and Dependencies]], and the [[Dutch Gold Coast]]) created great wealth for the kingdom. However, the money flowed into the hands of Dutch directors. Only a few Belgians managed to profit from the economic growth. Feelings of economic inequity were another cause of the Belgian uprising.

William was also determined to create a unified people, even though the north and the south had drifted far apart culturally and economically since the south was reconquered by Spain after the [[Act of Abjuration]] of 1581. The north was commercial, Protestant and entirely Dutch-speaking; the south was industrial, [[Roman Catholic]] and divided between Dutch and French-speakers.

Officially, a [[separation of church and state]] existed in the kingdom. However, William himself was a strong supporter of the [[Dutch Reformed Church|Reformed Church]]. This led to resentment among the people in the mostly Catholic south. William had also devised controversial language and school policies. Dutch was imposed as the official language in (the Dutch-speaking region of) [[Flanders]]; this angered French-speaking aristocrats and industrial workers. Schools throughout the kingdom were required to instruct students in the Reformed faith and the Dutch language. Many in the south feared that the king sought to extinguish Catholicism and the French language.