The Kingdom of Belgium


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saxon

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May 4, 2004
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did Belgium used to be a part of The Netherlands?....and if so how did it become a seperate Kingdom, and how did they choose a King?...
 
I've been hearing and reading a little about political problems in Belgium lately, which seem to be potentially quite serious.

What, then, is the position of the Royal Family? If these difficulties are not resolved, is the throne secure, does anyone know?

Thank you.
 
For information on Belgiums recent political troubles please look here.
 
Belgium was united with the Netherlands after the 1814-15 congress of Vienna in order to creat a north-eastern buffer against future French expansion after the Napoleonic period
 
the kingdom of Belgium

Although the politic problems of the last months, the public opinion among the belgians is for remaining an united country. Belgium is a federation with flamand and valon regions, and both have important autonomy from 1994( with the new constitution). The crown have the great responsibility for assurance the people confidence in their country and its institutions, the proud in their history of freedom, a belgian history since 1830.
 
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List of Belgian monarchs

- Saxe-Cobourg et -Gotha (Wettin) dynasty -
21 Jul 1831 - 10 Dec 1865 Léopold I (b. 1790 - d. 1865)
17 Dec 1865 - 17 Dec 1909 Léopold II (b. 1835 - d. 1909)
23 Dec 1909 - 17 Feb 1934 Albert I (b. 1875 - d. 1934)
23 Feb 1934 - 16 Jul 1951 Léopold III (b. 1901 - d. 1983)
20 Sep 1944 - 20 Jul 1950 Charles (regent) (b. 1903 - d. 1983)
11 Aug 1950 - 16 Jul 1951 Baudouin (regent) (b. 1930 - d. 1993)
17 Jul 1951 - 31 Jul 1993 Baudouin (s.a.)
(declared incapacitated at his own request, 4-5 Apr 1990)
9 Aug 1993 - 21 Jul 2013 Albert II (b. 1934)
21 Jul 2013 - Philippe (b. 1960)
 
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I don't think Baudouin should be listed with a regnal number I since there is no King of the Belgians after him with the same regnal name.

That same goes with Philippe.
 
Some kings who are the first of their regnal name (including Juan Carlos I of Spain) list themselves with the regnal number I, but none of the Belgian monarchs (including King Philippe) have been listed with the number I before there was a second monarch with the name.
 
Was it a mere coincidence that Philippe, unlike Laurent, was given a royal name? At the time he was born no one would have expected him to reign as King of the Belgians.
 
Some kings who are the first of their regnal name (including Juan Carlos I of Spain) list themselves with the regnal number I, but none of the Belgian monarchs (including King Philippe) have been listed with the number I before there was a second monarch with the name.

Juan Carlos I is a special case like King Umberto I of Italy and Tsar Paul I of Russia whom all used the ordinal I during their reign.

Was it a mere coincidence that Philippe, unlike Laurent, was given a royal name? At the time he was born no one would have expected him to reign as King of the Belgians.

When Philippe was born on April of 1960, it was his uncle Baudouin's 9th year reign and was set to marry the Spanish aristocrat Fabiola on December of that year.
Having been born to the Prince and Princess of Liège, it was unlikely for him to inherit the throne.
However, as to what you are pointing out, Philippe might be a royal name but only Kings Leopold II and Leopold III has a middle name Philippe. Laurent has a third name Baudouin and Astrid has second name Josephine-Charlotte.
 
Juan Carlos I is a special case like King Umberto I of Italy and Tsar Paul I of Russia whom all used the ordinal I during their reign.

King Luis I used the ordinal I as well and there is speculation that Leonor will reign as Queen Leonor I.

When Philippe was born on April of 1960, it was his uncle Baudouin's 9th year reign and was set to marry the Spanish aristocrat Fabiola on December of that year.
Having been born to the Prince and Princess of Liège, it was unlikely for him to inherit the throne.
However, as to what you are pointing out, Philippe might be a royal name but only Kings Leopold II and Leopold III has a middle name Philippe. Laurent has a third name Baudouin and Astrid has second name Josephine-Charlotte.

True, but as the name of historical Belgian monarchs who reigned as Count of Flanders or Duke of Burgundy, the name of the brother of King Leopold II who in time became his heir, and the name of one of the family's patron saints, it is distinctly more of a Belgian royal name than Laurent's, and I wonder if he was given the name in case of an eventuality.
 
Juan Carlos I is a special case like King Umberto I of Italy and Tsar Paul I of Russia whom all used the ordinal I during their reign.



When Philippe was born on April of 1960, it was his uncle Baudouin's 9th year reign and was set to marry the Spanish aristocrat Fabiola on December of that year.
Having been born to the Prince and Princess of Liège, it was unlikely for him to inherit the throne.


There are rumors that Fabiola's gynaecological problems were actually known before her marriage to King Baudouin and led her to break off a previous engagement to a Spanish nobleman. I don't know if that is true or just malicious gossip, but it is not entirely implausible.
 
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King Luis I used the ordinal I as well and there is speculation that Leonor will reign as Queen Leonor I.

This can be real since Spain has a tradition of following the regnal and ordinal number scheme.

True, but as the name of historical Belgian monarchs who reigned as Count of Flanders or Duke of Burgundy, the name of the brother of King Leopold II who in time became his heir, and the name of one of the family's patron saints, it is distinctly more of a Belgian royal name than Laurent's, and I wonder if he was given the name in case of an eventuality.

Laurent is a French diminutive form of Lorenzo (Spanish, Italian). I was thinking maybe Queen Paola named his second son after her Italian relatives but I couldn't find anything. But needless to say, Laurent is really an unlikely name for a Belgian royal. As for his own children, only Prince Aymeric has an unusual name like his.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde also did not give popular royal names to their sons but did so to their daughters Elisabeth and Eléonore.
 
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There are rumors that Fabiola's gynaecological problems were actually known before her marriage to King Baudouin and led her to break off a previous engagement to a Spanish nobleman. I don't know if that is true or just malicious gossip, but it is not entirely implausible.

I am not certain about this rumor though but what's certain was her five pregnancies ended in miscarriage in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1968.

It should be noted that in 1962, when her second baby ended in miscarriage, she was told by a Swiss Gynecologist that she only has 10 percent chance of carrying a baby to full term, and herself a five percent chance of surviving. That's why the King and Queen made pilgrimages to Assisi and Lourdes.
 
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But would Prince Albert and Princess Paola even have known when Prince Philippe was born that King Baudouin had it in mind to marry Fabiola de Mora? Their engagement was not formally announced until that autumn.
 
There are claims that it was indeed known that Fabiola had medical problems. Apparently it was Pss Lilian who tried to convince the king to change his marital plans for that reason. But Cardinal Suenens told the king that 'God will take care of it'.

Tatiana Maria said:
their engagement was not formally announced until that autumn.

The original engagement announcement was set for July 21st but it was postponed due to difficulties in Belgian Congo. Of course Philippe was born in April. It was said that he was named for the Count of Flanders, father of King Albert I. At the time they certainly would not have known that Philippe would inherit the throne as Baudouin was very much expected to have children. In the interview of Albert II of a few years ago he continues to emphasize what a surprise it was for him to become King.
 
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HRH Prince Charles, Count of Flanders who's Regency last from 1944 until 1950 was possibly the most dangerous era for the Belgian monarchy with the 1950 Referendum on the Monarchy.
 
The middle name of Philippe that King Leopold II had may have been to honor his maternal grandfather, King Louis Philippe I of the French.
 
HRH Prince Charles, Count of Flanders who's Regency last from 1944 until 1950 was possibly the most dangerous era for the Belgian monarchy with the 1950 Referendum on the Monarchy.

Yes, but during his regency happened a lot of social, economical, political and international relations endeavors.

1 Benelux Customs Union Treaty signed in 1944 and was taken into effect in 1948.
2 Belgium became a member state of the UN on December 1945
3 Passage of Women's Suffrage of March 1948.
4 Belgium managed to jump-start its economy under the Marshall plan.

To name a few.

But there's one thing that I would have wanted him to do otherwise;

1 The bequest of The Leuchtenberg Fabergé Tiara to his younger sister Queen Marie José of Italy. (It might have another path if it was left in Belgium.)
 
And he seems to have held the kingdom together for his nephew Baudouin!

Charles is possibly an underrated and largely forgotten figure.
 
Yes, but during his regency happened a lot of social, economical, political and international relations endeavors.

1 Benelux Customs Union Treaty signed in 1944 and was taken into effect in 1948.
2 Belgium became a member state of the UN on December 1945
3 Passage of Women's Suffrage of March 1948.
4 Belgium managed to jump-start its economy under the Marshall plan.

To name a few.

But there's one thing that I would have wanted him to do otherwise;

1 The bequest of The Leuchtenberg Fabergé Tiara to his younger sister Queen Marie José of Italy. (It might have another path if it was left in Belgium.)


King Albert II could have bought back the Fabergé tiara from the Savoys, but he chose to buy a yatch instead. Ironically, the tiara ended up in the United States (a most unlikely place).
 
Was there ever a consideration to have Prince Charles, Count of Flanders become the King?
 
And he seems to have held the kingdom together for his nephew Baudouin! Charles is possibly an underrated and largely forgotten figure.

Charles is definitely an underrated figure. But he's always lowkey like that. Some sources would describe him as someone who's very "reclusive."


King Albert II could have bought back the Fabergé tiara from the Savoys, but he chose to buy a yatch instead. Ironically, the tiara ended up in the United States (a most unlikely place).

This is so sad. The Fabergé tiara is one of the three tiaras that should have stayed in Belgium. Another one is the Queen Maria-José's Beauharnais Pearl Tiara that she took to Italy after her wedding and the Queen Elisabeth's Cartier Bandeau that was given to Lilian and was later sold by Lilian and later reacquired by Cartier.


Was there ever a consideration to have Prince Charles, Count of Flanders become the King?

I doubt he likes the idea to be King as well.

As Leopold was still in German custody, it was decided that they should have a regent. It was declared in 20 September 1944 that Leopold "unable to reign" and his reclusive brother Prince Charles took an oath the next day.
After the war, a referendum happened in March 1950 and Leopold returned to Belgium and instability took place.

Prince Charles retired from public life, cut his contacts with his brother and stayed in Ostend and pursued being an artist under the name "Karel van Vlaanderen." Some years later, he also gave up his stipend from the Belgian government as he no longer participated in any royal activities.

We only can assume that he really didn't like the spotlight and he has other interests other than that of being in power.

Since the return of Leopold won the plebiscite, it's safe to say that national sentiment was with him (technically Prince Charles was just really a proxy in his absence) but it was also quick for them to hate him as he was forced to abdicated a few months later.
 
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Video about the history of the Belgian monarchy:

 
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