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Duchy of Limburg | |||||||||
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| 1839–1919 | |||||||||
| Anthem: Où dans le bois d' chênes verdoyants (French) ("Where in the bronze-green oak forest") | |||||||||
.png) Duchy of Limburg (2) within the Low Countries in 1839. | |||||||||
| Status |
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| Capital | Maastricht | ||||||||
| Common languages | French (Governmental), Limburgish (unofficial) | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||||||
| Duke | |||||||||
• 1839–1846 | Jean François Hennequin I | ||||||||
• 1846–1868 | Victor I | ||||||||
• 1868–1896 | Jeanne I | ||||||||
• 1896–1919 | Cécille I | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 19 April 1839 | |||||||||
| 28 June 1919 | |||||||||
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The Duchy of Limburg (Dutch: Hertogdom Limburg) was created in 1839 from parts of the Dutch Province of Limburg as a result of the Treaty of London. Its territory was eastern half of the former province and current Limburgse Staot, and it is generally considered a direct predecessor state of the latter.
History
[edit]Establishment
[edit]The Duchy of Limburg was established following the upheaval of the Belgian Revolution in 1830, which led to Belgium's independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The former Province of Limburg had joined the upheaval on the Belgian side, although the cities of Maastricht and Venlo remained in the hands of the Dutch army. This stalemate lasted until their liberation at the hands of the French incursion as a reaction to the Ten day campaign in 1831.
The revolt prompted a peace settlement in 1839 in which the Dutch king ceded the western half of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Belgium. Consequently, the German Confederation required compensation for the loss of part of its member state, leading to the creation of the Duchy of Limburg from the eastern part of the former Province of Limburg. Although a personal union with the King of Belgium was proposed, it was ultimately rejected by the major powers, except for France. Jean-Francois Hennequin, the francophone mayor of Maastricht, was subsequently appointed as the first Duke of Limburg.
Later History
[edit]The Seven Weeks' War between Austria and Prussia in 1866 led to the collapse of the German Confederation. While many former member states subsequently joined the North German Confederation which eventually became the German Empire, both Limburg and Luxembourg maintained their independence. During this period, the duchy also began closening ties with and guaranteeing the independence of Neutral Moresnet, with which it shares a border.
The Duchy's language at this time is still French (with Walloon influences) as a legal and governmental language with Limburgish as the common language. 'Où dans le bois d' chênes verdoyants' was commissioned by Duchess Cécille I as a national anthem specific to Limburg. It was only much later translated into Dutch, German and Limburgish.
The Great War and Dissolution of the Duchy
[edit]The First World War saw what many consider the duchy's darkest moment. Dubbed 'D'n Aafgank' (a portmandeau for the Limburgish words for 'embarrassement' and for 'coming down/through'), Duchess Cécille I declared that, in order to maintain neutrality, all combatant armies were allowed to traverse Limburg on the condition no fighting took place on its soil. In reality, this was mostly to the benefit of the German forces who stood primed to invade Belgium, and was afterwards regarded as a form of direct collaboration.
The end of the war brought with it an acceleration of the Flemish movement and with it a collapse of the Kingdom of Belgium. This concerned the great powers attendant at the Paris Conference much, as the partition into Flanders and Wallonia left the Belgian province of Limburg unaccounted for. Calls for unification with its eastern half were abound, but the powers wished to punish the Duchy, not reward it. The solution was found in apportioning the blame fully to the Ducal house personally. Duchess Cécille was forced the abdicate, transforming the Duchy into a republic while allowing unification with its western half. The new Limburgse Staot held parliament in Maaseik, a small muncipality on the banks of the river Meusse, the former border between the two Limburgs. Institutional weaknesses and unpopularity gave rise to the Staot's nickname 'Meseik Republiek'.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- History of Limburg during the German Confederation Website of the History of the Netherlands by historian Dr. J. W. Swaen.
- Edmundson, George (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). pp. 691–692.
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50°37′N 5°56′E / 50.617°N 5.933°E