Talleyrand partition plan for Belgium

The Talleyrand partition plan for Belgium was a proposal developed in 1830 by the then-French ambassador to Great Britain, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, to partition Belgium on ethnic and regional lines. The proposal was part of intensive negotiations between major European nations over the future of Belgium after the Belgian revolution and increased demands for independence.

Background

Despite increasing popular demands for independence, major European powers were divided over the future of Belgium; France was in favor of the secession of territories inhabited by French-speaking Belgians, largely in hope of annexing those territories. Other European nations opposed the French demand, supporting the continued union of the Netherlands, which had been proclaimed at the Congress of Vienna under British pressure. A popular revolution against the appointed Dutch ruler overthrew the regime and arrangements made at the Congress of Vienna. While Belgians formed an independent, provisional government in Brussels, major European powers were forced to consider alternative plans to contain Belgian nationalists and preserve its artificial union with the Netherlands.

Plan

In lieu of the stalemate, Talleyrand proposed partitioning Southern Netherlands:

*The province of Antwerp - except the city of Antwerp itself - and the province of Limburg, west of the Meuse river - except Maastricht - would remain to the Netherlands, as was a small part of the province of Brabant, the former Oranje Lordship of Diest,
*The parts of the provinces of Liège, of Limburg and of Namur east of the Meuse river as well as the cities of Maastricht and Liège and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg would go to Prussia,
*Part of the province of East Flanders, nearly all of the province of Brabant, the province of Hainaut and the province of Namur west of the Meuse would be assigned to France,
*West Flanders, most of East Flanders, including Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, and the city of Antwerp were to form the Free State of Antwerp, under British protection. It would have been more or less a restored County of Flanders at the river Scheldt.

Consequences

The Talleyrand plan was rejected by European powers, who ultimately approved a unified and independent Belgian state. However, the Talleyrand plan was one of several ideas exploring the concept of partitioning Belgium, which is considered by some as simply a "buffer state" between France and other European nations; modern proposals include the specific separation of the areas inhabited mainly by French-speakers (Walloons) from those inhabited mainly by (Flemish) Dutch-speakers.

References

* [http://www.bookrags.com/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord Talleyrand biography]
* [http://www.talleyrand.be/neutrality_of_belgium.htm Belgium neutrality]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2170606,00.html Belgium? Something that does not exist]