Prologue: 1835
The Interbellum Years: 1815-1835
The Netherlands had suffered much in the way of Prestige during the Napoleonic Wars. The Batavian Republic, and it's successor the Kingdom of Holland had been vassals of Napoleonic France, a stark contrast to the golden days of the 1600's when The Netherlands was the toast of Europe.
Willem I The man charged with rebuilding post-war Holland
During the Congress of Wien, The Netherlands was transformed from a Republic to a Monarchy, with Willem, son of the fifth Prince of Orange crowned it's first king. Many conservatives in Holland saw him as a good omen that the days of Prince Willem III were returning.
Willem set out to restore The Netherlands from the get go, initiating many economic reforms in the south. Industry and commerce flourished under his twenty year reign, giving him the nickname
The Merchant King.
Willem built many canals in the south to aid Industrial growth
Willem also greatly improved the welfare of his subjects, investing heavily in education, religion, science and the arts. Under his reign the Metric System was introduced, and Dutch was established as the
lingua franca of the empire, leading to a silver age of Dutch-language literature and poetry.
Despite the economical prosperity in the south, Willem's pro-Dutch, pro-Calvinist policies were treated with hostility by the largely catholic, french-speaking south, and in 1830 a large scale revolt began, leading to the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831.
A romantic painting depicting the Belgian revolt
Although the rebellion had been successful, Willem refused to accept Belgian independence. His son and heir, Willem, Prince of Orange (VI) was sympathetic towards the Belgians and, with the backing of the Belgians, British and French led a campaign for The Netherlands to ratify the Treaty of London.
Willem, Prince of Orange (VI) rode the breadth of The Netherlands on horseback drumming up support for the Treaty of London
The Assassination of Willem, Prince of Orange (VI):
In late September 1835, The Prince of Orange embarked on an official visit to Brussels with his wife and young son. Although he had led the loyalist forces against the rebels only five years earlier, his support for Belgian independence and the treaty of London was well known, making him very popular in Belgium. Many hoped that as heir to the Dutch throne, his reign would bring about a lasting peace between Belgium and The Netherlands, and with an aging king on the Dutch throne many in Belgium believed this would happen sooner rather than later...
Willem looked out of the window of his carriage, he saw thousands of Belgians smiling and cheering, waving Belgian flags alongside the Prinsenvlag He was expecting a large crowd, but he didn't know he was this popular. He beamed, he had good news to tell them.
Willem's brother, Prince Frederik was also present. He was riding behind the carriage as part of the military attache guarding the Prince. He was very much his mother's child and spent most of his life in neighbouring Prussia. Unlike his brother, he agreed with his father on many issues including the "Belgian question" and it was only on the insistence of his father that he agreed to join his brother on his diplomatic mission. He did not want to be here, he found it insulting that he, a Dutch Prince, should have to meet with this "King" of Belgium when the only real king of Belgium was his father. His contempt was kept hidden by his stern facade as he trotted along behind the carriage
The carriage was approaching the palace, King Leopold was waiting eagerly outside. He wanted to be the first to shake the young prince's hand, he knew what was coming and why the prince was here. He couldn't wait for the proclamation.
The carriage approached the palace steps, Willem ordered it to halt, and he opened the door, his happiness showed all over his face, he smiled and waved to the large crowd of jubilant Belgians. Leopold was waiting on the top of the palace steps, he waved to Willem and Willem to he, as Willem gestured for his wife and young son to exit the carriage.
At that precise moment a young man, clad in black moved towards the front of the crowd, he was Flemish, a student of Dutch literature at the local university, and a passionate unionist. The young man opened his coat, inside his left breast pocket was a bomb, his right was a pistol, he yelled out at the top of his lungs in Flemish "Death to Belgium!" and threw the bomb at the Prince's carriage, it's fuse was short, there was no time for the prince to react, the bomb exploded with a loud bang. Frederik's horse reeled, Leopold shielded his eyes, the crowed shrieked with horror. The Prince of Orange was dead.
The assassin fled, but was attacked by the angry crowd, Leopold ran down the palace steps, he drew his ceremonial sabre. Frederik dismounted with all haste and drew his pistol, he fired at the assassin but the crowd was too dense, he hit a peasant instead. The assassin wrestled with the crowd, he drew his pistol and fired at Leopold, he missed. Leopold charged, he slashed at the assassin with his sabre, cutting off his right arm, he stabbed him in the heart, his eyes full of rage, he knew this nameless man had just ruined his country's chance for peace.
Frederik ran towards his dead brothers body, and embraced him. In his late brother's jacket he saw a letter, he took it and hid it in his own jacket before anyone else could see it. He turned to Leopold and the crowd, Leopold saw the look of despair in Frederik's eyes. He asked whether The Prince of Orange was dead, but he already knew the answer, it was written all over Frederik's face.
Frederik and the Dutch attache returned to the Dutch Embassy, clearly shaken by what had happened. When he was alone in his room, he opened the letter he found with Willem, it was from his father, who had agreed to ratify the Treaty of London. He tore it up with rage and threw the pieces into a nearby fireplace. HE was the Prince of Orange now, not his brother and there would be no peace with Belgium as far as he was concerned...
Willem I was distraught by the news when he received it the following day, as was the people of both The Netherlands and Belgium. His health quickly deteriorated and by October he grew increasingly unfit to govern. His ministers advised him to abdicate, as did his son, which he did on October the 29th. On November 1st his son Frederik was crowned King of the Netherlands in a lavish ceremony in Amsterdam.
Willem exiled himself to Gronigen, where he committed suicide only two weeks into Frederik's reign, he was given a state funeral as lavish as his son's coronation. Attending his late father's funeral was Frederik's first duty as monarch.
Frederik I of The Netherlands, the man who would expand and continue his father's legacy