This presentation by Mathieu Willemsen was given on November 12, 2025, as part of the lecture series organized around the exhibition “Luxemburger Bundeskntingent. Militär und Gesellschaft im 19. Jahrhundert.”
In 1815, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was created from the merger of the Dutch Republic and present-day Belgium, with William I as king and grand duke of Luxembourg. This new state was intended to serve as a buffer between European powers to maintain the continental balance. It brought together territories with distinct histories, all marked by Napoleonic occupation. The lecture will discuss the rapid reconstruction of the Dutch army under William I, focusing on the period 1815–1840, particularly the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and its impact on Dutch forces. The normalization of relations in 1839 ushered in a century of military peace.
