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WILLIAM FREDERICK I. (NETHERLANDS). 



WILLIAM OF NEWBURY. 



Bay of Algiers, and compelled the dey to conclude a treaty, by one 

 article of which all Christian slaves were to be restored to liberty. 



In the interior of the kingdom a want of harmony between the 

 inhabitants manifested itself on several occasions, which, but for the 

 moderation and firmness of the kin?, might even then have led to 

 serious dissensions. The unbounded influence of the Roman Catholic 

 clergy, even over the higher classes in Belgium ; the mutual aversion 

 of the Belgians and the Dutch, and the dissatisfaction of the latter 

 with the long residence of the court at Brussels; divisions in the 

 northern provinces between the friends of the old republican system 

 and those of the new or monarchical system all tended to produce 

 discontent, which was kept within bounds only by confidence in the 

 character of the king, and the mild conciliatory principles of his 

 government. In the foreign relations the government, in the main, 

 followed the British system. The marriage of the Prince of Orange 

 to the Grand-Duchess Anne of Russia improved the connection with 

 that empire, but subsequently weakened the interest taken by England 

 in the affairs of the Netherlands. Some differences had arisen with 

 Prussia, with which kingdom a closer union was however caused by 

 the marriage of Prince Frederick to the Princess Louisa, daughter of 

 the King of Prussia, on the 21st of May 1825. 



The union with Holland and various commercial treaties with 

 foreign powers had given an extraordinary impulse to the manu- 

 factures and commerce of Belgium, especially of the cities of Antwerp 

 and Ghent ; but the government could not succeed in blending the 

 Dutch and Belgians into one nation. Their mutual aversion was 

 manifested with great acrimony in the church, in the army, and even 

 in the assemblies of the States -general. The intolerance of the Roman 

 Catholic clergy, encouraged by the pope, who even excommunicated 

 the Jansenist bishops of Utrecht, Haarlem, and Deventer, who had 

 taken the oath of allegiance to the king, and the prohibition of the 

 French language in all judicial proceedings, created great irritation in 

 the southern provinces (so that it was found necessary to modify it in 

 several points) ; and besides these important differences respecting 

 religion and language, there were several financial points in which the 

 interests of the northern aud southern provinces clashed ; and which, 

 notwithstanding several very beneficial measures, could not hinder the 

 final separation of the two parts of the kingdom. 



The union of Belgium and Holland had subsisted for fifteen years. 

 The July revolution of 1830 iu France revived the old mutinous pride 

 of the Belgian cities, and a rising of the populace in Brussels, on the 

 25th of August 1830, commenced the revolution which separated the 

 northern and the southern provinces. In consequence of a second 

 insurrection in Brussels, on the 20th and 26th of September, conflicts 

 arose between the 6000 troops, commanded by Prince Frederick, and 

 the armed insurgents, commanded by foreign officers, which ended in 

 the retreat of the Dutch. Meantime the king, yielding to the desire 

 of a Belgian deputation of the 30th of August, had assembled the 

 States-general at the Hague on the 13th of September to discuss with 

 them the question of a separate administration, and an alteration of 

 the fundamental law. The two chambers were in favour of it, but the 

 insurgents contended for a total separation, which already existed in 

 fact, when the five powers, Great Britain, France, Austria, Russia, 

 and Prussia, imposed a cessation of arms on both nations, and by the 

 protocol of the 4th of November 1830 recognised the independence 

 of Belgium. King William protested, on the 12th of July 1831, 

 against the eighteen articles presented by the great powers, particu- 

 larly against that which proclaims the freedom of the Scheld. 

 Holland, with enthusiasm, resolved to have recourse to arms. On 

 the 2nd of August the Prince of Orange, at the head of 70,000 men, 

 crossed the Belgian frontier ; Turnhout and other places were taken ; 

 one Belgian army was defeated near Hasselt on the 8th of August, and 

 again near Louvain on the 10th ; but a French army advanced by 

 forced marches, and the English and French ambassadors at the court 

 of Brussels negociated an armistice, according to which the Prince of 

 Orange evacuated Louvain on the 14th, and his army retired to its 

 position before the war. A treaty iu twenty-four articles was then 

 proposed by the London Conference, which was acceded to by Belgium, 

 but rejected by King William. Russia, Prussia, and Austria likewise 

 wished some articles unfavourable to Holland to be modified, bufc 

 France and England had recourse to measures of coercion. England 

 blockaded the coast of Holland, an embargo was laid on the Dutch 

 ships, and the citadel of Antwerp was taken on the 24th of December 

 1832, after a memorable siege by a French army of 70,000 men. This 

 did not immediately lead to peace between Holland and Belgium, 

 but a suspension of arms was effected on the 21st of May 1833. 



The London Conference resumed its difficult task ; many important 

 questions remained to be settled : a wearisome series of protocols 

 ensued ; William did his utmost to delay the conclusion of these nego- 

 ciations, in hopes of some turn in his favour, and hostilities between 

 Holland and Belgium were on the eve of recommencing at the end of 

 1838, and were prevented only by the remonstrances of the Conference. 

 At length, induced chiefly by his financial embarrassments, William 

 gave way, and, on the 4th of February 1839, signed the twenty-seven 

 articles, modified to his disadvantage ; and the definitive treaty was 

 concluded on the 19th of April 1839, by the plenipotentiaries of the 

 Netherlands and Belgium, and of the five great powers. 



But though Holland was now wholly separated from Belgium, there 



was great excitement in the Dutch Chambers in 1839. They hoped 

 for favourable financial laws and judicious reforms ; instead of which 

 proposals were laid before them for a loan of fifty-six million/ of 

 norms. The loan was rejected on the 20th of December, and the 

 budget on the 23rd ; a loan of only six millions was granted, and the 

 budget voted for six months only. At the next meeting of the States- 

 General, in March 1840, the king caused several modified projects of 

 law to be laid before them ; in consequence of which the civil list was 

 fixed at one million and a half of florins ; and it was resolved to vote 

 the budget for two years only instead of ten as hitherto. But not- 

 withstanding this endeavour of the government to satisfy the people, 

 the discontent with the king and the ministers increased. The king's 

 passion for the 'Countess Henrietta d'Oultremont, a Roman Catholic 

 lady, excited the general indignation of the people, so that he declared 

 on the 25th of March 1840, that he renounced his projected union 

 with her. This affair, and the discovery of an extensive conspiracy in 

 Belgium, in which the Dutch appeared to be concerned, and finally 

 the financial difficulties of the state, induced the king solemnly to 

 resign the government on the 7th of October, 1840, into the hands of 

 his son William II. Under the name of Count of Nassau, with an im- 

 mense private fortune, he fixed his residence at Berlin, where, on the 

 17th of February 1841, he married the Countess d'Oultremont, and 

 died on the 7th of November 1843. His left his large property to 

 his family, besides a gift of ten millions of florins to the Dutch 

 treasury. 



WILLIAM II. (FREDERICK GEORGE LOUIS), King of the 

 Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxemburg, was born on December 6, 

 1792, and under the care of his father was educated in the military 

 academy at Berlin, completing his education in the university of 

 Oxford, where he showed much talent. He entered the military 

 service early, serving his first campaign with the English army in 

 Spain, and in 1811 accepted the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the 

 Spanish service. His courage and activity procured him the esteem of 

 the Duke of Wellington, who made him his aide-de-camp. At the 

 siege of Ciudad Rodrigo he was among the foremost in the storming 

 party, and at that of Badajoz he entered at the head of an English 

 column, whose retreat he had checked. He also distinguished himself 

 at the battle of Salamanca, and on other occasions, for which he was 

 promoted to be aide-de-camp to the king of Great Britain. When in 

 1814 his father was restored to his kingdom, the Belgians received him 

 gladly as their future sovereign. In 1815 he commanded the army 

 of the Netherlands, and displayed bravery and military skill in the 

 battle of Quatre Bras, and in that of Waterloo, at which he headed 

 his troops, and was wounded in the shoulder. On his recovery he 

 attended the Congress in Paris, and here was made the proposal of 

 his union with the Princess Charlotte of England, which however failed, 

 because, it is said, the prince was unwilling to become an English 

 subject only, even if the first; and he shortly afterwards married 

 Anna Paulowna, the sister of the emperor Alexander of Russia. On the 

 breaking out of the revolution in Belgium in 1830, he repaired first to 

 Antwerp and then to Brussels, where his appearance made a great 

 impression. But his endeavours at a reconciliation failed, and at 

 length, overstepping his commission, on October 16 he recognised the 

 independence of Belgium, for which his father immediately cashiered 

 him, and he withdrew to England, whither he brought his two eldest 

 sons to be educated. In the following year however he was recalled to 

 the command of the army of Holland in the short war against Belgium, 

 in which he was at first victorious, but was at length compelled 

 to retreat by the armed intervention of France. He was then appointed 

 to the command of the army of observation on the Belgian frontier. 

 On the resignation of his father, on October 7, 1840, he succeeded to 

 the government, in which he showed great regard to economy, and a 

 desire to promote financial improvements, but opposed all constitu- 

 tional reforms. On the breaking out of the revolutionary storm, 

 which spread so widely through Europe in 1848, he was forced to con- 

 sent to extensive changes, which pro*bably might have been avoided 

 by smaller conceagions made earlier. He did not however live long to 

 witness the effect of the alterations, as he died on March 17, 1849. 



* WILLIAM III. (ALEXANDER PAUL FREDERICK LOUIS), 

 the son of the preceding, the present king of the Netherlands, was 

 born on February 19, 1817. On his accession to the throne he found 

 himself involved in difficulties from the political party excitement 

 then existing. He chose a ministry from what was called the liberal 

 opposition, and as far as possible promoted economy in the finances. 

 When the pretensions of the popish party had produced a great 

 agitation in 1853, and became so strong as to compel a liberal ministry 

 to resign, because not sufficiently vigorous in their measures against 

 Roman Catholicism, the iing wisely confined himself within the 

 limits of the constitution. He changed his ministry in compliance 

 with the desire of the representatives; and a short time brought 

 calmer feelings and renewed peace. William married a daughter of 

 the king of Wiirtemberg in 1839, and has several children. 

 WILLIAM of MALMESBURY. [MALMESBURY, WILLIAM OF.] 

 WILLIAM of NEWBURY (in Latin, Gulielmus Neubrigensis) is 

 said to have been born at Bridlington, in 1136, aud to have been 

 properly called William Little, whence he sometimes designates 

 himself Parvus, or Petit. His common name he derived from the 

 monastery of Newbury in Yorkshire, of which he was a member. 



