The truth behind Belgium's National Day

Belgium's National Day does not commemorate the day where she declared independence from the Netherlands in 1830. BELGIUM – Many people, including Belgium's leading politicians, can't remember exactly why 21 July is our National Day. In 2007, the then Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was only able to answer after several minutes of deep reflection. However, he did better than the present federal PM Yves Leterme (and Walloon PM Rudy Demotte who did not have the answers to the question. While Belgium may have gained independence when she broke away from the Netherlands in 1830, the celebration of Belgium’s National Day stems from 1832. In February 1831, the National Congress adopted a constitution which, at that time, was considered as progressive. It was on 21 July 1831 that Leopold of Saxe-Coburg swore allegiance to the Belgian... [read full story]