The Revolutions of 1830 constituted major changes across the European continent with a regime change in France and the birth of a new nation with Belgium.
France - July Revolution
After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the old guard of European nations (Britain, Russia, Austria, and France) sought to weaken republican forces in their respective nations. To achieve its conservative goals, the Great Powers formed the Congress of Vienna to solve various that arose from the Napoleonic wars. The Congress shifted various territories to achieve a balance of power among the nations to avoid future conflict. The issue with the Congress is that territories were shifted from one nation to another without recognizing the nationalistic tendencies with certain regions that would later inspire various revolutions.
Previously, France restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the throne with Louis XVIII in the 1814 Treaty of Paris. Tensions rose among the upper middle class after the ascension of Charles X in 1824 as King of France. After various members of the Chamber of Deputies disagreed with Charles X's policies, the monarch dissolve the Chamber and called for new elections. The plan backfired as the new elections showed stronger support for members in the Chamber rather than Charles. Charles X responded to further opposition by issuing the July Ordinances. The four ordinances dissolved the newly elected Chamber before it met, censored the press, issued restrictions on voting that harmed the upper middle class while increasing the power of the old aristocracy and called for new elections using the new voting rules. Another revolution broke out as a result of the King's disagreement with the upper middle class.
The republicans sought to overthrow Charles X and establish a democratic republic while the upper middle class liberals sought to have a constitutional monarchy with a favorable king. The American and French Revolutionary war hero Marquis de Lafayette presented a compromise to the various factions by presenting the Duke of Orleans. The Duke fought with the Republican army during the 1789 French Revolution and thus gained support from the nation's republicans. The Chamber of Deputies offered him the throne which he accepted as a constitutional monarch with the name Louis Philippe. The aftermath of the revolution saw a shift from absolutism to constitutionalism, removing the hereditary qualifications in the Chamber of Peers, and an increased voter population among the upper middle class rather than lower class.
Belgium - An Opera And Revolution
Under the Congress of Vienna, Belgium would join the Dutch Netherlands as a buffer state against France. There were several issues that arose from the arrangement as Belgium was a Catholic heavy region while the Netherlands had strong roots in Protestantism. The July Revolution in France influenced protests to start on August 25, 1830 that grew after a performance of the opera The Mute Girl of Portici. The opera had heavy nationalist themes that influenced many in attendance to join those rioting into a full uprising. A national assembly known as the National Congress of Belgium was formed and created a constitution for the new nation in hopes of gaining recognition from the foreign powers.
The Great Powers in Europe feared an independent Belgium could cause further revolutions and may inspire many French republicans to have Louis Philippe annex Belgium. However, the Great Powers did not interfere as many issues persisted internally among the nations. Without obstacles, Belgium nominated German prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg who accepted the offer under the name Leopold I.
