“Antwerpen is stad en de rest is parking.” A popular phrase saying “Antwerp is city and the rest is parking area” originated in the 1970s or 1980s when Antwerp experienced some cityscape changing urban development. But what if Antwerp actually did run the that parking lot? In 1830, a French plan invented the Free State of Antwerp, which embodied Antwerp and its vicinity, and large parts of the current provinces of East Flanders and West Flanders. 

Nonsense? It was part of the so-called Flahaut partition plan for Belgium. I encountered this anecdote on YouTube. 

Partition of Belgium 

This was a proposal developed in 1830 at the London Conference of 1830 by the French ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, Charles de Flahaut, to partition Belgium. The proposal was immediately rejected by the French Foreign Ministry upon prince Charles Maurice de Talleyrand‘s insistence.

The Major Powers didn’t know what to do whit this new country, Belgium. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the had created the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as a buffer against France. 

In early November 1830, the National Congress of Belgium voted to adopt a monarchy. Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours, the son of Louis-Philippe I of France emerged as a popular candidate for the throne, however Louis-Philippe rejected the candidacy after being urged to do so by Talleyrand. 

While placing the duke on the Belgian throne would have benefited France, Talleyrand argued that such a decision would offend the British and displace the balance of power in Europe.

Plan

The Belgians outright refused to consider a candidate from the Dutch House of Nassau. In lieu of the stalemate, French diplomat Charles de Flahaut (a son of Talleyrand) proposed partitioning Belgium. Belgium was to be split between the Netherlands, France and Prussia, with the largest part going to France. 

The United Kingdom on the other hand was to receive the city of Antwerp along with its port. 

Great Britain was seen as likely to accept receiving this seemingly small possession as Antwerp was the largest port located close to the British Isles in the continent which made it an ideal staging point for any power planning an invasion of Britain.

Talleyrand was briefly tempted by the prospect of partitioning Belgium, but changed his mind. The veteran diplomat argued that providing Britain with a base on the continent after France fought numerous wars to prevent such an event was unacceptable. 

The creation of a direct border with the Kingdom of Prussia was likewise seen as problematic. Talleyrand ordered Flahaut to carry a letter outlining his objections to the proposal to the French Foreign Minister Horace Sébastiani de La Porta. 

Would the UK have wanted a base on the continent? Perhaps not. Having to defend a small territory between two large powers is costly. Having the best navy is better. 

Election of a king

The Belgian Congress set 28 January 1831 as the final date for the election of the new king. 

The popularity of Auguste, Duke of Leuchtenberg, a Bonapartist candidate prompted Flahaut to resurrect his plan. Flahaut argued that in the case of the election of Leuchtenberg or any other candidate deemed unacceptable by France, partition would be the only available option. 

On 3 February, the Belgians offered the crown to the Duke of Nemours. On 7 February, the powers issued an official statement refusing to recognise any election that would grant Leuchtenberg the throne. 

On 17 February, Louis Philippe formally renounced his dynasty’s claim to the Belgian throne. 

Then prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg emerged as a candidate. On 4 June, the Belgian Congress elected Leopold as the King of the Belgians with the support of the conference.

Alternatives

I asked the question to Chat GPT. In English, the AI says: “The Free State of Antwerp was a short-lived self-proclaimed state that existed in Antwerp, Belgium, during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. At that time, Belgium was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been established after the defeat of Napoleon.”

“In August 1830, a group of Belgian revolutionaries in Brussels declared independence from the Netherlands, sparking a wider revolution across the country. The city of Antwerp played a key role in the revolution, with its residents organizing militias to fight against the Dutch troops.”

“On 26 October 1830, the people of Antwerp proclaimed the Free State of Antwerp, an independent state separate from both Belgium and the Netherlands. The state was short-lived, lasting only a few weeks, as Dutch troops retook the city on 15 November 1830.”

“The Free State of Antwerp is significant because it represents the desire of the people of Antwerp to assert their independence and self-determination during a turbulent period of Belgian history. It also illustrates the challenges of nation-building and the tensions between regional and national identities.”

I also asked the question in Dutch. There the software says it was an initiative of the city government at the beginning of World War I. On 28 September 1914, it declared itself a Free State as o provocation towards the German invader.