United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||
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| 1815–1839 | |||||||||||||||||
| Motto: Je maintiendrai ("I will uphold") | |||||||||||||||||
| Anthem: Wien Neêrlands Bloed ("Those in whom Dutch blood") | |||||||||||||||||
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| Capital and largest city | Amsterdam 52°22′N 4°53′E / 52.367°N 4.883°E | ||||||||||||||||
| Government seat | The Hague | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Dutch (official) and French (official in Wallonia) Frisian languages, Limburgish, Dutch Low Saxon, Northwestern Yiddish, Northern Romani | ||||||||||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Dutch | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||||||||
| King | |||||||||||||||||
• 1815–1839 | William I | ||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | States General | ||||||||||||||||
| Senate | |||||||||||||||||
| House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Concert of Europe | ||||||||||||||||
• Constitution adopted | 24 August 1815 | ||||||||||||||||
| 25 August 1830 | |||||||||||||||||
| 19 April 1839 | |||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||
• Total | 68,095 km2 (26,292 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||||||
• 1817 | 5,563,119 | ||||||||||||||||
| Currency | Dutch guilder | ||||||||||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||||||||||
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The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories that had belonged to the former Dutch Republic, Austrian Netherlands, and Prince-Bishopric of Liège in order to form a buffer state between the major European powers. The polity was a constitutional monarchy, ruled by William I of the House of Orange-Nassau.
The polity collapsed in 1830 with the outbreak of the Belgian Revolution. With the de facto secession of Belgium, the Netherlands was left as a rump state and refused to recognise Belgian independence until 1839 when the Treaty of London was signed, fixing the border between the two states and guaranteeing Belgian independence and neutrality as the Kingdom of Belgium. Today, the Netherlands and Belgium are still kingdoms and Luxembourg is still a grand duchy and the only surviving grand duchy in the world.
In Romance languages, this state is referred to names derived from the Latin name for the Low Countries, "Belgica". After the Belgian Revolution, the now independent Belgium was called these former names and the Netherlands were now literally referred to as "Low Countries" (les Pays-Bas, Paises Bajos etc.)