Dumb Girl of Brussels, or a Romantic Revolution
The kingdom of Netherlands was artificially created by the Vienna Congress on teritories of the former Republic of Netherlands. By 1815, it consisted of two completely different countries: the rich, progressive, commercial and Protestant northern Netherlands and poor, backwarded, rural and working class, Catholic southern Netherlands. As you might have guessed, the two parts of the country liked each other just as a worker may like his boss. Initially the Vienna order seemed invulnerable and unchangeable, but the succesful French July Revolution increased high hopes of Belgian people.
On August 25, 1830 at the Opera in Brussels they play a new opera by Georges Auber, "Dumb Girl of Portici" (story about an anti-Spanish uprising in Naples). There is a passage in the libretto saying: "a slave knows no danger, as death is better than living in chains". The specators applause and runs out of the theatre, carrying revolutionary slogans. The pedestrians join them in destroying symbols of Dutch authorities. They capture the city with almost no resistance. If you don't believe, that a night at the opera might cause a revolution, don't forget that this was a period of Romanticism... and it's out of topic, but I can tell you, that an opera caused also serious riots in Poland in March of 1968...
As usual, the richest part of Belgian society is scared by popular uprising and calls the Dutch king to action. The king is reluctant in action, as he still cannot believe in what happened. On September, 23 his army unsuccesfully tries to capture Brussels, but it's defeated in blood. The situation is at least clear now: the day after a provisional government is formed in Brussels.
In November a National Congress assemblies in Brussels and proclaims independence. The Holy Alliance powers initially intend to restore the Vienna order in Belgium, but their most powerful ally - Russia - is currently involved in crushing Polish uprising. Thus we, Poles, might claim to create independent Belgium (hey, Belgians, ever heard of this?). Finally European superpowers agree with Belgian independence, accepting prince Leopold von Sachsen-Cobourg as its king.
Initially Belgian state was created only by French-speaking Vallons. They were discriminated in Netherlands, but soon they begun to discriminate in the same way the Flemish (close to Dutch) speaking minority in Belgium. Over a hundred years later this has led into a major conflict, rendering today's Belgium one of the most corrupted and internally rotten countries of Europe.