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Belgian Royal Escort
The Belgian Royal Escort ( nl, Koninklijk escorte te paard, french: Escorte royale à cheval) is a horse- and motorcycle-mounted unit that accompanies the Belgian monarch on ceremonial occasions. It also provides escorts for foreign visiting heads of state and ambassadors presenting their credentials at the Royal Palace in Brussels. Composition The Royal Escort is not a full-time unit but is brought together on occasions of major ceremony as noted above. It is provided by units of the Federal Police. Prior to the merger of the Gendarmerie and Police, the unit was provided by the Gendarmerie. There are two Royal Escorts: the mounted escort and the motorcycle escort. History The Belgian monarchs have been accompanied by a mounted escort on state occasions since Belgium's independence in 1830. Until 1914 these were provided by detachments drawn from either the ''Marie-Henriette'' squadron of the Civic Guard of Brussels or from the Guides Regiments of the regular cavalry of the Belg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgian Monarchy
Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's head of state. There have been seven kings since independence in 1830. The incumbent, Philippe, ascended the throne on 21 July 2013, following the abdication of his father Albert II. Origins When the Belgians became independent in 1830 the National Congress chose a constitutional monarchy as the form of government. The Congress voted on the question on 22 November 1830, supporting monarchy by 174 votes to 13. In February 1831, the Congress nominated Louis, Duke of Nemours, the son of the French king Louis-Philippe, but international considerations deterred Louis-Philippe from accepting the honor for his son. Following this refusal, the National Congress appointed Erasme-Louis, Baron Surlet de Chokier to be the Regent of Belgium on 25 F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Policing In Belgium
Law enforcement in Belgium is conducted by an integrated police service structured on the federal and local levels, made up of the Federal Police and the Local Police. Both forces are autonomous and subordinate to different authorities, but linked in regard to reciprocal support, recruitment, manpower mobility and common training. In 2001, the Belgian police underwent a fundamental structural reform that created this completely new police system. A Belgian parliamentary report into a series of pedophile murders accused the police of negligence, amateurism and incompetence in investigating the cases. The loss of public confidence in the police was so great that the whole population deemed the reform indispensable. The three former police forces, the municipal police, the national law enforcement service ( ''Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie'') and the judicial police (assigned to the offices of the public prosecutors) gave way to an integrated police service structured on two levels. Fed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgian Gendarmerie
The Gendarmerie ( French) or Rijkswacht (Dutch) was the former national Gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of Belgium. It became a civilian police organisation in 1992, a status it retained until 1 January 2001, when it was, together with the other existing police forces in Belgium, abolished and replaced by the Federal Police and the Local Police. History Etymology The word ''gendarme'' comes from Old French ''gens d'armes'', meaning men-at-arms, whereas the Dutch name, ''rijkswacht'', means ''guard of the realm''. Pre-independence In 1795, the Belgian provinces came under French rule. It was at this time that the Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie was created. This military force had been created a short time before in France itself to replace the '' Marechaussee'' (mounted corps of marshals) of the former monarchy. The legislation which organised the new gendarmerie service in Belgium was a law dated April 17, 1798, which remained in force until 1957. In 1815, the Belgian provinces b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The people of the south were mainly Flemings and Walloons. Both peoples were traditionally Roman Catholic as contrasted with Protestant-dominated (Dutch Reformed) people of the north. Many outspoken liberals regarded King William I's rule as despotic. There were high levels of unemployment and industrial unrest among the working classes. On 25 August 1830, riots erupted in Brussels and shops were looted. Theatregoers who had just watched the nationalistic opera ''La muette de Portici'' joined the mob. Uprisings followed elsewhere in the country. Factories were occupied and machinery destroyed. Order was restored briefly after William committed troops to the Southern Provinces but rioting continued and leadership was taken up by radicals, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garde Civique
The ''Garde Civique'' or ''Burgerwacht'' ( French and Dutch; "Civic Guard") was a Belgian paramilitary militia which existed between 1830 and 1920. Created in October 1830 shortly after the Belgian Revolution, the Guard amalgamated the various militia groups which had been created by the middle classes to protect property during the political uncertainty. Its role was as a quasi-military "gendarmerie", with the primary role of maintaining social order within Belgium. Increasingly anachronistic, it was demobilised in 1914 and officially disbanded in 1920, following a disappointing performance during the German invasion of Belgium in World War I. Organisation The ''Garde'' was organized at a local level, originally in all communes with more than 30,000 inhabitants. Subsequently this "constitutional force" was limited to those towns having a population of 10,000 or more. More thinly populated communities did not have this obligation unless subject to special legislation. It was co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guides Regiment
The 1st Guides Regiment (french: 1e Régiment des Guides, nl, 1e Regiment Gidsen) was an armoured regiment of the Belgian Army. Previously amalgamated with the 1st Regiment Chasseurs à cheval (2004), in 2011 the regiment was amalgamated with 2/4 Regiment of Chasseurs à cheval to form the "Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance (ISTAR) battalion of the Chasseurs à cheval". Cavalry regiment The two historic Guides regiments of the Belgian Army were created respectively in 1833 and 1874. They formed part of the light cavalry and came to correspond to the Guard cavalry of other nations, providing mounted escorts for the monarchy prior to World War I. Both regiments were mechanized in October 1937, subsequently forming armored battalions in the post-war Belgian Army. The mounted tradition survived until 2011 in the form of a pony retained as the regimental mascot, and always named "Colback". Amalgamations The modern regiment was formed in 1994 by the amalga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bearskin
A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Bearskins should not be confused with other types of fur military headdresses, notably the smaller busby. History The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the seventeenth century were frequently trimmed with fur. The practice fell into disuse until the second half of the eighteenth century, when grenadiers in the British, Spanish, and French armies began wearing high fur hats with cloth tops, and, sometimes, ornamental front plates. Imitating their Prussian counterparts, French grenadiers are described as wearing bearskins as early as 1761. The purpose appears to have been to add to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield. During the nineteenth century, the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Police (Belgium)
The Belgian Federal Police ( nl, Federale Politie; french: Police Fédérale; german: Föderale Polizei) is the national police force of the Kingdom of Belgium. It carries out specialized and supra-local administrative and judicial police operations, and supports local police services when needed. Additionally, the Federal Police is responsible for patrolling and ensuring the safety of the country’s highways. The Federal Police has approximately 12,300 officers and civilian personnel. The Federal Police is commanded by General Commissioner (CG) Marc De Mesmaeker, who holds the rank of chief commissioner. He is in charge of the General Commissioner's Office, which comprises three general directorates: the General directorate of the administrative police (DGA), the General directorate of the judicial police (DGJ) and the General directorate of resources and information (DGR). Each general directorate is led by a general director (DG), who also holds the rank of chief commission ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Of Belgium
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or regional governments that are partially self-governing; a union of states * Federal republic, a federation which is a republic * Federalism, a political philosophy * Federalist, a political belief or member of a political grouping * Federalization, implementation of federalism Particular governments *Federal government of the United States **United States federal law **United States federal courts * Government of Argentina * Government of Australia *Government of Pakistan *Federal government of Brazil *Government of Canada *Government of India *Federal government of Mexico * Federal government of Nigeria * Government of Russia *Government of South Africa *Government of Philippines Other *''The Federalist Papers'', critical early argument ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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