The Republic of Liège (french: République liégeoise) was a short-lived state centred on the town of
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
in modern-day
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The republic was created in August 1789 after the
Liège Revolution
The Liège Revolution, sometimes known as the Happy Revolution (french: Heureuse Révolution; wa, Binamêye revolucion), against the reigning prince-bishop of Liège, started on 18 August 1789 and lasted until the destruction of the Republic ...
led to the destruction of the earlier ecclesiastical state which controlled the territory, the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège
The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial State, Imperial Estate, so the List of ...
. It coexisted with the even more short-lived revolutionary state, the
United States of Belgium
The United Belgian States ( nl, Verenigde Nederlandse Staten or '; french: États-Belgiques-Unis; lat, Foederatum Belgium), also known as the United States of Belgium, was a short-lived confederal republic in the Southern Netherlands (modern-da ...
, created by the
Brabant Revolution
The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (french: Révolution brabançonne, nl, Brabantse Omwenteling), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed insurrection that occurred in the Aust ...
of 1789, to the north. By 1791, the forces of the republic had been defeated by
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n and
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
forces and the Prince-Bishopric was restored.
Revolution
On 18 August 1789,
Jean-Nicolas Bassenge and other democrats arrived at the Hôtel de Ville of Liège. They demanded the dismissal of current magistrates in favour of two popular ''
burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
s'':
Jacques-Joseph Fabry and
Jean-Remy de Chestret
Jean-Remy de Chestret ( Liège 1739 - Paris 1809) was a Burgomaster of Liège in 1784 and 1789 and one of the chiefs of the Liège Revolution and later a member of the French ''Sénat conservateur
The (from French: "Conservative Senate") w ...
. The citadel of Saint Walburge fell into the hands of the rebels. The
Prince-Bishop,
César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck
César-Constantin-François de Hoensbroeck or Hoensbroech (28 August 1724 – 3 June 1792) was a German ecclesiastic of the Van Hoensbroeck family, most notable as prince-bishop of Liège from 1784 to 1792, in which post he was nicknamed the "re ...
, was brought back from his Summer Palace in
Seraing
Seraing (; wa, Serè) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, Ougrée, and Seraing. With Liège, Herstal, Sai ...
to ratify the nomination of the new officials and to abolish the unpopular ''Règlement de 1684''. Several days later, de Hoensbroeck fled to the city of
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
in modern Germany. The
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
condemned the Liège revolution and demanded the restoration of the ''
ancien régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
'' in the prince-bishopric.
The radical mood in Liège led to the proclamation of a republic, two years
before France proclaimed itself a republic.
Law
One of the first acts of the republic was the introduction of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of
Franchimont" on 16 September 1789. The document was heavily influenced by the French
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (french: Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen de 1789, links=no), set by France's National Constituent Assembly in 1789, is a human civil rights document from the French Revolu ...
introduced in August 1789 but contained several important differences:
*Article 3: Sovereignty resides in the people
nd not the nation*Article 10: Every citizen has freedom of thought and opinion
ithout restriction*Article 17 of the French declaration concerning property is absent because civil and legal rights in Liège relative to property had been in force since 1196.
Further reading
*
*
External links
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of Franchimont
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liege, Republic of
Former republics
Former unrecognized countries
Republic of Liège
The Republic of Liège (french: République liégeoise) was a short-lived state centred on the town of Liège in modern-day Belgium. The republic was created in August 1789 after the Liège Revolution led to the destruction of the earlier ecclesia ...
1789 establishments in Europe
1791 disestablishments in Europe
States and territories established in 1789
States and territories disestablished in 1791