The Council of Flanders ( nl, Raad van Vlaanderen, or RVV) was formed by members of the "activist" or "maximalist" faction of the

Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought ...

in German-occupied Belgium on 4 February 1917 with tacit German support. Its founders, who included Pieter Tack and August Borms, wanted to realize the independence of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

from

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 ...

using German support provided as part of the ''

Flamenpolitik ''Flamenpolitik'' (German; "Flemish policy") is the name for certain policies pursued by German authorities occupying Belgium during World War I and World War II. The ultimate goal of these policies was the dissolution of Belgium into separate W ...

''. The Council originally included 46 members, but eventually expanded to include 93. Despite hopes that the council would be allowed full legislative powers, it never became more than a consultative body. It also suffered from internal factionalism and infighting. Its members were broadly supported by the Germans but were condemned by other '' flamingants'' and the Catholic Church. The Germans subsequently made Flanders and Wallonia separate administrative regions in June 1917. However, the appointment of

Georg von Hertling Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then chancellor of t ...

German Chancellor The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

in November 1917 who opposed the ''Flamenpolitik'' reduced support for the RVV among the German administration. On 22 December 1917, without prior consultation with the occupation authorities, the RVV declared Flanders to be independent and dissolved itself to prepare for elections for a new Flemish government. The German authorities viewed the declaration ambivalently and in January 1918 rejected a draft Flemish constitution presented by the RVV. 50,000 people registered to vote in the coming elections but there were clashes with opponents in Mechelen, Antwerp and

Tienen Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Margriete ...

. The Belgian Court of Appeal issued warrants for the arrest of Tack and Borms as the two leading members of the RVV but the Germans freed them and instead deported the judges responsible. In protest, judges at the

Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...

, the country's supreme court, refused to try cases and other judges also went on strike. Faced with mounting opposition, the Germans stopped the planned elections in March 1918. The German surrender in November 1918 led to the end of the council as King Albert I with the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...

and

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

regained control. In the aftermath of the war, many of the members of the RVV were arrested and imprisoned as collaborators.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book , last1=Zuckerman , first=Larry , title=The Rape of Belgium: the Untold Story of World War I , year=2004 , publisher=New York University Press , location=New York , isbn=978-0-8147-9704-4 Flemish Movement 1917 establishments in Belgium 1918 disestablishments in Belgium German occupation of Belgium during World War I History of Flanders

See also

References

Bibliography