Belgian Succession Question
- Thread starter Douglas
- Start date
Speaking as perhaps the only belgophile in Philadelphia....I've seen a family tree somewhere but I can't find it now. There must be one on Wikipedia. Salic law was in effect until the early 1990s, so look for Albert's next-youngest brother, if he had any; otherwise you're into brothers of Leopold II, or failing that Leopold I.
EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, you piqued my curiosity.
Here's the family tree:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Belgium_family_tree
Albert's only brother, Baudouin, died at 22 in 1891 and is not shown here to have married. So there is no one eligible in that branch of the family after 1891. We're only in that branch of the family - descended from Leopold II's brother Philip - because Leopold II himself had no eligible descendants: his only son died at age 10.
Since Leopold II and Philip were the only sons of Leopold I to live longer than a year, it appears that if Leopold II dies between 1891 and 1901, Belgium's got a problem. They can't (I suspect) go into descendants of Leopold I's siblings (because the throne was offered to him and his descendants at independence). They've got to legislate that, or legislate something - repeal of the Salic Law, offering the throne to a son of a daughter of a past king, offering the throne to some random unemployed foreign prince.... What I'd be wondering at this point is how ornery Flemish nationalists (or Walloon nationalists - they existed too) or anti-monarchists were being. Brussels is already mostly French-speaking at this point so splitting up the country wouldn't be much easier than it would now; Flemings and Walloons can't just draw a neat border and go their separate ways....
EDIT/UPDATE II
On re-reading my answer, I realize "if Leopold II dies between 1891 and 1901" wasn't your question. But the answer's the same if Leopold II outlives Albert and dies with no other heir. Although in this instance, Parliament has time to act, assuming said Flemish and Walloon nationalists and anti-monarchists aren't being too ornery.
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Heh, you delineated precisely why I was interested. Albert was the last male in that entire Wiki family tree, and culling him means that there isn't a male heir.
I can't confirm it, but I think that Belgium was semi-Salic, which means that the nearest female to the last ruler should receive the crown. The problem is that this is Princess Louise-Marie, eldest daughter of Leopold II. A look at her Wiki entry explains why this would be a problematic succession; she's estranged from her husband and children due to a very sordid affair with a Croatian, and in an institution from 1898-1904. She got divorced in 1906, which is also problematic.
After her, it's Princess Clementine, who was deeply in love with the Bonaparte heir, who she was prevented from marrying until Leopold's death! Anyway, it seems like there's turmoil to come...
I can't confirm it, but I think that Belgium was semi-Salic, which means that the nearest female to the last ruler should receive the crown. The problem is that this is Princess Louise-Marie, eldest daughter of Leopold II. A look at her Wiki entry explains why this would be a problematic succession; she's estranged from her husband and children due to a very sordid affair with a Croatian, and in an institution from 1898-1904. She got divorced in 1906, which is also problematic.
After her, it's Princess Clementine, who was deeply in love with the Bonaparte heir, who she was prevented from marrying until Leopold's death! Anyway, it seems like there's turmoil to come...
If they did go with the random-unemployed-foreign-prince option, that could have effects in 1914. And I suppose we need to assume the guarantor powers might want a say in the succession question.
Alex Richards
Donor
Indeed, particularly as the standard place to go for princes at the time was Germany.
Perhaps we should look to Britain, being neutral in the Flemmings v Walloons situation, and protector of Belgium'. There, we have two choices:
-> Princess Helena and her Husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
--> Prince Christian is a minor German noble, and they were living in Britain at the time
-> Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught
--> Personally, this seems more likely. Married with children. IOTL, daughter Margaret would marry Gustav VI of Sweden, which may not happen if Arthur is King of Belgium. He also has good military service and would serve as Governor General of Canada during WWI OTL.
Could she have been skipped over in favour of her son (another Leopold)? OTL he lived until 1916. After him it would be his sister Dorothea (d1967), who married one Ernst Gunther of Schleswig-Holstein
She probably could have. Interesting, I didn't notice that. Would putting a Hapsburg prince on the throne of Belgium have any complications?
EDIT: Leopold's death in OTL appears to consist of equal parts
and .
I know this is necromancy but they might offer it to a local unemployed prince from the House of Ligne.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Ligne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Ligne