Leopold I and Belgian Policy on the Eve of the Crimean War

Abstract

In this article, the author analyses the foreign policy efforts of King Leopold I of Belgium, namely his attempts during the international crisis to maintain the European balance on which the future of the Belgian state depended. Prior to the Crimean War, the monarch believed that the main threat of destabilisation emanated from France and sought the support of the three great powers, namely Great Britain, Austria and Russia, but soon the aggravation of the Eastern Question, in which the powers that had guaranteed Belgian neutrality in 1831 and 1839 became adversaries, presented Leopold I with a challenge to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The purpose of this study is to trace the extent to which the head of a neutral state tried to mediate and reconcile the parties and to show the results of his activities. The sources are documents from the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire, as well as published personal correspondence between the king and monarchs, statesmen, and representatives of foreign powers. The author concludes that the formation of the Anglo-French military-political alliance in March 1854 and the declaration of war on Russia forced the King to adapt his policy to the existing international situation, including the settlement of relations between Belgium and France. At the same time, documents indicate that Leopold I's position towards Russia had not changed and that the dialogue between the two countries, based on mutual support, persisted.