Tsar Nicholas I of Russia was determined to crush any revolutionary movements, believing they threatened the stability of monarchies across Europe. On top of that, he was furious because the son of the king of the Netherlands, Prince William, was married to his sister, Anna.
In response to the Belgian Revolution, Nicholas I planned to send an army to restore order in Belgium. However, here’s what happened: part of that army was supposed to be made up of Polish soldiers. At the time, Poland was under Russian rule, and its people were also fighting for their own independence.
Just before the Russian army was set to march on Belgium, the Poles launched an uprising on the 29th of November 1830.
The result? The tsar had to abandon his plans for Belgium and focus on crushing the Polish revolt instead. Thanks to this unexpected turn of events, Belgium was spared a Russian intervention.
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