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A Throne in Brussels: Britain, the Saxe-Coburgs and the Belgianisation of Europe
 
 
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A Throne in Brussels: Britain, the Saxe-Coburgs and the Belgianisation of Europe (Hardcover)

by Paul Belien (Author) "The royal houses of contemporary Belgium and Britain were founded by Leopold (1790-1865), a prince from Coburg, a sleepy town in the middle of Germany..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Imprint Academic (18 May 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 184540033X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1845400330
  • Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 714,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Lord (Ralph) Harris "An extremely well-written, penetrating historical analysis" Hugo Vickers "This is a fascinating book after which I cannot but see the Belgian royal family in a completely new light." Roger Scruton "Paul Belien writes with ease and erudition, and mounts an unanswerable case." Lord (William) Rees-Mogg "The Belgianisation of Europe is a real threat." Daniel Hannan MEP "If you read only one book on Belgium, make it this one." 'Mr. Belien tells the story of this slimy dynasty with great gusto and lays out this bill of indictment very powerfully.' John O'Sullivan, American Spectator


Hugo Vickers

"This is a fascinating book after which I cannot but see the Belgian royal family in a completely new light."
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The royal houses of contemporary Belgium and Britain were founded by Leopold (1790-1865), a prince from Coburg, a sleepy town in the middle of Germany. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars History, Analysis, Future, warning - a provocative book & a field day for Eurosceptics, 29 May 2007
By Klaus van Amelrode "kmcva" - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
If the Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the Pricne Regent and later king George IV, had not died in childbirth in 1817, she and her husband, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, would have succeeded to the British throne. 14 years later the great powers installed Leopold as the first king of the Belgiums as an ideal compromise candiate. Belgium - a new, artificial state inhabited by Catholic Dutch in the North, and French-speaking Walloons in the South. Belgium is sometimes compared to multilingual Switzerland, but whereas Switzerland grew organically, gradually creating a Swiss national consciousness, Belgium is an artificial state, in which two peoples were forced to live together and where no Belgian national consciousness developed. It could fall apart in the next ten years. Paul Belien argues that the pan-European super-state currently in the making will resemble a 'Greater-Belgium' rather than a 'Greater-Switzerland', since Europe will also be an artificial construct. Belgium has infected EU political attitudes and acts as a model for the EU but a failed attempt to 'construct a nation' out of different peoples with separate languages and traditions. To learn what the EU as a single state might be like, take up this highly readable mix of history, analysis and warning. It is very well written and interesting to read. Of course, one might not agree with the analysis but I agree it is a great theory. The information on the Belgium Royal Family are very interesting and the present troubles of the Royal House are not that astonishing any longer. Worthwhile a read but not to be taken 100% on board.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb royal history also explains why the EU is in trouble, 9 Jun 2005
By A Customer
If you enjoy royal history and biography, this book is a must. But there is much more to it than fascinating royal gossip, although it delivers that in satisfying portions. If you want to understand why France and the Netherlands just voted down the EU constitution, this is the first book you should read to find out. Paul Belien shows persuasively that Belgium is the EU in microcosm, and that Belgium's troubled experiment in trying to create a multilingual, mult-ethnic state with no unifying features except (some say) its monarchy provides critical lessons for those who are trying to create a unified European state. Whatever your views on the EU, you will learn something valuable from this book. The good news for the general reader is that Paul Belien uses the fascinating and scandalous history of Belgium's royal family, the Coburgs (perhaps best known as Queen Victoria's in-laws), to tell his story. Even if you have no interest in the finer points of EU policy, you are bound to enjoy Mr. Belien's enthralling account of the marriages, affairs, and behavior both tawdry and noble of Leopold I and his descendants, who still rule Belgium.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Coburgs and courtesans, 13 Jul 2006
By G. J. Weeks (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Paul Belien has written a fascinating account of how the Coburgs went from an impoverished dukedom to be the monarchs of four European countries. They still rule Belgium where the king has more power than any other European monarch. All the Coburg males, with one exception, Baudouin, have beem more goat than man as far as their promiscuity is concerned. One of the worst was Queen Victora's beloved Uncle Leoplod, who we are told was probably the real father of Albert as well as a paedophile. Had not Leopold's wife, the Hanoverian Princess Charlotte, died in childbirth, Leopold would have been prince consort, not Albert. One can be thankful he became king of the newly created Belgium instead. Belien gives a full history of this artificial country with perpetual tension between Flemings and Walloons, Dutch and French speakers. The account of Leopold II and his personal possession, the Belgian Congo, is horrific. Leopold III betrayed his country and surrendered to Hitler. Amazingly the Belgians voted to have him back afterwards. All the Coburg kings except Baudouin have not been servants of their countries but exploiters for personal enrichment. Belien sees the way Belgium is kept together and run to be a prototype for the E.U. superstate. Read this and be warned. At least I do not think a federal Europe would have a Coburg for king.
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