Belgium Flag

The Belgian flag has its origins in the 1830 revolution that followed the performance of la Muette de Portici, for the anniversary of King William of Orange. This opera is an ode to the motherland, and thus independence in Naples on 17th century, under Spanish authority. The people revolted against his sovereign, which led to the creation of Belgium. The French flag is first raised by independence leaders on 25 August 1830. But the next day, Edouard Ducpétiaux, journalist at Le courrier des Pays-Bas, asked Marie Abts to sew first Belgian flags, which will initially be raised with horizontal stripes. The government decided in 1831 to change to vertical stripes: black to the hoist, gold and red. These colors are derived from the coat of arms of the former Duchy of Brabant, formed in the eleventh century on the territory of Belgium and the Netherlands: golden lion with red claws tongue on black background.