101741 | BELGIUM & GERMANY. Belgian Neutrality Broken bronze Medal.

101741  |  BELGIUM & GERMANY. The Breaking of the German Guarantee of Belgian Neutrality bronze Medal. Issued 1920 (69mm, 108.35 g, 12h). By A. Mauquoy.

 

LA PRUSSE GARANTIT LA NEUTRALITE BELGE, female allegories representing the major nations at the 1839 Treaty of London: England, seated and resting chin upon hand, Russia, France, and Germany, holding reversed sword and presenting terms to Belgium to right / The same two allegories of Belgium and Germany, now with disheveled hair, a menacing countenance, and holding a dagger, in act of struggle; villages set ablaze in background. Edge: Plain.

 

Gem Mint State. Olive-brown surfaces, with a delightful matte nature and just a hint of light rub upon the high points.

 

The modern state of Belgium came into being in 1830 following the breakaway from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, herself a new entity just 15 years prior. The 1839 Treaty of London allowed for this breakaway to be official, but also required that Belgium remain perpetually neutral—a key point given her strategic location between signatories Germany (Prussia), France, and England. In this way, Belgium acted as a "buffer" between them. This pact, however, was broken in the early stages of World War I, when Germany passed through in order to outflank France. In the ensuing years, Germany wrought havoc upon Belgium, culminating in what has been referred to as "viol de la Belgique" (the rape of Belgium).