While Belgium is often presented as a fragile or artificial state, a creation of the powers that be with no real nationality, this chapter aims to go beyond the obvious by presenting the origins, both distant (the Late Middle Ages) and immediate (1830), of an independent Belgium, and to review the main issues of early years. By reviewing the literature, it begins with the processes and events leading to the formation of the Belgian state, then considers the different interpretations of the Belgian revolution of 1830 before commenting on the major issues facing the young state, in the diplomatic, institutional, economic, and social fields. Finally, this chapter highlights the main historiographical gaps and the avenues of research open to future historians.Print edition available for purchase at Oxford University Press.🔍See a preview of the chapter by Dubois and Lanneau on Google Books.. (Pages reproduced by Google Books with permission of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)