Side by side
Belgium and Germany compared
Two sourced records set beside each other — the figures each nation publishes, and the events each chronicle records of the other. Compared, never graded.
4 October 1830 — Belgium declares independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Shared indicators
- 42
- Domains
- 9
- Crossed events
- 9
- Data through
- 2026-08-10
The figures, side by side
Each figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two dossiers. Every value shows the year it was observed — vintages differ by indicator and nation. A “—” is an absence in the source data, never a zero. Metric names link to the world ranking; values open the figure on its own dossier.
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Entangled histories
9 events in which either nation’s sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle; nothing here was written for this page.
- 1816–1920
Neutral Moresnet
Unable to agree on ownership of a village and its zinc mine, the powers created Neutral Moresnet, a tiny condominium of about 3.5 square kilometres jointly administered by Prussia and the Netherlands, then Prussia and Belgium, until the Treaty of Versailles awarded it to Belgium.
Politics & Power · from the Belgium chronicle · Leopold II, the Congo, and the Curiosities of the Border · 100 years ago Belgium annexed Europe's second smallest territory (Neutral Moresnet), Eupen-Malmedy (transfer to Belgium under the Treaty of Versailles)
- 21 Jul 1831
Leopold I, first King of the Belgians
The German prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg was installed as the first king and took his constitutional oath on 21 July 1831, a date still observed as Belgium's national day.
Formation · from the Belgium chronicle · Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom · Leopold I, king of Belgium, Belgium: History
- 19 Apr 1839
Treaty of London guarantees Belgian neutrality
Austria, Britain, France, Prussia, Russia and the Netherlands recognised Belgium as an independent and perpetually neutral state and guaranteed its neutrality, the treaty later cited by Britain to enter the First World War.
Independence · from the Belgium chronicle · Revolution, Independence and the Guaranteed Neutral Kingdom · The Treaty of London, 1839 (primary text), Belgium: History
- 4 Aug 1914
Germany invades neutral Belgium
Executing the Schlieffen Plan, Germany invaded Belgium after King Albert I refused free passage; the violation of the 1839 neutrality treaty, dismissed as a 'scrap of paper', brought Britain into the First World War.
War & Rupture · from the Belgium chronicle · The Two World Wars and the Gains of Versailles · The Treaty of London, 1839 (primary text), Belgium: History
- Oct 1914
The Battle of the Yser
Falling back behind the river Yser, the Belgian army opened the sluices and flooded the polders to halt the German advance, holding a last strip of free Belgium around Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide for the rest of the war.
War & Rupture · from the Belgium chronicle · The Two World Wars and the Gains of Versailles · Belgium: History
- 1919–1920
Versailles: Eupen-Malmedy and the end of Moresnet
The Treaty of Versailles ended Belgian neutrality, abolished Neutral Moresnet and transferred Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith from Germany to Belgium, giving the kingdom a German-speaking minority after a much-criticised popular consultation in 1920.
Politics & Power · from the Belgium chronicle · The Two World Wars and the Gains of Versailles · Eupen-Malmedy (transfer to Belgium under the Treaty of Versailles), 100 years ago Belgium annexed Europe's second smallest territory (Neutral Moresnet), Eupen-et-Malmédy
- 10 May 1940
Second German invasion
Germany again invaded neutral Belgium on 10 May 1940, this time thrusting through the Ardennes, and rapidly overwhelmed the defending Belgian, French and British forces.
War & Rupture · from the Belgium chronicle · The Two World Wars and the Gains of Versailles · German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940, Belgium: History
- 28 May 1940
Surrender of King Leopold III
After eighteen days of fighting Leopold III surrendered the Belgian army without consulting his government, beginning four years of German occupation and a political crisis over the king's conduct.
War & Rupture · from the Belgium chronicle · The Two World Wars and the Gains of Versailles · German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940, Belgium: History
- 1962–1963
The linguistic frontier fixed
Language laws drew a fixed border between Dutch-, French- and German-speaking areas and created four language regions, entrenching the divide between Belgium's communities.
Politics & Power · from the Belgium chronicle · A Federal Kingdom at the Heart of Europe · Belgium: History