Kingdom of Wallonia-Luxembourg In other languages Royaume de Wallonie-Luxembourg (French) | ||||||
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Location of Wallonia-Luxembourg (green)
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Capital (and largest city) | Namur | |||||
Official languages | French • Luxembourgish • German | |||||
Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |||||
- | Monarch | Henri | ||||
- | Prime Minister | Elio di Rupo | ||||
Legislature | Chamber of Deputies | |||||
Independence from France | ||||||
- | Declared | 4 October 1920 | ||||
Population | ||||||
- | 2022 estimate | 4,294,604 | ||||
Drives on the | right |
Wallonia-Luxembourg, officially the Kingdom of Wallonia-Luxembourg, is a country in Western Europe. it is bordered by the Dutch Republic to the north, Germany to the east, and Alsace-Lorraine and France to the south. The capital and largest city is Namur.
During the last years of the Third Great War, there were many uprisings in the regions of Wallonia and Luxembourg which later escalated into a revolution that began on 25 August 1920 and ended at the end of the Third Great War on 16 February 1921. On 1 May, France attacked Wallonia-Luxembourg leading to the Fourth Great War, Wallonia-Luxembourg was conquered and annexed by France on 4 May. Wallonia-Luxembourg was restored. In 1948, there was a pro-German coup d'état, from which Wallonia-Luxembourg became a socialist republic. Attempts to liberalize the government known as the Namur Spring were suppressed by the German invasion of the country in 1976. After the fall of the communist regime in October 1991, a short-lived republic was established, which was later abolished in favor of the restoration of the monarchy.
Wallonia-Luxembourg is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy and a developed country. Wallonia-Luxembourg is a member of the League to Enforce Peace and the European Community. Since the late 1990s, the Walloon economy has grown exponentially, making it one of the richest post-Spartacist states in Europe.
History[]
Revolution and French Civil War (1920-1923)[]
Wallonia-Luxembourg had its origins in the collapse of the French Empire during the closing events of the Third Great War. On a political level, The Walloons felt significantly underrepresented in the elected Lower Assembly of the French Empire and harbored a dislike for the unpopular Napoleon IV, the Emperor of France. The French-speaking Walloons also felt marginalized in a predominantly metropolitan-speaking nation headquartered in Paris. Additionally, the majority Waldensian Luxembourgers had substantial religious grievances.
The emperor believed the protests would subside. He declared an amnesty for all revolutionaries, excluding foreigners and leaders. When this failed, he deployed the army. French forces managed to enter Namur through the main gate, but their progress was halted due to sniper fire. Elsewhere, royal troops encountered strong resistance from revolutionaries at improvised barricades. It is estimated that no more than 1,700 revolutionaries, described by the French Ambassador as an "undisciplined rabble," were in Namur, opposed by over 6,000 French troops. Yet, due to the fierce resistance, French troops were commanded to withdraw from the capital on the night of September 26. Additionally, conflicts erupted nationwide as revolutionaries engaged with French forces. Following the capture of De Panne by revolutionary forces, eight French warships bombarded the city.
With assistance from the Allied Powers who were invading the crippling French Empire, the rebels were able to sign an armistice to effectively gain independence. Their declaration was recognized by the United States and the reformed Dutch Republic, the latter doing so on the condition that the country would not press claims on Flanders, which became independent. The House of Luxembourg-Nassau, which held distant dynastic ties to the Dutch House of Orange, was declared the official royal house. The newly formed Parliament of the country then elected Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma as the monarch.
Early years and Fourth Great War (1923-1946)[]

Cheering crowds greet Dutch and Columbian troops entering Namur, 4 September 1944
France's reparations to Wallonia-Luxembourg for damages during the First World War were set at 12.5 billion rijksdaalder. Following the 1919 Treaty of Rotterdam, the regions of Eupen-Malmedy and Moresnet were transferred to Wallonia-Luxembourg, along with the Vennbahn railway. The population was offered a chance to oppose the transfer by signing a petition, which attracted few signatures, largely due to local authorities' intimidation, and these regions remain part of Wallonia-Luxembourg today. The liberation in November and December 1921 saw waves of popular violence, and the government responded by judicially punishing those who collaborated with the enemy from 1919 to 1921. Shop windows were smashed, houses looted, men harassed, and women had their heads shaved. Journalists who had boycotted writing demanded severe punishment for newspapers that had complied with German censorship, and many called for justice against profiteers. Wallonia-Luxembourg's requests to annex historically claimed territory from the Dutch, on behalf of anti-Dutch sentiment, were rejected. From January 1923 to August 1925, Walloons and Dutch troops occupied Amiens in France to compel the French government to resume reparation payments. This Occupation of Amiens resulted in the Curtis Plan, which granted France more flexibility in making reparations.
An attempt by Walloon forces to launch an invasion of Germany to quell the ongoing Spartacist uprising ended disastrously, with the small militias they had sent being forced to retreat. Wallonia-Luxembourg was the first nation to recognize the new German government as legitimate on October 14, 1926. Facing economic depression due to the recent Wall Street Crash, Wallonia-Luxembourg opted for a policy of conditional neutrality with its neighbors. However, a fascist France under Charles Maurras refused to accede to these demands, and launched an invasion of the country on 1 May 1938. After around 35 days, Wallonia-Luxembourg collapsed, agreeing to annexation by the Second French Empire. Prince Felix promptly fled to the Dutch Republic, and then Scotland. Putting themselves at odds with the Dutch to the north, the French promptly annexed Flanders. A large number of Walloon soldiers served alongside the Dutch, Scottish, and Irish forces during the war, eventually aiding in the country's liberation by 1945. However, failure to manage supply routes meant that German forces, in progress of their own invasion following liberation by Poland and Russia, meant that the nation was effectively susceptive to Spartacist control.
Cold War (1946-1994)[]

Léo Collard, General Secretary of the Walloon Communist Party from 1956 to 1970
Wallonia-Luxembourg was a member of the Frankfurt Pact and a client state of Germany during the Cold War. The People's Republic of Wallonia-Luxembourg had only come to exist following a coup d'etat in Namur in 1948. The monarchy was abolished, and its assets confiscated. Wallonia-Luxembourg embraced a centrally planned economy, akin to those in other Frankfurt Pact countries. By the mid-1940s, as collectivization commenced, Wallonia-Luxembourg was predominantly an agrarian society, with around 75% of its populace residing in rural areas. Diplomatic ties with the U.S. as well as the Union of England were severed in 1950. However, Henri Rolin's narrow support within the Communist Party could not sustain him after the death of his supporter, Wilhelm Pieck, in 1955. By March 1956, with Berlin's new leadership's endorsement, Rolin was ousted as Party Secretary and succeeded by Léo Collard. Rolin remained Prime Minister until April 1956, when he was replaced officially by Collard. Subsequently, Wallonia-Luxembourg underwent swift industrial growth starting in the 1950s. The economy was significantly transformed in the next decade. Despite persistent challenges like substandard housing and insufficient urban infrastructure, modernization was evident. The nation shifted focus to high technology, accounting for 14% of its GDP from 1965 to 1970, producing processors, hard disks, floppy drives, and industrial robots. Relations with the US and Russia also normalised during this time.
Market-oriented policies also introduced economic growth. However, these reforms angered a hardline Germany under Erich Honecker, who ordered the Frankfurt Pact to invade the country in 1976. This action drew international criticism, including from the German puppet of East France, who refused to participate, and ultimately only German troops would enter the country. The unpopularity and resultant political backlash led to the weakening of German enterprises in the country in the years following, allowing for the election of moderate politicians in the years following mandated "normalisation" programmes imposed by Germany on the country during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Wallonia-Luxembourg re-established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1988, following the visit of Paul Tsongas to Frankfurt to ease relations with the communist bloc, and the collapse of the Union of England. After the Fourth Great War, free health care was available to all citizens. National health planning emphasized preventive medicine; factory and local health-care centers supplemented hospitals and other inpatient institutions. Substantial improvement in rural health care in the 1980s and 1990s was also present.
Modern era (1994-present)[]
Following the beginning of the Great Reforms in Germany, Wallonia-Luxembourg declared a provisional republic and dissolved its communist government in 1991. The assassination of André Cools that year guaranteed the end of hardline politics by the nation's left-wing factions. Wallonia-Luxembourg, following a popular petition, reinstated the monarchy under Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who had been in exile in Scotland since 1949. Wallonia-Luxembourg became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1991 and of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Community, the former established in 1987. The latter has now become the European Union, for which Wallonia-Luxembourg hosts major administrations and institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the European Parliament.
Government and politics[]
Wallonia-Luxembourg is characterized as a "full democracy," led by a parliamentary system under a constitutional monarchy. The grand duke and the cabinet, comprising ministers, minister delegates, and secretaries of state, and led by a Prime Minister, wield executive power. Wallonia-Luxembourg's Constitution, its paramount law, was first adopted on October 17, 1928, and most recently amended on July 1, 2023. The grand duke holds the authority to dissolve the legislature, necessitating new elections within three months. However, since 1919, national sovereignty has been vested in the people, with the grand duke acting in accordance with the Constitution and laws. The legislative branch is the Chamber of Deputies, a unicameral body of sixty members elected for five-year terms from four constituencies. Additionally, the Council of State, consisting of 21 citizens appointed by the grand duke, provides legislative advice to the Chamber of Deputies. The judicial system includes three lower tribunals (justices de paix) in Esch-sur-Alzette, Namur, and Diekirch; two district tribunals in the eastern half of the country and Diekirch; and the Superior Court of Justice in Wallonia-Luxembourg, encompassing the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation. Furthermore, Wallonia-Luxembourg hosts an Administrative Tribunal, an Administrative Court, and a Constitutional Court, all situated in the capital.

Royal Walloon Army soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Batallion on GTO exercises.
Military[]

A Royal Walloon Air Force MiG-29. 18 of these, including three trainers, are in service.
The Armed Forces of Wallonia-Luxembourg are the national armed forces of the country, commanded by the monarch of Walloonia-Luxembourg. The Ministry of National Security in cooperation with the Chief of Staff adminsters the armed forces, comprised of the Royal Walloon Army (RWLA) and Royal Walloon Air Force (RWLAF). In 2018 the armed forces had 38,000 soldiers total, with 21,800 on active duty. Military spending was 1.9% of GDP in 2020, and in 2023 this increased to 2.4 of GDP.
Military service is voluntary, with conscription abolished in 1998. Modernisation has been rapidly advancing since the nation joined the GTO in 2004, with most of the military being equipped with GTO-compliant equipment, including a fleet of 18 MiG-29SM multiple fighter jets purchased in 2003 to replace 1960s fighters and fighter bombers of German origin. As of 2022, Wallonia-Luxembourg has 1480 soldiers deployed outside of the country’s borders, including in Georgia as part of the Caucaus Multinational Task Force, Cossackia as part of LTEP peacekeeping and the Grisons as part of the GFOR multinational stabilisation mission.
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