alternatehistory.com

The United Belgian States were a loose confederation of rebel states located in the previous territory of the Austrian Netherlands, which declared independence in negative response to attempted centralizing and anti-clerical reforms carried out by the austrian crown in the area. The UBS's foundations of government were quite unique in comparison to those of the French First Republic and other revolutionary states in the sense that they were more based on catholic and conservative principles. The state was ultimately short-lived and barely lasted for a year, but laid the foundation for a belgian national identity.
So, the challenge here is to simply make the United Belgian States somehow avoid conquest by either France, Austria, or some other state and allow their continuous survival for at least thirty to fifty years.
Bonus points if you manage to make the UBS survive until the present day. Further cookies if you manage to keep their government system virtually unchanged.
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