Belgium Holdings on....America?

Considering Belgium existed only in 1830 (1789 if we include United Belgian States), it's a bit too late to have them having an hold in America. Everything is already pretty well taken, and what remains technically free would be too ininteresting and costly to be considered.

Now I suppose that, it's still possible buying an island or two in Antillas from a country desirous to sell, but I would fail to see the point for Belgium to doing that.
 
Considering Belgium existed only in 1830 (1789 if we include United Belgian States), it's a bit too late to have them having an hold in America. Everything is already pretty well taken, and what remains technically free would be too ininteresting and costly to be considered.

Now I suppose that, it's still possible buying an island or two in Antillas from a country desirous to sell, but I would fail to see the point for Belgium to doing that.

Well, maybe gaining parts of the Dutch Antilles could work... I've seen quite a few timelines which feature Belgium gaining territories in the East Indies as part of the peace deal so maybe getting Sint Maarten and/or Saba and Sint Eustatius could be possible. And then there are the Danish Virgin Islands...
 
America isn't possible, I think.

However, I remember reading that Leopold II had a plan to attack the Netherlands for a while and he probably could've won, considering Belgium was more industrialised back then. If he is capable of preventing Great Powers to intervene, he could perhaps invade the Netherlands and demand Suriname.
 
It's opening an interesting question, tough : "Why on hell, it would interest Belgium in first place?"

Limbourg, more of Luxembourg, any continental place I could understood being part of a belgian claim. But I really don't see the point into forcing (if possible) an annexion of Dutch Antilles or Suriname. What is to gain for Belgium apart "having Belgian Americas for the lulz"?
 
Well if you might posit an Independent Spanish Netherlands that renames itself Belgium, for an earlier departure, we might see them get a few claims and colonies.
 
I know a way, although it is a bit cheating. Simply call the Netherlands Belgium. Belgium (or Belgica) was used for the Netherlands in the past, so it is possible.
I see your cheat and I raise you with:

The treaty under which the Netherlands recognizes the independence of Belgium, defines the Dutch-Belgian border and carelessly stipulates that every then-Dutch territory south of it should be Belgian. Albeit unintentional that meant that all Dutch colonies are now Belgian. /thread
 
Maybe the following could happen: the Dutch recruit a lot of troops in the South and send these men overseas. With the Belgian revolution, the Dutch East Indies army rebels, overthrows local Dutch rule and seeks support in Belgium. They offer the National Congress sovereignty.
The Brits, anxious to have a strong Belgium support this claim. The English hope to convince the Belgians to let British companies do the transportation of goods between Belgian Asian holdings and Antwerp, this would strengthen English hegemony over the seas. The French, who hope that if Belgium gains a colony they'll get eventually, are keen too.
The National Congress feels strong enough to accept, and the Dutch East Indies are to become Belgian.

However, the Dutch launch the 10 day's campaign, defeating Belgium. In the new treaty the Dutch East Indies are divided: Belgium receives Sumatra, including a claim on the parts not yet under Dutch command and the Dutch keep the rest. Belgian revolutionaries want to keep hold on Java, and occupy Batavia, but some gunboat diplomacy, and the ratification of the new treaty by Belgians and Dutch in 1831, force these men to move across the waters to Sumatra.

In the Dutch indies, the situation escalates:
The Dutch have to fling themselves in a new series of costly Java Wars. The Belgians on Sumatra too have to pacify the natives.

The West Indies: Belgium receives land from Guatemala like LSCatilina points out. Because of the situation in Sumatra, the Belgians do nothing much with the area. But once the pacification wars are over, the experience from Sumatra is used to build a new colony in Guatemala in the 50s.
 
Any scenario that has Belgium taking one of the Dutch colonies during the belgian revolt is, well not ASB, but certainly so extremely unlikely that it is not worth bringing up. there is simply no way the Belgians could get hold of it and there is no way any country would support a Belgian claim. If you want a belgian part of the Americas you need Belgium either to buy a colony from another country or possibly "conquer" a colony after a war (or more correctly get assigned one after a war). For example a reverse First World War in which France invades Belgium to attack Germany and after the war (which France loses) Belgium gains one or two French Carribean Islands.
 
Well if we go by the Southern Netherlands as being "Belgium", we could fairly easily have an independent Southern Netherlands (Infanta Isabella and Archduke Albert have surviving children) get a few colonies. Either by colonization in North America or buying a few in the Caribbean/South America from Spain.
 
Top