Dutch Rhineland

Those areas were retained for strategic considerations, not so much the wishes of the inhabitants.

Lord Sander,

They formed the Generality Lands during the Republic era, so historical reasons also probably played a role. It is true however that Belgian 'attacks' on Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Maastricht had to be repulsed.

re the language: Dutch is a form of Low Franconian, not High or
Low German. While it is true the north east speaks Lower Saxon dialaects, the language standardisation first started under the Burgundians took dialects from Brabant and Flanders as starting points.
 
I'd just like to add that in the Decades of Darkness timeline, the Dutch did get the Rhineland and keep Belgium. After the revolutions of 1848, the Austrians made Hungary and Croatia seperate states under the Hapsburg Emperor, and Prussia, the Netherlands, and Austria made a three-way German Confederation. Still the most plausible and powerful German Empire I've seen in any timeline, though it didn't really become united until a series of wars against other European powers in the late 19th Century.
 
Problem with southeastern Belgium and the Rhineland is that it put's the Netherlands in between France and the Germans (in whatever configuration). At the Vienna Congress that might have been seen as an advantage to the english and perhaps the Prussians. As a Dutchman however I would prefer to be left out of that as much as possible.

The most likely border, culturally, economically, militarily and certainly when one considers the language, would be The river "Maas". The cities Luik (Liege), Namen (Namur), Karelskroon (Charleroi) could form the border with a small and mostly neutral Walloon-Luxemburg. A Country that would not form a threat to any party, and would prevent the situation that the Dutch get involved in every Franco-German conflict. The latter could exhaust themselves doing so, while the Dutch would be able to more rigorously consolidate their trade power and their world empire then in OTL.

Duinkerken (Dunkirk) would be an excellent south-western outpost of the United Netherlands, with Rijsel (Lille) and Bergen (Mons) as the garrison cities connecting with the previously mentioned Maas-Line Cities. Off course all the French names of these cities would vanish in TTL.

The United Netherlands without southeastern belgium and the Rhineland, would still have twice the mass compared to the Netherlands in OTL. Large enough to stand our ground worlwide for another 200 years; but yet small enough not to provoke the superpowers too much.

Could anyone help me find a good website to manipulate maps. It would help very much to visualise something once in a while.
 
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The most likely border, culturally, economically, militarily and certainly when one considers the language, would be The river "Maas". The cities Luik (Liege), Namen (Namur), Karelskroon (Charleroi) could form the border with a small and mostly neutral Walloon-Luxemburg. A Country that would not form a threat to any party, and would prevent the situation that the Dutch get involved in every Franco-German conflict. The latter could exhaust themselves doing so, while the Dutch would be able to more rigorously consolidate their trade power and their world empire then in OTL.

Duinkerken (Dunkirk) would be an excellent south-western outpost of the United Netherlands, with Rijsel (Lille) and Bergen (Mons) as the garrison cities connecting with the previously mentioned Maas-Line Cities. Off course all the French names of these cities would vanish in TTL.

The United Netherlands without southeastern belgium and the Rhineland, would still have twice the mass compared to the Netherlands in OTL. Large enough to stand our ground worlwide for another 200 years; but yet small enough not to provoke the superpowers too much.

With a southern border of the United Kingdom Of The Netherlands in 1814, that just stopped at the borders of the province Flanders So without the French Language area a more stable country could have been the result.

I think that your purposed borders are more than the one mentioned above, but without a reliable map at the moment, I’m not sure.
 
In our diverse map threads in the Books, Games and Webites forum you find the raw material, and otherwise, you have to learn how to use a graphics program. For the beginning, Paint/Paintbrush is ok too.
 
I think that your purposed borders are more than the one mentioned above, but without a reliable map at the moment, I’m not sure.

I'll have to work on a map anyway, for the upcoming OrangeUnion Timeline. I'll get it done somehow.

nice talking to you. and thanx for the advice...
 
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