POTTER United Families

Another matter of conflict with the Catholics was the state system of
education. In the United Provinces, before the French Revolution,
many schools were controlled by Church. Empress Theresa (who
enlisted us in 1740 into nobility) created catholic schools and under
Napoleon regular colleges, sprung up again.
King William considered the Catholic dominated education of
Belgium inferior to that of his homeland, but he contended that by
an attempt to educate the Belgian youth. But he failed to create a
climate due to his mainly Protestant government.
The clergy did set up private schools, organized by parish priests and
brotherhoods. The government's reaction was to ban teaching
congregations, and to re-enact all measures of persecution introduced
by Austria and France. Yet another polarization occurred in the
leading political parties. The Catholics, led by de Gerlache (Liège),
supported the clergy rulers. The Liberals, led by de Brouckère
(Bruges), were in favor of complete toleration.
The future leader of the "united Liberal-Catholic cause", Louis de
Potter (who had incidentally invented the national slogan "United
strong"), did not return from Italy until the "reforms" of William had
been in effect for nine years. Shortly after his homecoming, his father
Pierre, died on January 23, 1824, and Louis, who had only one
married sister, baroness Marie-Christine van Caloen, started his
famous belgian career as rebellious “journalist-publisher”.
Louis lived with his mother on New Street, with access on Saint-
Michel Place (later Revolution Martyrs Place). He sold almost all of
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