EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...
EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...
EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...
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continuing through the end <strong>of</strong> the 1830s, Leopold began to be increasingly concerned<br />
with continental problems as he <strong>at</strong>tempted to solidify Belgium’s border and to walk the<br />
tightrope between England and France as king <strong>of</strong> neutral Belgium. <strong>The</strong> growing<br />
influence <strong>of</strong> Melbourne and the continuing opposition <strong>of</strong> Palmerston resulted in an<br />
increasing feeling <strong>of</strong> isol<strong>at</strong>ion on Leopold’s part.<br />
By 1839, Leopold felt th<strong>at</strong> there was no way he could salvage his rel<strong>at</strong>ionship<br />
with his niece. It was <strong>at</strong> this time, however, th<strong>at</strong> he successfully maneuvered his<br />
nephew, Albert, into a second meeting with Victoria, 126 and they were married soon<br />
after. <strong>The</strong> rel<strong>at</strong>ionship between Leopold, Victoria, and Albert became so close th<strong>at</strong> the<br />
Belgian royal family began to spend weeks <strong>of</strong> every year in London to the gre<strong>at</strong><br />
constern<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> the cabinet, especially Palmerston.<br />
Fortun<strong>at</strong>ely for the King <strong>of</strong> the Belgians, his growing dislike <strong>of</strong> Palmerston was<br />
soon shared by both the young queen and her new husband, Albert. Palmerston was<br />
concerned with the Germanic influence on the queen by her husband, Albert; her<br />
mother, Victoria; her uncle Leopold; and her priv<strong>at</strong>e secretary, Stockmar. His actions,<br />
although clearly, <strong>at</strong> least in his opinion, in the best interests <strong>of</strong> England, <strong>of</strong>ten seemed<br />
to cross p<strong>at</strong>hs with those <strong>of</strong> Victoria and certainly Leopold. Palmerston <strong>of</strong>ten went days<br />
without responding to the queen’s written requests, ignoring others, and sometimes<br />
even intercepting and opening letters to the queen. <strong>The</strong> rel<strong>at</strong>ionship between the queen<br />
126<br />
<strong>The</strong> first meeting between Victoria and Albert did not go very well as she did not find him <strong>of</strong><br />
any real interest. It took Leopold’s persistence, and the rejection <strong>of</strong> another suitor from the Prussian<br />
Royal family, to convince Victoria to have a second meeting with Albert which obviously went quite<br />
well.<br />
66