The Beginning of Modern Surgery

Abstract

After Napoleon had suffered a decisive defeat at Leipzig in 1813 from the allied forces of Austria, Russia, Prussia and Sweden, freedom dawned on the areas which had been occupied by France. At its liberation the Netherlands took on the monarchial form of government, with the eldest son of stadtholder William V exiled to England as its sovereign. The territory of the new nation under king William I was larger than it had ever been in the time of the Republic, because the Congress of Vienna, on redrawing the map of Europe, had joined the South Netherlands to Holland. This unity did not last long. In 1830 dissatisfaction with the government of William I led to a revolt and the separation of the South, which then became the independent kingdom of Belgium.