Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/109

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fiSLatUM 93 BfiLLfiVlLLS

stand. Louvain was burned and its famous library Germans east of Denain and captured Valenciennes reduced to ashes. Towards the northwest, in the on 2 November, and Landrecies two days later, direction of Antwerp and Malines, the valiant Maubeuge fell on 9 November, and on 11 Novem- Belgian army retreated, pressed by a German force, ber, the last days of fighting, the British gained General von Kluck entered Brussels on 20 August Mons, the scene of their defeat and retreat in and then moved south towards Mons and Mau- August, 1914.

beuge. In the meantime the armies of General von The war was formally ended by the Treaty of Hausen and Duke Albert of Wiirttemberg were Peace, signed at Versailles between Germany and moving westward through the hilly country- of the Allied Powers in 1919. This abrogated all the Ardennes in southeastern Belgium. Between former treaties between Belgium and the Allies, these forces, was a small detachment of Belgians, especially the famous Treaty of London, 15 Novem* pursued up the Meuse to Namur by the troops ber. 1831. By the Treaty of Versailles, Belgium ac- of General von Billow. On 22 Au^^ust, Namur fell quired the Prussian districts of Malmedy (813 square to the Germans. The Belgian resistance gave the kilometers) and Eupen (180 square kilometers). French time to mobilise their forces behind the The terms of the treaty gave the inhabitants the Franco-Belgian front. right to express their wish to remain imited with

By this time the Franco-British forces were on Germany, but only a small minority of the popula- hand to render assistance, and on 21 August mem- tion expressed such a wish, and accordingly on 12 aged to take a defensive position north of Maubeuge Januarv, 1920, Belgian sovereignty was proclaimed on a line from Cond^, in France, to Mons m over these recions. In March of the same year. Belgiimi. An offensive was attempted in south- Belgium and the Netherlands ratified the treaty for eastern Belgium but it broke down completely, and the settlement of the boundary and waterway ques- the French were soon in precipitate retreat. The tions, especially as regards the Scheldt. In May, British, too, were unable to withstand the German 1921, the Treaty of Trianon signed by Belgium, put onslaughts and imwilling to be outflanked or over- an end to the state of war existing between Hun- whelmed, General Ftench, the British commander, gary and Belgium. On 12 June, 1(^1, Belgium dis- began his sensational retreat from Mons on 23 placed Germany as protector of the Duchy of August. Most of Belgium was conquered and the Luxemburg. All customs formalities between Bel- road to France lay clear to the Gern;ians. Only a gium and the Duchy were abolished; all Luxem- tiny strip in the southwestern comer extending from burg money was to be replaced by Belgian money, Nieuport to Ypres was in the possession of the with the exception of bills less than 10 francs, to Belgians. The Belgian government was exiled to a total of 25,000,000 francs. The mandate for the Havre, in France, and the Belgian people were ruled north-western part of the ex-German colony of by a German military governor at Brussels. East Africa was given to Belgium. A report of the

The violation of Belgian neutrality aroused the Hoover Relief Committee, formed to aid the in- dvilijEed world and brought Great Britain into the habitants of the devastated regions showed that war. The dismantling of her great industries, the between Septemebr, 1914, and September, 1920, war levies demanded from them (3,000,000 francs $1,300,000,000 has been expended for food and from the town of Wavre alone), embittered the Bel- clothing; helj) had been given to 10,000,000 people; sians against the conquerors. The burning of and the administrative cost was only .42 of 1 per Louvain, including the famous Catholic university cent of the funds handled. and church of St. Peter, which was justified, as a Belgrade and Smedereyo, Archwocbsb op (Bbsllo-

J!^3 fwVo^?ifJ1!^i^ K^^^^^ ?^$^?- ^^T° GBADEN8I8 BT SeMENDRIBNBIS; cf. C. E., H-^OTb),

JS^?fArr^« nfUr iV^fliMi^on^^onS^^^^^ ^ ^^^' <^«tly dependent on the Holy See. J^A ^mJIJ^ ,^'r^^ ^ff countless women tj^ ^^ ^ sometimes listed as a titular, sometimes

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ffier^SK^fM^S^n^^^^ Rt'^R^^v'^Di^^^^^

rtef;^^^ £ Tiif^^ ^l bishop of Zagrab, beais tLe title. However, the

Cathohc Church m Belgium, who protested the Concordat i^h ^rvia of 24 June, 1914, er^ed

wS^^nTf^rP^ Po1p«^P Fi^r/.?!^^ ^ilp ™ ^^^ diocese into a residential metropolitan see, Vatican and foreign Powers. Especially notable was ^j^ ^ as yet is not filled by any archbishop.

  • ^n?^'?tVv«^^^W,?nt^^^ Prevented by the old Austr^Hungariai Mon-

In 1916 the devastated country was subject to ^ y^^ j^/jj protectorate overaU the Catho-

SSS^t^X*^ ^Tf^'^^t^^t'^^rln^^^ lies I Servia, Belgi.% has ^ever b.d a^chur^h for

oslavs, is working to

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S^ wn^Vini ?^V,^f ;« fhf f^^Jf^n^Tf 2P^ ^ud it is si^ificaut thkt the Crown Prince

^r« frn^LrfSf, ^ o whlf^K^ Wn.f Wnt Alexander has replied to greetings sent by

King Albert and liis Belgians, aided by a French „^!^*™^^ Robert, Venerable (cf. C. E., army under General D6goutte and the British army n-411c) .—as cause was again introduced by a de- of General Plumer, struck out between Dixmude ^^^ dated 22 December, 1920. and Ypres and while the Belnans got close to Belleyllle, Diocese of (Bellevillensib; cf. C. E., Rotilers, the British recovered Passchendaele. In n-414d), in southern Illinois, suffragan of Chi- Flanders, 14 October, the ^oup of fVanco-Belgian- cago. At the time of its erection, 18S7, had a British armies renewed their attacks on a vast front Catholic population of 50,000 and now (1921) num- from Dixmude to the Lys. Albert's army continued bers 72,0()0, divided as follows: Americans, 60,000; its victorious march; Ostend and Bruges were re- Italians, 5,000; Poles, 3,000; Lithuanians and entered, then S^brugge; the suburbs of Ghent and Slovaks, ifiOO. The diocese includes 135 parishes, the Dutch frontier were reached; the Lys was 135 churches, 35 missions, 1 convent for men, 86 for eroflsed. On 21 October, the British assailed the women, 130 secular priests, 2 regular, 4 lay brothers,