Félix de Mûelenaere

Practicing law in Bruges, De Mûelenaere served as an opposition deputy in the Dutch Second Chamber, fighting against King William I's fiscal policies. Elected to the 1830 Belgian National Congress, he played a crucial role in electing Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg as monarch.

In July 1831, King Leopold I appointed him Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. De Mûelenaere led the cabinet through the perilous Dutch Ten Days' Campaign, organizing French military assistance and negotiating the Treaty of the XXIV Articles in London, and later served as Governor of West Flanders for over two decades.