Louis de Potter

From an aristocratic Bruges family, De Potter became a fiery liberal pamphleteer. In 1828, he published his Lettre de Démophile, urging Catholics and Liberals to set aside doctrinal disputes and unite for civic freedom, giving birth to Belgian Unionism. For this, King William I imprisoned and then exiled him.

Returning in triumph to Brussels in September 1830, De Potter was hailed as the Father of the Fatherland. On September 28, 1830, he proclaimed Belgian independence from the balcony of Brussels Town Hall. Resigning when the National Congress chose a monarchy over a democratic republic, he remained a radical democrat.