The Belgian Constitution combines monarchial with a strong infusion of the democratic principle. Contrary to the cus tom obtaining m constitutional countries, the king of the Belgians has the power to initiate legislation. The executive power is vested in a hereditary king; the legislative in the king and two chambers — the Senate and the Cham ber of Representatives— the former elected for eight years, the latter for four, but one-half of the former renewable every four years and one-half of the latter every two years. The senators (of whom there are 120) are elected partly directly, partly indirectly (by the pro vincial councils), and must be 40 years of age. Their numbers depend on population. The deputies or representatives are elected directly, one for every 40,000 inhabitants at most. All citizens of 25 years of age are electors, and, according to certain qualifications, one elector may have three votes. Abstention from voting is punishable by law. Each deputy is allowed $800 per annum and a free railway pass be tween his place of residence and the capital. In 1913 the Senate was composed of 70 Catho lies, 35 Liberals and 15 Socialists. In the Cham ber of Representatives there were 101 Catho lics, 44 Liberals, 39 Socialists and two Christian Socialists. On the fall of Brrissels, 20 Aug. 1914, the Belgian government was removed to Havre, France. The estimated revenue for 1913, chiefly from railways, customs, excise and direct taxation, was $151,531,000; the estimated expenditure $151,108,000. About one-fourth of the expenditure is in payment of the interest of the national debt, the total of which in 1913 was $747,826,727. The coins, weights and meas ures are the same, both in name and value, as those of France.
The history of Belgium as a separate kingdom, beginning in 1830, when it was constituted an independent European state, would not truly represent the life of the people or account even for the events of the period embraced in it. Situated between the two lead ing states of Europe, and deeply interested in all the political agitations resulting alike from their rivalries and their alliances, the Belgian people often changed masters. Moreover, the Belgian territory contained within itself one leading element of the dissensions which raged around it. The two great races of different origin and habits, the Celtic and Teutonic, or Latin and German-speaking peoples, whose dif ferent policies have divided Europe from the time of the Romans, were combined in its pop ulation; the Walloon provinces, Hainaut, Na mur, Luxemburg, being nearly allied to the French, while Flanders, Brabant and Limburg approximated more in character and language to the Germans. Thus not only were the great rivalries of Europe represented here in minia ture, but their compression within the narrow limits of what is now one of the smallest of European states has resulted in the formation of a distinct national character. While, there fore, the chief events in which Belgium was interested prior to 1830 are matters of Euro pean history, a brief outline of them is needed here to give a distinct conception of the char acter of the people which they contributed to form.
The territory anciently known as Belgian differed considerably from that which has as sumed the name in modern times. According to Caesar, the territory of the Belgw, who were one of the principal tribes of ancient Gaul, extended from the right bank of the Seine to the left bank of the Rhine and to the ocean. We have it on the authority of Strabo that there were 15 Belgian tribes. This district continued under Roman sway till the decline of the empire and subsequently formed part of the kingdom of Clovis who subdued nearly the whole of Gaul from the Rhine to the Med iterranean. The Franks at this time did not recognize the law of primogeniture. On the death of a monarch his dominions were divided among his sons, the more ambitious of whom again strove to unite them under their own Thus the Frankish kingdoms under the descendants of Clovis were subject to continual vicissitudes, in which the Belgian territory shared, forming successively a portion of the kingdoms of Metz, Soissons and Austrasia, till the whole was reunited under Charlemagne or Charles the Great. This great conqueror and administrator, the first who strove to unite the states of Europe in a civilized commonwealth, was of Belgian extraction. It was at Landen and Herstal, on the confines of the forest of Ardennes, that his predecessors, the great may ors of the palace, held sway, while his own capital was established at Aix. Charlemagne in great measure destroyed his own work by adopting the Frankish custom of dividing his kingdom among his sons at his death. This practice, which had proved so disastrous to the dynasty of Clovis, was continued for some time in his family, but was ultimately abolished in France. It long prevailed among the principal ities of Germany, hindering their unity and con tributing to the ascendancy of France in Eu rope. Thus Belgium fell to Lothaire, the grand son of Charlemagne, forming part of the king dom of Lotharingia, which was dependent on the German Empire; but by the Treaty of Ver dun (843) Artois and Flanders were united to France.
For more than a century this kingdom was contended for by the kings of France and the emperors of Germany. In 953 it was conferred by the Emperor Otto upon Bruno, archbishop of Cologne, who assumed the title of archduke and divided it into two duchies — Upper Lor raine, containing modern Lorraine, Luxemburg and the dioceses of Metz, Toul, Verdun and the Palatinate; and Lower Lorraine, containing Brabant, Guelders, the bishoprics of Cologne, Liege and Cambray. These duchies were tem porarily reunited under Gonthelan I, Duke of Lower Lorraine, who acquired Upper Lorraine in 1033. Among the dukes of Lower Lorraine may also be mentioned Godfrey of Bouillon, the great Crusade leader, who, in 1099, was crowned King of Jerusalem.