Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier
Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier (* 1769 in Gingelom , Principality of Liège ; † August 7, 1839 there ) was a Belgian politician and the first regent of Belgium .
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In the Liège Revolution of August 18, 1789, Surlet de Chokier belonged to the camp of patriots who, under the influence of the French Revolution, penetrated the Liège government building and forced the Prince-Bishop to flee. When the militia was crushed in skirmishes by Austrian troops in 1790 , he fled to Breda . In 1792 he returned to his hometown of Gingelom.
After the Austrian Netherlands was annexed by France in 1795, he became a staunch supporter of first the French Revolution, then Napoleon . In 1800, at the age of 31, he was elected mayor of Gingelom and a member of the department and district council. In 1812 he became a member of the French National Assembly .
When, after Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Waterloo, today's Belgium was annexed to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Congress of Vienna (1815) , he became a member of the Second Chamber of the States General and leader of the southern opposition. In 1816 he was accepted into the Dutch nobility as a baron . Because of his critical and sharp-tongued manner, he was called Surlet de Choquant (Surlet the Angry) in Parliament . King Willem I personally ensured that he was no longer elected to the second chamber in 1828.
In 1830, in the course of the Belgian Revolution, independence was proclaimed and the provisional government announced elections in which Surlet was elected to the National Congress as a member of the arrondissement of Hasselt and became President of Parliament. The Belgian constitution was drawn up under his leadership .
After the rejection of the Belgian crown by the French King Ludwig Philipp for his son, Surlet was appointed regent by the Congress on February 24, 1831, making him Belgium's first head of state. He held this office until King Leopold I was sworn in on July 21, 1831.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Surlet de Chokier, Erasme Louis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Belgian statesman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1769 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gingeloma |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 7, 1839 |
| Place of death | Gingeloma |