Duchy of Limburg

The Duchy of Limburg was a small state created in 1839 from part of the Dutch province of Limburg as a consequence of the Belgian Revolution. When the Netherlands recognised Belgian independence by the Treaty of London, the German Confederation demanded compensation for the loss of part of Luxembourg, which had been a member state. The Dutch king therefore constituted the eastern part of Limburg as a duchy, excluding Maastricht and Venlo so as not to exceed the required population, and it joined the German Confederation. The duchy was a constitutional monarchy in personal union with the Dutch crown, with Maastricht as its capital, although the city itself lay outside its territory. It had limited separate institutions and was administered as part of the Netherlands. After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 dissolved the German Confederation, the Second Treaty of London in 1867 declared Limburg an integral part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The ducal title lingered in official use until 1907.