1866 in Belgium
# 1866 in Belgium

Events in the year 1866 in Belgium.

## Incumbents

    Monarch: Leopold II
    Head of government: Charles Rogier

## Events

### January

* 7 January – Le Peuple (predecessor organisation of Belgian Labour Party) joins First $International.^{:682}$
* 28 January – "Manifeste des ouvriers", drafted by Edmond Picard, calls for universal manhood $suffrage.^{:682}$

### March

* 6 March – Belgian-Chinese Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation ratified in Brussels.

### May

* 28 May – Provincial elections
* 31 May – Strikes and lock-outs $decriminalised.^{:682}$

### June

* Fresh outbreaks in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp of 1863–75 cholera $pandemic.^{:682}$
* 12 June – Partial legislative elections of 1866

### August

* 1 August – Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Belgium, negotiated by Auguste t'Kint, signed in Edo.
* 27 August – Antwerp city council makes Dutch the official language of city $business.^{:682}$

### October

* 20 October – State banquet at Brussels for British Volunteers on visit to Belgium.
* 21 October – Risk Allah Bey brought to trial in Brussels on charges of murder and forgery.

### December

* 20 December – Parliamentary enquiry into preparedness of armed forces $begins.^{:682}$
* 27 December – Belgian-Japanese Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation ratified in Brussels.

## Publications

### Periodicals

* Almanach royal officiel (Brussels, H. Tarlier)
* Collection de précis historiques, vol. 15, edited by Edouard Terwecoren S.J.
* Messager des sciences historiques.

### Reference works

* Biographie Nationale de Belgique begins publication.

### Books

* Charles Baudelaire, Les Épaves (Brussels)
* Louis Galesloot, Pierre-Albert et Jean de Launay, Hérauts d'Armes du Duché de Brabant, Histoire de leurs procès, 1643-1687 (Brussels)
* Victor Hugo, Travailleurs de la Mer (Brussels)
* Jules de Saint-Genois, Les Flamands d'autrefois

### Maps

* Auguste Stessels, Carte générale des bancs de Flandres compris entre Gravelines et l'embouchure de l'Escaut [Map of the sandbanks of the Flemish coast between Gravelines and the mouth of the Scheldt], engraved by J. Nauwens (Antwerp, F. Bizolier)

## Art and architecture

### Buildings

* St John the Baptist's church, Ghent (Gothic Revival parish church)

## Births

* 9 January – Albert Baertsoen, painter (died 1922)
* 25 January – Emile Vandervelde, politician (died 1938)
* 27 April – Émile Royer, politician (died 1916)
* 5 July – Maurice Houtart, politician (died 1939)
* 14 July – Juliette Wytsman, painter (died 1925)
* 2 August – Adrien de Gerlache, Antarctic explorer (died 1934)
* 14 August – Charles Jean de la Vallée Poussin, mathematician (died 1962)
* 10 December – Louise De Hem, painter (died 1922)

## Deaths

### Date uncertain

* Joseph Abbeel (born 1786), veteran of Napoleon's Russian campaign

### March

* 24 March – Jean-Baptist David (born 1801), literary scholar
