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.
 * 28 January – "Manifeste des ouvriers", drafted by Edmond Picard, calls for universal manhood suffrage.


 * 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.


 * June
 * Fresh outbreaks in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp of 1863–75 cholera pandemic.
 * 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.


 * 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.
 * 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