Luxembourg Crisis

The Luxembourg Crisis (German: Luxemburgkrise, French: Crise luxembourgeoise, Dutch: Luxemburgse kwestie, Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg-Kris) was a diplomatic dispute and confrontation in 1867 between the French Empire and Prussia over the political status of Luxembourg. The confrontation almost led to war between the two parties, but was peacefully resolved by the Treaty of London.

Luxembourg City boasted some of the most impressive fortifications in the world, designed by Marshal Vauban and improved by subsequent engineers, which gave the city a nickname "Gibraltar of the North". Since the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been in personal union with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In a concession to neighboring Prussia, Luxembourg was to be a member of the German Confederation, with several thousand Prussian soldiers stationed there. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 had divided Luxembourg into two, threatening Dutch control of the remaining territory. As a result, William I of the Netherlands entered Luxembourg into the German customs union, the Zollverein, to dilute the French and Belgian cultural and economic influence in Luxembourg.

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