The little corner of Europe, now known as the independent kingdom of Belgium, has played a rôle in history entirely out of proportion to its size and political importance. Belgium has been the cause of many wars, national and international, and on her soil the fate of Europe has often been decided. It well deserves Bonaparte's appelation “the battlefield of Europe.” Because of her geographic situation, right in the midst of a group of hostile powers and because of her great economic importance, this tiny land has been the choice morsel which many nations strove to possess. Burgundy, Spain, France, Austria and Holland, each in turn, ruled the country. The prize was so great that, rather than see it in the hands of any one power, the nations of Europe agreed that none of them should possess it. In this way was born the kingdom of Belgium during the early part of the nineteenth century; a German prince, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, was made king of the newlyborn nation, and its existence was safeguarded by a guarantee of neutrality.