William Frederick of Orange-Nassau (1772-1843), son of stadholder William V and Wilhelmina of Prussia, was proclaimed sovereign in 1813. A year later he was inaugurated in Amsterdam. After the Battle of Waterloo, the Northern and Southern Netherlands were united under pressure of the allied powers. But the King's stubborn policy caused dissatisfaction in the 'South'. On 25 August 1830 the 'Belgian Revolt' broke out in Brussels. Despite international recognition shortly after the revolt, William I refused to endorse Belgium's independence until 1839. In 1840 the king abdicated so that he could proceed with his second marriage to a former Catholic lady-in-waiting. The Flemish artist Louis Royer moved to The Hague in 1828, possibly to be near to the court in the hope of more commissions. That same year he was asked to do a portrait bust of the king. He completed the definitive bust in marble in 1831.