Le commerce bruxello-liégeois de la Campine (1783) : menaces et enjeux

The aim of this article is to analyse the Brussels-Liège negotiations on transit agreements in the Liège Campine. The recurrent use of threats by the Brussels authorities, set against the backdrop of major negotiations on border restructuring in 1780, are synonymous with a negotiating method that drew on both the fear of the Prince-Bishop and the captive position of the Principality of Liège. We attempt to understand how the diplomatic process worked, what was at stake and how it clashed with imperial law.