When A Farmer Moved A Stone Out Of His Tractor’s Way, It Nearly Kicked Off An International Dispute
In the small French town of Erquelinnes, a farmer is driving his tractor through the peaceful green fields. But suddenly, he finds that he can go no further. In front of him, sticking up from the earth, is a large, old stone, blocking his vehicle from passing. Without thinking, he hefts the obstacle out of the way – unwittingly launching a dispute of epic proportions.
Amazing as it sounds, this seemingly insignificant action actually led to chaos on an international scale. But how? After all, the nondescript stone has little value in its own right. Why, then, were the authorities in both Belgium and France suddenly on edge? And what was the eventual outcome of this bizarre series of events?
At one point, commentators even speculated that a long-defunct commission would need to be recalled in order to solve the dispute. So, how exactly did a simple stone cause such confusion? Amazingly, the answer lies in a treaty signed almost 200 years ago and an innocuous action that nearly dismantled centuries of peace.
A sleepy town home to some 9,500 people, Erquelinnes certainly doesn’t look like the setting for an international dispute. Located some 150 miles from the French capital of Paris, it sits on the border with Belgium in the country’s northeastern corner. Nestled within rolling hills and farmland, it seems the sort of place that would offer a peaceful, bucolic way of life.
In fact, the most dramatic things to happen in Erquelinnes’ history occurred more than 200 years ago, during the War of the First Coalition. Beginning in 1792, this conflict saw a number of European powers join forces to fight against France. Two years later, on the border with Belgium, a great battle broke out.
