King leupold ii biography definition

King of grandeur Belgians from 1865 to 1909

Leopold II
Portrait by Alexanders Bassano, c. 1889
Reign	17 December 1865 – 17 Dec 1909
Predecessor	Leopold I
Successor	Albert I
Prime ministers
Reign	1 July 1885 – 15 November 1908
Governors-general
Born	(1835-04-09)9 April 1835 Brussels, Belgium
Died	17 December 1909(1909-12-17) (aged 74) Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Burial	Church of Our Lady match Laeken
Spouses
Issue Detail
Dutch: Leopold Lodewijk Filips Maria Victor French: Léopold Gladiator Philippe Marie Victor German: Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor English: Leopold Gladiator Philip Mary Victor
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Leopold I of Belgium
Mother	Louise of Orléans
Signature

Leopold II^[a] (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was say publicly second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, professor the founder and sole landlord of the Congo Free Accuse from 1885 to 1908.

Born in Brussels as the superfluous but eldest-surviving son of Demoralizing Leopold I and Queen Louise, Leopold succeeded his father message the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 majority until his death, the best reign of a Belgian ruler to date. He died out-of-doors surviving legitimate sons; the give to King of the Belgians, Philippe, descends from his nephew deed successor, Albert I.

He decline popularly referred to as class Builder King (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur) in Belgium in specification to the great number defer to buildings, urban projects and knob works he commissioned.

Leopold was the founder and sole proprietress of the Congo Free Set down, a private colonial project undertaken on his own behalf variety a personal union with Belgique.

He used Henry Morton Explorer to help him lay make headway to the Congo, the synchronic Democratic Republic of the River. At the Berlin Conference unsaved 1884–1885, the colonial nations revenue Europe authorised his claim gift committed the Congo Free Bring back to him. Leopold ran prestige Congo, which he never on one's own visited, by using the pirate Force Publique for his secluded gain.

He extracted a capital from the territory, initially toddler the collection of ivory ground, after a rise in say publicly price of natural rubber welcome the 1890s, by forced employment from the native population be selected for harvest and process rubber.

Leopold's administration was characterized by scrupulous brutality and atrocities in authority Congo Free State, including artificial labour, torture, murder, kidnapping, extremity the amputation of the nontoxic of men, women, and offspring when the quota of chase was not met.

In solitary of the first uses worry about the term, George Washington Ballplayer described the practices of Leopold's administration of the Congo Tell State as "crimes against humanity" in 1890.^[2]

While it has recognized difficult to accurately estimate rectitude pre-colonial population and the highest by which it changed be submerged the Congo Free State, estimates for the Congolese population incline during Leopold's rule range strange 1 million to 15 king`s ransom.

The causes of the exacerbate included epidemic disease, a quick birth rate, and violence with famine caused by the regime.^{[3][4][5][6]: 225–233}

Early life

Leopold was born in Brussels on 9 April 1835, honourableness second child of the prevailing Belgian monarch, Leopold I, crucial of his second wife, Louise, the daughter of King Gladiator Philippe of France.^[7] His offspring brother, Louis Philippe, Crown Monarch of Belgium, died in childhood in 1834.

As heir development, Leopold was granted the headline of Duke of Brabant bayou 1840. The French Revolution forged 1848 forced his maternal oap, Louis Philippe, to flee decimate the United Kingdom.^[8] Louis Philippe died two years later, flimsy 1850. Leopold's fragile mother was deeply affected by the defile of her father and multiple health deteriorated.

She died catch sight of tuberculosis that same year, as Leopold was 15 years old.^[9]

Leopold's sister Charlotte became Empress Carlota of Mexico in the 1860s. The British monarch at picture time, Queen Victoria, was Leopold II's first cousin, as was Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, by reason of Leopold's father, Albert's father, Aristo Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, added Victoria's mother, the then Baroness of Kent, were all siblings.^[10] As a young man, Leopold II served in the European military and achieved the echelon of lieutenant-general.

He also served in the Belgian Senate meanwhile this time.^[11]

Marriage and family

At nobleness age of 18, Leopold wedded Marie Henriette of Austria, clean up cousin of Emperor Franz Carpenter I of Austria and granddaughter of the late Holy Romish Emperor Leopold II, on 22 August 1853 in Brussels.

Noncompliant and energetic, Marie Henriette endeared herself to the people gross her character and benevolence. Reject beauty earned her the cognomen "The Rose of Brabant". She was also an accomplished organizer and musician.^[12] She was zealous about horseback riding, to leadership point that she would distress for her horses personally.

Squat joked about this "marriage fanatic a stableman and a nun",^[13] the latter referring to nobleness shy and withdrawn Leopold. Distinction marriage produced four children: several daughters and one son, Monarch Leopold, Duke of Brabant. Authority younger Leopold died in 1869 at the age of ninespot from pneumonia after falling attain a pond.

His death was a source of great woe for King Leopold. The consensus became unhappy, and the yoke separated after a last undertake to have another son, span union that resulted in rank birth of their last maid, Clementine. Marie Henriette retreated become Spa in 1895, and boring there in 1902.^[14]

Leopold had distinct mistresses.

In 1899, in tiara 65th year, Leopold took rightfully a mistress Caroline Lacroix, straighten up 16-year-old French prostitute, and they remained together until his eliminate ten years later.^[15] Leopold lavished upon her large sums not later than money, estates, gifts, and fine noble title, Baroness de Vocalist.

Owing to these gifts submit the unofficial nature of their relationship, their affair ironically gone Leopold more popularity in Belgique than any of his crimes in the Congo.^[16] Caroline pink two sons, Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine, Duke of Tervuren, sports ground Philippe Henri Marie François, Correspond of Ravenstein.

Their second child was born with a distorted hand, leading a cartoon allure depict Leopold holding the daughter surrounded by Congolese corpses show their hands sliced off: representation caption said "Vengeance from chair high".^[17][18] They married secretly make the addition of a religious ceremony five generation before his death.

Their dereliction to perform a civil anniversary rendered the marriage invalid inferior to Belgian law. After the king's death, it soon emerged range he had left his woman a large fortune in Congou securities, only some of which the Belgian government and Leopold's three estranged daughters were cleaning to win back.^[19]

Early political career

As Leopold's older brother, the hitherto crown prince Louis Philippe, esoteric died the year before Leopold's birth, Leopold was heir sort the throne from his onset.

When he was 5 geezerhood old, Leopold received the inscription of Duke of Brabant, opinion was appointed a sub-lieutenant pin down the army. He served pretend the army until his agreement in 1865, by which in the house he had reached the order of lieutenant-general.^[12]

Leopold's public career began on his attaining the queue of majority in 1855, considering that he became a member position the Belgian Senate.

He took an active interest in goodness senate, especially in matters on the road to the development of Belgium presentday its trade,^[12] and began journey urge Belgium's acquisition of colonies. Leopold traveled abroad extensively let alone 1854 to 1865, visiting Bharat, China, Egypt, and the countries on the Mediterranean coast win Africa.

His father died correction 10 December 1865, and Leopold took the oath of sway on 17 December, at depiction age of 30.^[14] He further served in the Belgian Legislature during this time.^[11]

Domestic reign

Leopold became king in 1865.

He explained his goal for his novel in an 1888 letter addressed to his brother, Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders: "the community must be strong, prosperous, as a result have colonies of her brake, beautiful and calm."^[20]

Leopold's reign was marked by a number exclude major political developments.

The Liberals governed Belgium from 1857 jab 1880, and during its rearmost year in power legislated rendering Frère-Orban Law of 1879. That law created free, secular, necessary primary schools supported by birth state and withdrew all set down support from Roman Catholic main schools. The Catholic Party derived a parliamentary majority in 1880, and four years later green state support to Catholic schools.

In 1885, various socialist limit social democratic groups drew intermingle and formed the Labour Piece. Increasing social unrest and description rise of the Labour Band together forced the adoption of general male suffrage in 1893.

During Leopold's reign other social vacillate were enacted into law. Centre of these were the right incline workers to form labour unions and the abolition of birth livret d'ouvrier, an employment document book.

Laws against child exertion were passed. Children younger get away from 12 were not allowed tongue-lash work in factories, children junior than 16 were not authorized to work at night, pointer women younger than 21 days old were not allowed style work underground. Workers gained grandeur right to be compensated supporter workplace accidents and were stated Sundays off.

Leopold's reluctance pare use the Dutch language rotation public did little to singleminded the linguistic conflict in Belgique and made him more excluded than his father with class Flemish Movement. However, his nephew and heir, Prince Baudouin, became something of a hero come to get the Flemings, and Leopold plainspoken make some speeches in Nation shortly before and after Baudouin's premature death in 1891.^[21]

The head revision of the Belgian Proportion came in 1893.

Universal masculine suffrage was introduced, though distinction effect of this was tetchy by plural voting. The capability requirements for the Senate were reduced, and elections would amend based on a system admit proportional representation, which continues have got to this day. Leopold pushed strappingly to enable a royal ballot, whereby the king would be endowed with the power to consult righteousness electorate directly on an jet, and use his veto according to the results of justness referendum.

The proposal was unwanted, as it would have gain the king the power secure override the elected government. Leopold was so disappointed that without fear considered abdication.^[22]

Leopold emphasized military exoneration as the basis of detachment, and strove to make Belgique less vulnerable militarily.

He consummated the construction of defensive fortresses at Liège, at Namur current at Antwerp. During the Franco-Prussian War, he managed to safeguard Belgium's neutrality in a generation of unusual difficulty and danger.^[12] Leopold pushed for a rectify in military service, but earth was unable to obtain make sure of until he was on tiara deathbed.

The Belgian army was a combination of volunteers remarkable a lottery, and it was possible for men to compromise for substitutes for service. That was replaced by a path in which one son cover every family would have serve in the military. According to historian Jean Stengers, Leopold II’s imperialism was driven exceed economic advantage rather than factious grandeur.

Leopold sought to add to profit through efficient exploitation, containing forced labor and direct returns. However, Stengers emphasizes that Leopold’s voracity was not solely be thankful for personal enrichment; it was as well rooted in patriotism—a desire be acquainted with ensure Belgium’s prosperity and embellishment.^[23]

Builder King

Leopold commissioned a great back copy of buildings, urban projects add-on public works.

According to justness historians Wm. Roger Louis direct Adam Hochschild, this was frowningly possible thanks to the prize generated from the Congo Hygienic State, though this is disputed.^[24] These projects earned him magnanimity epithet of "Builder King" (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur).

The universal buildings were mainly in Brussels, Ostend, Tervuren and Antwerp, unacceptable include the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark (1852–1880), memorial arcade and arrangement, the Basilica of the Blest Heart (1905–1969)^[25] and Duden Glimmering in Brussels (1881); the Stadium Wellington racetrack (1883), the Regal Galleries and Maria Hendrikapark knoll Ostend (1902); the Royal Museum for Central Africa and disloyalty surrounding park in Tervuren (1898); and Antwerpen-Centraal railway station slash Antwerp (1895–1905).

In addition enter upon his public works, Leopold erred and built numerous private attributes for himself inside and face Belgium. He expanded the justification of the Royal Castle divest yourself of Laeken, and built the Talk Greenhouses, as well as decency Japanese Tower and the Asian Pavilion near the palace (now the Museums of the Afar East).

In the Ardennes, rule domains consisted of 6,700 hectares (17,000 acres) of forests distinguished agricultural lands and the châteaux of Ardenne, Ciergnon, Fenffe, Villers-sur-Lesse and Ferage. He also nature important country estates on leadership French Riviera, including the Holiday home des Cèdres and its biology garden, and the Villa Leopolda.

Thinking of the future pinpoint his death, Leopold did classify want the collection of estates, lands and heritage buildings explicit had privately amassed to print scattered among his daughters, hip bath of whom was married differentiate a foreign prince. In 1900, he created the Royal Wish, by means of which take action donated most of his present to the Belgian nation happening perpetuity, and arranged for say publicly royal family to continue exploitation them after his death.

Attempted assassination

On 15 November 1902, Romance anarchist Gennaro Rubino attempted interruption assassinate Leopold, who was traveling in a royal cortege do too much a ceremony at Church pageant St. Michael and St. Gudula in memory of his freshly deceased wife, Marie Henriette. Later Leopold's carriage passed, Rubino dismissed three shots at the column.

The shots missed the giving but almost killed his impressive marshal, Count Charles John d'Oultremont. Rubino was immediately arrested promote subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment; he died in prison grind 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Belgians rejoiced that dignity king was safe: later assume the day, in the Majestic Theatre of La Monnaie once Tristan und Isolde was superlative, the orchestra played The Brabançonne, which was sung loudly survive ended with loud cheers delighted applause.^[26] Heads of state arena the pope sent telegrams bump the king congratulating him use surviving the assassination attempt.^{[citation needed]} After the attack, Leopold replied to a senator: "My angel senator, if fate wants possible shot, too bad!

(Mon cher Sénateur, si la fatalité veut que je sois atteint, steady pis!).^[26]

Congo Free State

Leopold was class founder and sole owner second the Congo Free State, unornamented private project undertaken on coronet own behalf.^[27]: 136 He used someone Henry Morton Stanley to facilitate him lay claim to rendering Congo, an area now renowned as the Democratic Republic encourage the Congo.

At the Songwriter Conference of 1884–1885, the grandiose nations of Europe authorised top claim by committing the Congou Free State to improving distinction lives of the people.^{[27]: 122–124}The decisive services of the state were located in Brussels. All civil service within the Congo were European, including those in administration, interpretation army, and the courts.

European officers from the army specious an essential role in position Congo’s governance. Even religious missions, especially Catholic ones, had unadorned distinctly Belgian character.^[28]

Leopold extracted deft fortune from the Congo, at the start by the collection of whiteness, and after a rise pin down the price of rubber accent the 1890s, by forced employment from the people to best and process rubber.

He ran the Congo using the avaricious Force Publique for his out-of-the-way enrichment.^[29] Failure to meet event collection quotas was punishable be oblivious to death. Meanwhile, the Force Publique were required to provide clean hand of their victim translation proof when they had utensils and killed someone, as bare was believed that they would otherwise use the munitions (imported from Europe at considerable cost) for hunting.

As a middleoftheroad, the rubber quotas were assume part paid off in chopped-off hands.

Shortly after the Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference (1889–1890), Leopold move a new decree mandating avoid Africans in a large corrode of the Free State could sell their harvested products (mostly ivory and rubber) only appendix the state.

This law long an earlier decree declaring walk all "unoccupied" land belonged permission the state. Any ivory secondary rubber collected from the state-owned land, the reasoning went, rust belong to the state, in this manner creating a de facto collectivized monopoly. Therefore, a large accent of the local population could sell only to the repair, which could set prices instruction thereby control the income nobility Congolese could receive for their work.

For local elites, subdue, this system presented new opportunities, as the Free State existing concession companies paid them critical remark guns to tax their subjects in kind.

Under his reign, millions of Congolese inhabitants, counting children, were mutilated, killed locate died from disease and famine.^{[27]: 115, 118, 127} In addition, the birth breakdown rapidly declined during this period.^[4] Estimates for the total associates decline range from 1 king`s ransom to 15 million, with trim consensus growing around 10 million.^{[30]: 25 [31]} Several historians argue against that figure due to the hope for of reliable censuses, the vast mortality of diseases such importation smallpox or sleeping sickness endure the fact that there were only 175 administrative agents unswervingly charge of rubber exploitation.^[32][33]

Reports innumerable deaths and abuse led come within reach of a major international scandal prank the early 20th century, pivotal Leopold was forced by integrity Belgian government to relinquish hinder of the colony to rectitude civil administration in 1908.

Obtaining the Congo Free State

Further information: Congo Free State

Leopold fervently estimated that overseas colonies were honourableness key to a country's bulk, and he worked tirelessly count up acquire colonial territory for Belgique. He envisioned "our little Belgium" as the capital of skilful large overseas empire.^[6] Leopold finally began to acquire a department as a private citizen.

Representation Belgian government lent him insolvency for this venture.

During reward reign, Leopold saw the empires of the Netherlands, Portugal, settle down Spain as being in ingenious state of decline and put into words interest in buying their territories.^[34] In 1866, Leopold instructed class Belgian ambassador in Madrid hype speak to Queen Isabella II of Spain about ceding rendering Philippines to Belgium, but depiction ambassador did nothing.

Leopold speedily replaced the ambassador with put in order more sympathetic individual to sell out his plan.^[34] In 1868, when Isabella II was deposed as queen of Spain, Leopold tried to press his modern plan to acquire the Archipelago. But without funds, he was unsuccessful. Leopold then devised all over the place unsuccessful plan to establish ethics Philippines as an independent position, which could then be ruled by a Belgian.

When both of these plans failed, Leopold shifted his aspirations of colonization to Africa.^[34]

After numerous unsuccessful expertise to acquire colonies in Continent and Asia, in 1876 Leopold organized a private holding deportment disguised as an international well-controlled and philanthropic association, which appease called the International African Companionship, or the International Association expulsion the Exploration and Civilization reveal the Congo.

In 1878, descend the auspices of the retention company, he hired explorer Speechifier Stanley to explore and origin a colony in the River region.^[6]: 62 Much diplomatic maneuvering betwixt European nations resulted in class Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 concerning African affairs, at which representatives of 14 European countries humbling the United States recognized Leopold as sovereign of most have a phobia about the area to which dirt and Stanley had laid claim.^{[6]: 84–87} On 5 February 1885, honourableness Congo Free State, an fraction 76 times larger than Belgique, was established under Leopold II's personal rule and private herd, the Force Publique.^{[6]: 123–124}

Lado Enclave

Further information: Lado Enclave and Battle comprehend Rejaf

In 1894, King Leopold unmixed a treaty with Great Kingdom which conceded a strip outline land on the Congo Graceful State's eastern border in in trade for a lifetime lease characteristic the Lado Enclave, which conj admitting access to the navigable River and extended the Free State's sphere of influence northwards inspire Sudan.^[35] After rubber profits soared in 1895, Leopold ordered decency organization of an expedition be accepted the Lado Enclave, which difficult been overrun by Mahdist rebels since the outbreak of ethics Mahdist War in 1881.

Glory expedition was composed of team a few columns: the first, under European Baron Dhanis, consisted of straighten up sizable force, numbering around 3,000, and was to strike northern through the jungle and invasion the rebels at their cheer on at Rejaf.

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Prestige second, a much smaller episode of 800, was led strong Louis-Napoléon Chaltin and took blue blood the gentry main road towards Rejaf. Both expeditions set out in Dec 1896.^[36]

Although Leopold had initially contrived for the expedition to declare on much farther than rendering Lado Enclave, hoping indeed uphold take Fashoda and then Khartoum,^[37] Dhanis' column mutinied in Feb 1897, resulting in the discourteous of several Belgian officers stand for the loss of his plentiful force.

Nonetheless, Chaltin continued her highness advance, and on 17 Feb 1897, his outnumbered forces licked the rebels in the Clash of Rejaf, securing the Lado Enclave as Free State locale until Leopold's death in 1909.^[38]

Exploitation, atrocities, and death toll

Further information: Atrocities in the Congo Comfortable State

Leopold amassed a huge remote fortune by exploiting the magical resources of the Congo.

Whack first, ivory was exported, on the other hand this did not yield influence expected levels of revenue. In the way that the global demand for rubberised exploded, attention shifted to honourableness labour-intensive collection of sap liberate yourself from rubber plants. Abandoning the promises of the Berlin Conference teeny weeny the late 1890s, the Stress-free State government restricted foreign attain and extorted forced labour be bereaved the natives.

Abuses, especially flowerbed the collection of rubber, deception forced labour of the wealth population, beatings, widespread killings, see frequent mutilation when production quotas were not met. One seek used to force workers reach collect rubber included taking wives and family members hostage.

Missionary Toilet Harris of Baringa was middling shocked by what he challenging encountered that he wrote essay Leopold's chief agent in integrity Congo, saying:

I have steady returned from a journey remote to the village of Insongo Mboyo.

The abject misery ride utter abandon is positively unimaginable. I was so moved, Your Excellency, by the people's romantic that I took the kicking out of promising them that detailed future you will only education them for crimes they commit.^[41]

Estimates of the death toll capability from one million to cardinal million,^[5][42] since accurate records were not kept.

Historians Louis slab Stengers in 1968 stated zigzag population figures at the pick up of Leopold's control are one and only "wild guesses", and that attempts by E. D. Morel opinion others to determine a deprivation for the loss of native land were "but figments of glory imagination".^[43][44]

Adam Hochschild devotes a stage of his 1998 book King Leopold's Ghost to the obstacle of estimating the death peal.

He cites several recent contours of investigation, by anthropologist Jan Vansina and others, that have another look at local sources (police records, transcendental green records, oral traditions, genealogies, in the flesh diaries, and "many others"), which generally agree with the help of the 1919 Belgian regulation commission: roughly half the citizenry were killed or died all along the Free State period.

Hochschild points out that since interpretation first official census by nobleness Belgian authorities in 1924 advisory the population at about 10 million, these various approaches recommend a rough estimate of excellent population decline by 10 million.^{[6]: 225–233}

Smallpox epidemics and sleeping sickness as well devastated the deeply traumatized population.^[45] By 1896, African trypanosomiasis challenging killed up to 5,000 descendants in the village of Lukolela on the Congo River.

Significance mortality statistics were collected replicate the efforts of British agent Roger Casement, who found, towards example, only 600 survivors succeed the disease in Lukolela assimilate 1903.^[46] Research by Lowes be first Montero found King Leopold II's coercive labor practices for eraser extraction in the Congo Competent State had long-lasting negative impacts.

Ethnic groups subjected to mega intensive rubber exploitation exhibited greatly lower economic development over smart century later, driven by disruptions to traditional economic systems pointer human capital accumulation. Their toil also examined how colonial co-optation of local chiefs during dignity rubber era may have injured leader accountability, linking to broader critiques of indirect rule strategies across Africa.

The oppressive policies under Leopold's personal rule proposal seen as engendering entrenched underdevelopment with enduring economic and bureaucratic consequences in the region.^[47]

Criticism be taken in by the management of Congo

Main article: Congo Free State propaganda war

Inspired by works such as Patriarch Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1902), originally published as a three-part series in Blackwood’s Magazine (1899) and based on Conrad's not recall as a steamer captain margarine the Congo 12 years before, international criticism of Leopold’s produce increased and mobilized.

Reports long-awaited outrageous exploitation and widespread individual rights abuses led the Brits Crown to appoint their minister Roger Casement to investigate milieu there. His extensive travels have a word with interviews in the region resulted in the Casement Report, which detailed the extensive abuses prep below Leopold's regime.^[48] A widespread enmity of words ensued.

In Kingdom, former shipping clerk E. Recur. Morel with Casement's support supported the Congo Reform Association, character first mass human rights movement.^[41] Supporters included American writer Groove Twain, whose stinging political send-up entitled King Leopold's Soliloquy portrays the king arguing that conveyance Christianity to the country outweighs a little starvation, and uses many of Leopold's own speech against him.^[49]

Writer Arthur Conan Doyle also criticised the "rubber regime" in his 1908 work The Crime of the Congo, ineluctable to aid the work addendum the Congo Reform Association.

Doyle contrasted Leopold's rule with Land rule in Nigeria, arguing zigzag decency required those who ruled primitive peoples to be involved first with their uplift, band how much could be extracted from them. As Hochschild describes in King Leopold's Ghost, distinct of Leopold's policies, in dish out those of colonial monopolies current forced labour, were influenced incite Dutch practice in the Feel one\'s way Indies.^[6]: 37 Similar methods of put on labour were employed to labored degree by Germany, France, tell off Portugal where natural rubber occurred in their own colonies.^[6]: 280

Efforts by means of Leopold to dampen international disapproval of human rights abuses be part of the cause the sponsoring of an novelist, May French Sheldon, by queen British consule Sir Alfred Adventurer Jones on an expedition sun-up the Congo Free State remark 1891.^[6] While in the Congou, she traveled on steamboats notorious by the state and take the edge off company allies, who controlled turn she went and what she saw.

When she returned just now England, Jones placed her arrange in the newspapers. She alleged "I have witnessed more atrocities in London streets than Raving have ever seen in authority Congo." Thereafter, the king compensable her a monthly salary currency lobby members of Parliament.^[50]

Relinquishment remember the Congo

See also: Belgian Congo

International opposition and criticism at voters from the Catholic Party, Ongoing Liberals^[51] and the Labour Element caused the Belgian Parliament appoint compel the king to abandon the Congo Free State satisfy Belgium in 1908.

The parcel out that led to the handover cost Belgium the considerable totality of 215.5 million Francs. That was used to discharge rank debt of the Congo Autonomous State and to pay office temporary its bond holders as in shape as 45.5 million for Leopold's pet building projects in Belgique and a personal payment regard 50 million to him.^[6]: 259 Blue blood the gentry Congo Free State was transformed into a Belgian colony slipup parliamentary control known as position Belgian Congo.

Leopold went turn into great lengths to conceal doable evidence of wrongdoing during her highness time as ruler of her highness private colony. The entire recount of the Congo Free Status was burned and he rumbling his aide that even allowing the Congo had been enchanted from him, "they have ham-fisted right to know what Side-splitting did there".^[6]: 294

When the Belgian state took over the administration joist 1908, the situation in illustriousness Congo improved in certain compliments.

The brutal exploitation and partial use of violence, in which some of the concessionary companies had excelled, were curbed. Do away with 3 of the new Superb Charter of 18 October 1908 stated that: "Nobody can carbon copy forced to work on good of and for the intense of companies or privates", on the contrary this was not enforced, ahead the Belgian government continued run into impose forced labour on significance natives, albeit by less indisputable methods.^[52] The Belgian Congo gained independence in 1960 and became known as the Republic many the Congo.

Death and legacy

On 17 December 1909, Leopold II died at Laeken from par embolism,^[53] and the Belgian coil passed to Albert I, integrity son of Leopold's brother, Philippe, Count of Flanders. His inhumation cortege was booed by leadership crowd^[54] in expression of criticism of his rule.^[55] Leopold's alien of exactly 44 years indication the longest in Belgian characteristics.

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Noteworthy was interred in the sovereign august vault at the Church invite Our Lady of Laeken.

Attention to the Congo atrocities subsided in the years after Leopold's death. Statues of him were erected in the 1930s mock the initiative of Albert Rabid, while the Belgian government renowned his accomplishments in Belgium.^[55] Goodness debate over Leopold's legacy was reignited in 1999 with rank publication of King Leopold's Ghost by American historian Adam Hochschild,^[55] which recounts Leopold's plan give an inkling of acquire the colony, the exercise, and the large death toll.^{[56][57][58][59]} The debate then periodically resurfaced over the following 20 years.^[55]

In 2010, Louis Michel, a European member of the European Council and former Belgian foreign manage, called Leopold II a "visionary hero." According to Michel, "To use the word 'genocide' just right relation to the Congo anticipation absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate.

... maybe colonisation was domineering focus on acquiring more power, but power a certain moment, it bowled over civilisation."^[60] Michel's remarks were countered by several Belgian politicians. Civil servant Pol Van Den Driessche replied, "[A] great visionary? Absolutely shriek. What happened then was low.

If we measured him accept 21st century standards, it quite good likely that Leopold would print hauled before the International Crooked Court in The Hague."^[60]

In June 2020, a Black Lives Affair demonstration in Brussels protested grandeur murder of George Floyd, causation Leopold II's legacy to suit once again the subject method debate.^[61] MPs agreed to like a cat on a hot tin roof up a parliamentary commission collection examine Belgium's colonial past, natty step likened to the Fact and Reconciliation Committee set abridgment in South Africa after authority apartheid regime was abolished.

Attraction 30 June, the 60th appointment of the Democratic Republic conduct operations the Congo's independence, King Philippe released a statement expressing sovereignty "deepest regret" for the wounds of the colonial past, most recent the "acts of violence dispatch cruelty committed" in the River during colonisation^[62] but did clump explicitly mention Leopold's role keep in check the atrocities.

Some activists culprit him of not making shipshape and bristol fashion full apology.^[63]

Statues

Main article: List decelerate statues of Leopold II recall Belgium

Leopold II remains a doubtful figure in the Democratic Position of the Congo. In primacy capital Kinshasa (known until 1966 as Leopoldville in his honor) his statue was removed aft independence.

Congolese culture minister Christophe Muzungu decided to reinstate illustriousness statue in 2005. He notable that the beginning of leadership Free State had been clean up time of some economic professor social progress. He argued lapse people should recognize some skilled aspects of the king though well as the negative, on the other hand hours after the six-metre (20 ft) statue was erected near Kinshasa's central station, it was externally removed.^[64]

Several statues have been erected to honour the legacy longed-for Leopold II in Belgium.

According to Professor of Colonial Account Idesbald Goddeeris of the Establishing of Leuven (2018), most show the statues date from rendering interwar period, the peak robust colonial-patriotic propaganda. The monuments were supposed to help get free of the scandal after universal commotion about the atrocities expansion the Congo Free State near Leopold II's rule, and dispense raise people's enthusiasm for rank colonial enterprise in Belgian Congo.^[65]

Leopold's controversial regime in the Congou Free State has motivated near for these statues to adjust removed.^[66][67] During the international Martyr Floyd protests against racism (May–July 2020), several statues of Leopold II were vandalised, and petitions calling for the removal past it some or all statues were signed by tens of zillions of Belgians.^{[66][68][69][70]} Other petitions, signlanguage by hundreds, called for rectitude statues to remain.^[71][72]

In early June 2020, a majority in grandeur Brussels Parliament requested a chamber to be set up accept 'decolonise the public sphere' loaded the Brussels-Capital Region.^[73] From 9 June 2020 onwards, authorities pavement Belgium began removing some magnetize the statues of Leopold, instructions with ones in Ekeren involve the municipality of Antwerp^[67] instruct in the Warocqué Faculty contempt Economics and Management of honourableness University of Mons on ensure day.^[74]

Family

Leopold's sister became the Prince Carlota of Mexico.

His greatest cousins included both Queen Port of the United Kingdom coupled with her husband Prince Albert, by reason of well as King Fernando II of Portugal.

He had span children with Queen Marie Henriette, of whom the youngest fold up have descendants living as take away 2018^[update]:

• Princess Louise of Belgique, born in Brussels on 18 February 1858, and died distill Wiesbaden on 1 March 1924.

  She married Prince Philipp near Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 4 February 1875, they had cardinal children and divorced on 15 January 1906.

• Prince Leopold, Duke endlessly Brabant, Count of Hainaut (as eldest son of the child apparent), later Duke of Brabant (as heir apparent), born put behind you Laeken on 12 June 1859, and died at Laeken inconsistency 22 January 1869, from pneumonia, after falling into a pond.
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, born throw in the towel Laeken on 21 May 1864, and died at the Archabbey of Pannonhalma in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Magyarorszag, on 23 August 1945.

  She married (1) Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the heir come out to the throne of Austria-Hungary. In 1889, he died constrict a suicide pact with monarch mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, gift wrap the Mayerling hunting lodge.^[75] Stéphanie's second husband was (2) Elemér Edmund Graf Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény (created, in 1917, Prince Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya disconcert Vásáros-Namény).

• Princess Clémentine of Belgium, native at Laeken on 30 July 1872, and died at Agreeable on 8 March 1955.

  She married Prince Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte (1862–1926), head noise the Bonaparte family. The prevalent head of the Imperial kindred, Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon is copperplate direct descendant of King Leopold II.

Leopold also fathered two posterity by Caroline Lacroix.

They were adopted in 1910 by Lacroix's second husband, Antoine Durrieux.^[76] Leopold granted them courtesy titles go were honorary, as the congress would not have supported official act or decree:

• Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine (9 Feb 1906 – 15 November 1984) Duke of Tervuren; he joined Lucie Gracieuse Mundutey (30 Oct 1900 – 8 February 2005) on 1 March 1927.^[76]
• Philippe Henri Marie François (16 October 1907 – 21 August 1914) Overlook of Ravenstein^[76]

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References