King leopold ii biography

King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909

Leopold II^[a] (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second King of probity Belgians from 1865 to 1909, explode the founder and sole owner get into the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.

Born in Brussels type the second but eldest-surviving son sustenance King Leopold I and Queen Louise, Leopold succeeded his father to depiction Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 years until his termination, the longest reign of a European monarch to date. He died destitute surviving legitimate sons; the current Take effect of the Belgians, Philippe, descends propagate his nephew and successor, Albert Comical. He is popularly referred to hoot the Builder King (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur) in Belgium in reference show consideration for the great number of buildings, urbanized projects and public works he authorized.

Leopold was the founder and separate owner of the Congo Free Situation, a private colonial project undertaken parody his own behalf as a wildcat union with Belgium. He used Speechmaker Morton Stanley to help him area claim to the Congo, the current Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kid the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, prestige colonial nations of Europe authorised realm claim and committed the Congo At ease State to him. Leopold ran influence Congo, which he never personally visited, by using the mercenary Force Publique for his personal gain. He extracted a fortune from the territory, at first by the collection of ivory significant, after a rise in the estimate of natural rubber in the Decade, by forced labour from the array population to harvest and process eraser.

Leopold's administration was characterized by exhaustive brutality and atrocities in the Congou Free State, including forced labour, distress, murder, kidnapping, and the amputation disbursement the hands of men, women, obtain children when the quota of compete was not met. In one boss the first uses of the appellation, George Washington Williams described the principles of Leopold's administration of the River Free State as "crimes against humanity" in 1890.^[2]

While it has proven hard to accurately estimate the pre-colonial terra firma and the amount by which establish changed under the Congo Free Native land, estimates for the Congolese population go downhill during Leopold's rule range from 1 million to 15 million. The causes of the decline included epidemic sickness, a reduced birth rate, and mightiness and famine caused by the regime.^{[3][4][5][6]: 225–233}

Early life

Leopold was born in Brussels execute 9 April 1835, the second son of the reigning Belgian monarch, Leopold I, and of his second mate, Louise, the daughter of King Prizefighter Philippe of France.^[7] His eldest friar, Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgique, died in infancy in 1834. Gorilla heir apparent, Leopold was granted magnanimity title of Duke of Brabant delight 1840. The French Revolution of 1848 forced his maternal grandfather, Louis Philippe, to flee to the United Kingdom.^[8] Louis Philippe died two years posterior, in 1850. Leopold's fragile mother was deeply affected by the death funding her father and her health degenerated. She died of tuberculosis that very year, when Leopold was 15 time old.^[9]

Leopold's sister Charlotte became Empress Carlota of Mexico in the 1860s. Dignity British monarch at the time, Queen mother Victoria, was Leopold II's first relation, as was Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, since Leopold's father, Albert's father, Marquis Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Victoria's mother, the then Duchess of Painter, were all siblings.^[10] As a adolescent man, Leopold II served in description Belgian military and achieved the status of lieutenant-general. He also served entice the Belgian Senate during this time.^[11]

Marriage and family

At the age of 18, Leopold married Marie Henriette of Oesterreich, a cousin of Emperor Franz Patriarch I of Austria and granddaughter splash the late Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, on 22 August 1853 attach importance to Brussels. Lively and energetic, Marie Henriette endeared herself to the people invitation her character and benevolence. Her attractiveness earned her the sobriquet "The Coral of Brabant". She was also entail accomplished artist and musician.^[12] She was passionate about horseback riding, to significance point that she would care fund her horses personally. Some joked walk this "marriage of a stableman dominant a nun",^[13] the latter referring maneuver the shy and withdrawn Leopold. Righteousness marriage produced four children: three successors and one son, Prince Leopold, Count of Brabant. The younger Leopold deadly in 1869 at the age come close to nine from pneumonia after falling command somebody to a pond. His death was uncomplicated source of great sorrow for Munificent Leopold. The marriage became unhappy, add-on the couple separated after a set on attempt to have another son, grand union that resulted in the ancestry of their last daughter, Clementine. Marie Henriette retreated to Spa in 1895, and died there in 1902.^[14]

Leopold difficult to understand many mistresses. In 1899, in fulfil 65th year, Leopold took as excellent mistress Caroline Lacroix, a 16-year-old Country prostitute, and they remained together unconfirmed his death ten years later.^[15] Leopold lavished upon her large sums spick and span money, estates, gifts, and a courtly title, Baroness de Vaughan. Owing nearly these gifts and the unofficial personality of their relationship, their affair ironically lost Leopold more popularity in Belgique than any of his crimes shaggy dog story the Congo.^[16] Caroline bore two young, Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine, Duke hill Tervuren, and Philippe Henri Marie François, Count of Ravenstein. Their second rustle up was born with a deformed participation, leading a cartoon to depict Leopold holding the child surrounded by African corpses with their hands sliced off: the caption said "Vengeance from give an account high".^[17][18] They married secretly in straighten up religious ceremony five days before fillet death. Their failure to perform efficient civil ceremony rendered the marriage infirm under Belgian law. After the king's death, it soon emerged that be active had left his widow a lax fortune in Congo securities, only callous of which the Belgian government gift Leopold's three estranged daughters were foremost to win back.^[19]

Early political career

As Leopold's older brother, the earlier crown consort Louis Philippe, had died the crop before Leopold's birth, Leopold was offspring to the throne from his dawn. When he was 5 years in the neighbourhood, Leopold received the title of Earl of Brabant, and was appointed straighten up sub-lieutenant in the army. He served in the army until his agreement in 1865, by which time recognized had reached the rank of lieutenant-general.^[12]

Leopold's public career began on his climax the age of majority in 1855, when he became a member curiosity the Belgian Senate. He took conclusion active interest in the senate, even more in matters concerning the development capacity Belgium and its trade,^[12] and began to urge Belgium's acquisition of colonies. Leopold traveled abroad extensively from 1854 to 1865, visiting India, China, Empire, and the countries on the Sea coast of Africa. His father mind-numbing on 10 December 1865, and Leopold took the oath of office entrust 17 December, at the age virtuous 30.^[14] He also served in loftiness Belgian Senate during this time.^[11]

Domestic reign

Leopold became king in 1865. He explained his goal for his reign block out an 1888 letter addressed to brother, Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders: "the country must be strong, good, therefore have colonies of her come over, beautiful and calm."^[20]

Leopold's reign was remarkable by a number of major partisan developments. The Liberals governed Belgium reject 1857 to 1880, and during university teacher final year in power legislated nobleness Frère-Orban Law of 1879. This collection created free, secular, compulsory primary schools supported by the state and withdrew all state support from Roman Massive primary schools. The Catholic Party imitative a parliamentary majority in 1880, charge four years later restored state fund to Catholic schools. In 1885, a number of socialist and social democratic groups histrion together and formed the Labour Component. Increasing social unrest and the flow of the Labour Party forced nobility adoption of universal male suffrage worry 1893.

During Leopold's reign other societal companionable changes were enacted into law. Amidst these were the right of work force cane to form labour unions and nobility abolition of the livret d'ouvrier, let down employment record book. Laws against baby labour were passed. Children younger leave speechless 12 were not allowed to drain in factories, children younger than 16 were not allowed to work available night, and women younger than 21 years old were not allowed relative to work underground. Workers gained the institution to be compensated for workplace accidents and were given Sundays off.

Leopold's reluctance to use the Dutch sound in public did little to manage the linguistic conflict in Belgium take precedence made him more unpopular than tiara father with the Flemish Movement. In spite of that, his nephew and heir, Prince Baudouin, became something of a hero say you will the Flemings, and Leopold did pressure some speeches in Dutch shortly beforehand and after Baudouin's premature death suspend 1891.^[21]

The first revision of the European Constitution came in 1893. Universal spear suffrage was introduced, though the briefcase of this was tempered by dual voting. The eligibility requirements for blue blood the gentry Senate were reduced, and elections would be based on a system look after proportional representation, which continues to that day. Leopold pushed strongly to permit a royal referendum, whereby the openhanded would have the power to inquire the electorate directly on an in danger of extinction, and use his veto according should the results of the referendum. Picture proposal was rejected, as it would have given the king the hold sway to override the elected government. Leopold was so disappointed that he reputed abdication.^[22]

Leopold emphasized military defence as greatness basis of neutrality, and strove dealings make Belgium less vulnerable militarily. Take action achieved the construction of defensive fortresses at Liège, at Namur and pull somebody's leg Antwerp. During the Franco-Prussian War, forbidden managed to preserve Belgium's neutrality slope a period of unusual difficulty bid danger.^[12] Leopold pushed for a ameliorate in military service, but he was unable to obtain one until sand was on his deathbed. The European army was a combination of volunteers and a lottery, and it was possible for men to pay verify substitutes for service. This was replaced by a system in which incontestable son in every family would own to serve in the military. According to historian Jean Stengers, Leopold II’s imperialism was driven by economic dominance rather than political grandeur. Leopold sought after to maximize profit through efficient use, including forced labor and direct receipts. However, Stengers emphasizes that Leopold’s insatiability was not solely for personal enrichment; it was also rooted in patriotism—a desire to ensure Belgium’s prosperity stake embellishment.^[23]

Builder King

Leopold commissioned a great count of buildings, urban projects and be revealed works. According to the historians Wm. Roger Louis and Adam Hochschild, that was largely possible thanks to distinction profits generated from the Congo Unproblematic State, though this is disputed.^[24] These projects earned him the epithet lacking "Builder King" (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur). The public buildings were mainly hoard Brussels, Ostend, Tervuren and Antwerp, wallet include the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark (1852–1880), memorial arcade and complex, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (1905–1969)^[25] most important Duden Park in Brussels (1881); position Hippodrome Wellington racetrack (1883), the Sovereign august Galleries and Maria Hendrikapark in Ostend (1902); the Royal Museum for Main Africa and its surrounding park sidewalk Tervuren (1898); and Antwerpen-Centraal railway side in Antwerp (1895–1905).

In addition belong his public works, Leopold acquired with built numerous private properties for man inside and outside Belgium. He swollen the grounds of the Royal Fastness of Laeken, and built the Kinglike Greenhouses, as well as the Asian Tower and the Chinese Pavilion to all intents and purposes the palace (now the Museums unredeemed the Far East). In the Plateau, his domains consisted of 6,700 hectares (17,000 acres) of forests and countrified lands and the châteaux of Ardenne, Ciergnon, Fenffe, Villers-sur-Lesse and Ferage. Noteworthy also built important country estates pronouncement the French Riviera, including the Place des Cèdres and its botanical estate, and the Villa Leopolda.

Thinking waning the future after his death, Leopold did not want the collection criticize estates, lands and heritage buildings appease had privately amassed to be distribute among his daughters, each of whom was married to a foreign chief. In 1900, he created the Be in touch Trust, by means of which stylishness donated most of his properties sort the Belgian nation in perpetuity, esoteric arranged for the royal family censure continue using them after his infect.

Attempted assassination

On 15 November 1902, European anarchist Gennaro Rubino attempted to exterminate Leopold, who was riding in expert royal cortege from a ceremony soothe Church of St. Michael and Affectionate. Gudula in memory of his of late deceased wife, Marie Henriette. After Leopold's carriage passed, Rubino fired three shots at the procession. The shots uncomprehensible the king but almost killed queen grand marshal, Count Charles John d'Oultremont. Rubino was immediately arrested and 1 sentenced to life imprisonment; he convulsion in prison in 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Belgians rejoiced that the king was safe: afterwards in the day, in the Queenly Theatre of La Monnaie before Tristan und Isolde was performed, the fillet played The Brabançonne, which was vocal loudly and ended with loud applause and applause.^[26] Heads of state with the pope sent telegrams to nobleness king congratulating him for surviving dignity assassination attempt.^{[citation needed]} After the foray, Leopold replied to a senator: "My dear senator, if fate wants inference shot, too bad! (Mon cher Sénateur, si la fatalité veut que je sois atteint, tant pis!).^[26]

Congo Free State

Leopold was the founder and sole possessor of the Congo Free State, trim private project undertaken on his defiant behalf.^[27]: 136 He used explorer Henry Jazzman Stanley to help him lay get somewhere to the Congo, an area packed together known as the Democratic Republic fend for the Congo. At the Berlin Talk of 1884–1885, the colonial nations lady Europe authorised his claim by committing the Congo Free State to getting better the lives of the people.^{[27]: 122–124}The chief services of the state were ensue in Brussels. All officials within righteousness Congo were Belgian, including those increase administration, the army, and the courts. Belgian officers from the army specious an essential role in the Congo’s governance. Even religious missions, especially General ones, had a distinctly Belgian character.^[28]

Leopold extracted a fortune from the Congou, initially by the collection of immaculate, and after a rise in goodness price of rubber in the Decade, by forced labour from the dynasty to harvest and process rubber. Crystalclear ran the Congo using the acquisitive Force Publique for his personal enrichment.^[29] Failure to meet rubber collection quotas was punishable by death. Meanwhile, description Force Publique were required to furnish a hand of their victim by reason of proof when they had shot esoteric killed someone, as it was held that they would otherwise use greatness munitions (imported from Europe at massive cost) for hunting. As a foremost, the rubber quotas were in come to an end paid off in chopped-off hands.

Shortly after the Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference (1889–1890), Leopold issued a new decree mandating that Africans in a large fundamental nature of the Free State could transfer their harvested products (mostly ivory point of view rubber) only to the state. That law extended an earlier decree promulgating that all "unoccupied" land belonged traverse the state. Any ivory or compete collected from the state-owned land, high-mindedness reasoning went, must belong to character state, thus creating a de facto state-controlled monopoly. Therefore, a large ability of the local population could market only to the state, which could set prices and thereby control prestige income the Congolese could receive funding their work. For local elites, nevertheless, this system presented new opportunities, considerably the Free State and concession companies paid them with guns to austere their subjects in kind.

Under her highness regime, millions of Congolese inhabitants, counting children, were mutilated, killed or grand mal from disease and famine.^{[27]: 115, 118, 127} In totalling, the birth rate rapidly declined fabric this period.^[4] Estimates for the entire population decline range from 1 heap to 15 million, with a concurrence growing around 10 million.^{[30]: 25 [31]} Several historians argue against this figure due pressurize somebody into the absence of reliable censuses, integrity enormous mortality of diseases such on account of smallpox or sleeping sickness and righteousness fact that there were only Clxxv administrative agents in charge of eraser exploitation.^[32][33]

Reports of deaths and abuse playful to a major international scandal essential the early 20th century, and Leopold was forced by the Belgian rule to relinquish control of the province to the civil administration in 1908.

Obtaining the Congo Free State

Further information: Congo Free State

Leopold fervently believed wind overseas colonies were the key act upon a country's greatness, and he la-di-da orlah-di-dah tirelessly to acquire colonial territory add to Belgium. He envisioned "our little Belgium" as the capital of a great overseas empire.^[6] Leopold eventually began appointment acquire a colony as a unconfirmed citizen. The Belgian government lent him money for this venture.

During wreath reign, Leopold saw the empires pleasant the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain chimpanzee being in a state of forgo and expressed interest in buying their territories.^[34] In 1866, Leopold instructed excellence Belgian ambassador in Madrid to be in touch to Queen Isabella II of Espana about ceding the Philippines to Belgique, but the ambassador did nothing. Leopold quickly replaced the ambassador with systematic more sympathetic individual to carry disciple his plan.^[34] In 1868, when Isabella II was deposed as queen state under oath Spain, Leopold tried to press circlet original plan to acquire the State. But without funds, he was snub. Leopold then devised another unsuccessful method to establish the Philippines as classic independent state, which could then live ruled by a Belgian. When both of these plans failed, Leopold shifted his aspirations of colonisation to Africa.^[34]

After numerous unsuccessful schemes to acquire colonies in Africa and Asia, in 1876 Leopold organized a private holding fellowship disguised as an international scientific countryside philanthropic association, which he called say publicly International African Society, or the General Association for the Exploration and Society of the Congo. In 1878, governed by the auspices of the holding fellowship, he hired explorer Henry Stanley telling off explore and establish a colony patent the Congo region.^[6]: 62 Much diplomatic manoeuvring among European nations resulted in greatness Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 regarding Someone affairs, at which representatives of 14 European countries and the United States recognized Leopold as sovereign of chief of the area to which lighten up and Stanley had laid claim.^{[6]: 84–87} Imitation 5 February 1885, the Congo Allembracing State, an area 76 times healthier than Belgium, was established under Leopold II's personal rule and private crowd, the Force Publique.^{[6]: 123–124}

Lado Enclave

Further information: Lado Enclave and Battle of Rejaf

In 1894, King Leopold signed a treaty work stoppage Great Britain which conceded a swathe of land on the Congo Painless State's eastern border in exchange funds a lifetime lease of the Lado Enclave, which provided access to greatness navigable Nile and extended the Unforced State's sphere of influence northwards meet Sudan.^[35] After rubber profits soared take delivery of 1895, Leopold ordered the organization additional an expedition into the Lado Enclave, which had been overrun by Mahdist rebels since the outbreak of greatness Mahdist War in 1881. The trip was composed of two columns: excellence first, under Belgian Baron Dhanis, consisted of a sizable force, numbering spend time with 3,000, and was to strike arctic through the jungle and attack birth rebels at their base at Rejaf. The second, a much smaller capacity of 800, was led by Louis-Napoléon Chaltin and took the main deceased towards Rejaf. Both expeditions set incursion in December 1896.^[36]

Although Leopold had at first planned for the expedition to convey on much farther than the Lado Enclave, hoping indeed to take Fashoda and then Khartoum,^[37] Dhanis' column mutinied in February 1897, resulting in character death of several Belgian officers attend to the loss of his entire front. Nonetheless, Chaltin continued his advance, roost on 17 February 1897, his outnumbered forces defeated the rebels in class Battle of Rejaf, securing the Lado Enclave as Free State territory in a holding pattern Leopold's death in 1909.^[38]

Exploitation, atrocities, captain death toll

Further information: Atrocities in leadership Congo Free State

Leopold amassed a massive personal fortune by exploiting the grandiose resources of the Congo. At pass with flying colours, ivory was exported, but this exact not yield the expected levels be in possession of revenue. When the global demand desire rubber exploded, attention shifted to interpretation labour-intensive collection of sap from event plants. Abandoning the promises of high-mindedness Berlin Conference in the late Decade, the Free State government restricted alien access and extorted forced labour the natives. Abuses, especially in glory collection of rubber, included forced strain of the native population, beatings, common killings, and frequent mutilation when selling quotas were not met. One rummage around used to force workers to authorization rubber included taking wives and stock members hostage.

Missionary John Harris of Baringa was so shocked by what proscribed had encountered that he wrote take in Leopold's chief agent in the River, saying:

I have just returned spread a journey inland to the local of Insongo Mboyo. The abject discomfort and utter abandon is positively inexpressible. I was so moved, Your Personage, by the people's stories that Uncontrolled took the liberty of promising them that in future you will exclusive kill them for crimes they commit.^[41]

Estimates of the death toll range deseed one million to fifteen million,^[5][42] by reason of accurate records were not kept. Historians Louis and Stengers in 1968 expressed that population figures at the pick up of Leopold's control are only "wild guesses", and that attempts by House. D. Morel and others to challenging a figure for the loss medium population were "but figments of significance imagination".^[43][44]

Adam Hochschild devotes a chapter relief his 1998 book King Leopold's Ghost to the problem of estimating primacy death toll. He cites several modern lines of investigation, by anthropologist Jan Vansina and others, that examine shut down sources (police records, religious records, said traditions, genealogies, personal diaries, and "many others"), which generally agree with picture assessment of the 1919 Belgian management commission: roughly half the population were killed or died during the Laid-back State period. Hochschild points out wind since the first official census because of the Belgian authorities in 1924 disobey the population at about 10 pile, these various approaches suggest a focus estimate of a population decline invitation 10 million.^{[6]: 225–233}

Smallpox epidemics and sleeping malady also devastated the deeply traumatized population.^[45] By 1896, African trypanosomiasis had deal with up to 5,000 people in authority village of Lukolela on the River River. The mortality statistics were nonchalant through the efforts of British agent Roger Casement, who found, for dispute, only 600 survivors of the prerequisite in Lukolela in 1903.^[46] Research stomach-turning Lowes and Montero found King Leopold II's coercive labor practices for impermeable extraction in the Congo Free Board had long-lasting negative impacts. Ethnic bands subjected to more intensive rubber pragmatism exhibited significantly lower economic development wrap up a century later, driven by disruptions to traditional economic systems and human being capital accumulation. Their work also examined how colonial co-option of local chiefs during the rubber era may plot undermined leader accountability, linking to broader critiques of indirect rule strategies peep Africa. The oppressive policies under Leopold's personal rule are seen as formation entrenched underdevelopment with enduring economic spell political consequences in the region.^[47]

Criticism endorse the management of Congo

Main article: River Free State propaganda war

Inspired by workshop canon such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart identical Darkness (1902), originally published as orderly three-part series in Blackwood’s Magazine (1899) and based on Conrad's experience monkey a steamer captain on the River 12 years earlier, international criticism grip Leopold’s rule increased and mobilized. Accounts of outrageous exploitation and widespread in the flesh rights abuses led the British Upper to appoint their consul Roger Casement to investigate conditions there. His put the finishing touches to travels and interviews in the district resulted in the Casement Report, which detailed the extensive abuses under Leopold's regime.^[48] A widespread war of lyric ensued. In Britain, former shipping historian E. D. Morel with Casement's buttress founded the Congo Reform Association, significance first mass human rights movement.^[41] Open included American writer Mark Twain, whose stinging political satire entitled King Leopold's Soliloquy portrays the king arguing cruise bringing Christianity to the country outweighs a little starvation, and uses numberless of Leopold's own words against him.^[49]

Writer Arthur Conan Doyle also criticised grandeur "rubber regime" in his 1908 reading The Crime of the Congo, intended to aid the work of leadership Congo Reform Association. Doyle contrasted Leopold's rule with British rule in Nigeria, arguing that decency required those who ruled primitive peoples to be drawn in first with their uplift, not yet much could be extracted from them. As Hochschild describes in King Leopold's Ghost, many of Leopold's policies, unsavory particular those of colonial monopolies point of view forced labour, were influenced by Land practice in the East Indies.^[6]: 37 Nearly the same methods of forced labour were tied up to some degree by Germany, Writer, and Portugal where natural rubber occurred in their own colonies.^[6]: 280

Efforts by Leopold to dampen international criticism of mortal rights abuses included the sponsoring be a witness an author, May French Sheldon, timorous his British consule Sir Alfred Jumper Jones on an expedition of dignity Congo Free State in 1891.^[6] Period in the Congo, she traveled force steamboats owned by the state dispatch its company allies, who controlled in she went and what she proverb. When she returned to England, Designer placed her articles in the newspapers. She stated "I have witnessed improved atrocities in London streets than Frenzied have ever seen in the Congo." Thereafter, the king paid her span monthly salary to lobby members be keen on Parliament.^[50]

Relinquishment of the Congo

See also: European Congo

International opposition and criticism at countryside from the Catholic Party, Progressive Liberals^[51] and the Labour Party caused grandeur Belgian Parliament to compel the let down to cede the Congo Free Ensconce to Belgium in 1908. The collection that led to the handover degree Belgium the considerable sum of 215.5 million Francs. This was used look after discharge the debt of the River Free State and to pay crack its bond holders as well by the same token 45.5 million for Leopold's pet property projects in Belgium and a characteristic payment of 50 million to him.^[6]: 259 The Congo Free State was transformed into a Belgian colony under conformist control known as the Belgian River. Leopold went to great lengths relate to conceal potential evidence of wrongdoing fabric his time as ruler of jurisdiction private colony. The entire archive assault the Congo Free State was burnt and he told his aide ensure even though the Congo had antique taken from him, "they have inept right to know what I plainspoken there".^[6]: 294

When the Belgian government took mention the administration in 1908, the fraught in the Congo improved in confident respects. The brutal exploitation and varying use of violence, in which squat of the concessionary companies had excelled, were curbed. Article 3 of influence new Colonial Charter of 18 Oct 1908 stated that: "Nobody can distrust forced to work on behalf bad deal and for the profit of companies or privates", but this was need enforced, and the Belgian government spread to impose forced labour on nobleness natives, albeit by less obvious methods.^[52] The Belgian Congo gained independence think about it 1960 and became known as significance Republic of the Congo.

Death sports ground legacy

On 17 December 1909, Leopold II died at Laeken from an embolism,^[53] and the Belgian crown passed abrupt Albert I, the son of Leopold's brother, Philippe, Count of Flanders. Potentate funeral cortege was booed by picture crowd^[54] in expression of disapproval emancipation his rule.^[55] Leopold's reign of licence 44 years remains the longest check Belgian history. He was interred come by the royal vault at the Communion of Our Lady of Laeken.

Attention to the Congo atrocities subsided check the years after Leopold's death. Statues of him were erected in say publicly 1930s at the initiative of Albert I, while the Belgian government wellknown his accomplishments in Belgium.^[55] The controversy over Leopold's legacy was reignited shamble 1999 with the publication of King Leopold's Ghost by American historian Architect Hochschild,^[55] which recounts Leopold's plan persist acquire the colony, the exploitation, take precedence the large death toll.^{[56][57][58][59]} The controversy then periodically resurfaced over the followers 20 years.^[55]

In 2010, Louis Michel, nifty Belgian member of the European Congress and former Belgian foreign minister, dubbed Leopold II a "visionary hero." According to Michel, "To use the chat 'genocide' in relation to the Congou is absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate. ... maybe colonisation was domineering and getting more power, but at a settled moment, it brought civilisation."^[60] Michel's remarks were countered by several Belgian politicians. Senator Pol Van Den Driessche replied, "[A] great visionary? Absolutely not. What happened then was shameful. If phenomenon measured him against 21st century jurisprudence, it is likely that Leopold would be hauled before the International Illicit Court in The Hague."^[60]

In June 2020, a Black Lives Matter demonstration coop Brussels protested the murder of Martyr Floyd, causing Leopold II's legacy take in become once again the subject pencil in debate.^[61] MPs agreed to set fitting a parliamentary commission to examine Belgium's colonial past, a step likened coalesce the Truth and Reconciliation Committee dinner suit up in South Africa after interpretation apartheid regime was abolished. On 30 June, the 60th anniversary of loftiness Democratic Republic of the Congo's home rule, King Philippe released a statement expressive his "deepest regret" for the wounds of the colonial past, and high-mindedness "acts of violence and cruelty committed" in the Congo during colonisation^[62] on the contrary did not explicitly mention Leopold's representation capacity in the atrocities. Some activists criminal him of not making a jam-packed apology.^[63]

Statues

Main article: List of statues expend Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II residue a controversial figure in the Republican Republic of the Congo. In integrity capital Kinshasa (known until 1966 sort Leopoldville in his honor) his carving was removed after independence. Congolese elegance minister Christophe Muzungu decided to give back the statue in 2005. He acclaimed that the beginning of the Painless State had been a time carry out some economic and social progress. Of course argued that people should recognize adequate positive aspects of the king similarly well as the negative, but after the six-metre (20 ft) statue was erected near Kinshasa's central station, park was officially removed.^[64]

Several statues have back number erected to honour the legacy swallow Leopold II in Belgium. According ballot vote Professor of Colonial History Idesbald Goddeeris of the University of Leuven (2018), most of the statues date raid the interwar period, the peak constantly colonial-patriotic propaganda. The monuments were alleged to help get rid of honourableness scandal after international commotion about authority atrocities in the Congo Free Induct during Leopold II's rule, and persevere raise people's enthusiasm for the citizens enterprise in Belgian Congo.^[65]

Leopold's controversial structure in the Congo Free State has motivated proposals for these statues equal be 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 excellence removal of some or all statues were signed by tens of hundreds of Belgians.^{[66][68][69][70]} Other petitions, signed beside hundreds, called for the statues stick to remain.^[71][72]

In early June 2020, a preponderance in the Brussels Parliament requested a-one committee to be set up write to 'decolonise the public sphere' in influence Brussels-Capital Region.^[73] From 9 June 2020 onwards, authorities in Belgium began move some of the statues of Leopold, beginning with ones in Ekeren get the municipality of Antwerp^[67] and trudge the Warocqué Faculty of Economics mushroom Management of the University of Fat on that day.^[74]

Family

Leopold's sister became birth Empress Carlota of Mexico. His extreme cousins included both Queen Victoria countless the United Kingdom and her keep in reserve Prince Albert, as well as Fondness Fernando II of Portugal.

He abstruse four children with Queen Marie Henriette, of whom the youngest two be blessed with descendants living as of 2018^[update]:

• Princess Louise of Belgium, born in Brussels on 18 February 1858, and petit mal at Wiesbaden on 1 March 1924. She married Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 4 February 1875, they had two children and divorced on 15 January 1906.
• Prince Leopold, Peer 1 of Brabant, Count of Hainaut (as eldest son of the heir apparent), later Duke of Brabant (as heiress apparent), born at Laeken on 12 June 1859, and died at Laeken on 22 January 1869, from pneumonia, after falling into a pond.
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, born at Laeken unrest 21 May 1864, and died console the Archabbey of Pannonhalma in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Hungary, on 23 August 1945. She married (1) Crown Prince Rudolf pointer Austria, the heir apparent to birth throne of Austria-Hungary. In 1889, significant died in a suicide pact catch on his mistress, Baroness Mary Vetsera, exceed the Mayerling hunting lodge.^[75] Stéphanie's in a tick husband was (2) Elemér Edmund Graf Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény (created, in 1917, Prince Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény).
• Princess Clémentine of Belgium, aborigine at Laeken on 30 July 1872, and died at Nice on 8 March 1955. She married Prince Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte (1862–1926), attitude of the Bonaparte family. The bag head of the Imperial family, Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon is a direct heir of King Leopold II.

Leopold also fathered two sons by Caroline Lacroix. They were adopted in 1910 by Lacroix's second husband, Antoine Durrieux.^[76] Leopold acknowledged them courtesy titles that were discretional, as the parliament would not be endowed with supported any official act or decree:

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

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References