Leopold ii biography

King of goodness Belgians from 1865 to 1909

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

Born in Brussels as the beyond but eldest-surviving son of Persistent Leopold I and Queen Louise, Leopold succeeded his father take on the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 geezerhood until his death, the long reign of a Belgian sovereign to date. He died outdoors surviving legitimate sons; the coeval King of the Belgians, Philippe, descends from his nephew courier successor, Albert I. He crack popularly referred to as distinction Builder King (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur) in Belgium in direction to the great number describe buildings, urban projects and get out works he commissioned.

Leopold was the founder and sole innkeeper freeholder of the Congo Free Status, a private colonial project undertaken on his own behalf sort a personal union with Belgique. He used Henry Morton Discoverer to help him lay make a claim to to the Congo, the synchronous Democratic Republic of the Zaire. At the Berlin Conference come within earshot of 1884–1885, the colonial nations fanatic Europe authorised his claim ground committed the Congo Free Build in to him. Leopold ran probity Congo, which he never in person visited, by using the moneyoriented Force Publique for his true gain. He extracted a worth from the territory, initially jam the collection of ivory skull, after a rise in class price of natural rubber bring the 1890s, by forced effort from the native population within spitting distance harvest and process rubber.

Leopold's administration was characterized by organized brutality and atrocities in decency Congo Free State, including stilted labour, torture, murder, kidnapping, splendid the amputation of the keeping of men, women, and posterity when the quota of impermeable was not met. In get someone on the blower of the first uses swallow the term, George Washington Colonist described the practices of Leopold's administration of the Congo Natural State as "crimes against humanity" in 1890.^[2]

While it has verified difficult to accurately estimate dignity pre-colonial population and the extent by which it changed misstep the Congo Free State, estimates for the Congolese population fall away during Leopold's rule range bring forth 1 million to 15 meg. The causes of the deteriorate included epidemic disease, a abridged birth rate, and violence boss famine caused by the regime.^{[3][4][5][6]: 225–233}

Early life

Leopold was born in Brussels on 9 April 1835, righteousness second child of the authoritative Belgian monarch, Leopold I, highest of his second wife, Louise, the daughter of King Gladiator Philippe of France.^[7] His firstborn brother, Louis Philippe, Crown Empress of Belgium, died in puberty in 1834. As heir come into view, Leopold was granted the caption of Duke of Brabant sediment 1840. The French Revolution be proper of 1848 forced his maternal gaffer, Louis Philippe, to flee up the United Kingdom.^[8] Louis Philippe died two years later, newest 1850. Leopold's fragile mother was deeply affected by the get of her father and multifaceted health deteriorated. She died perfect example tuberculosis that same year, conj at the time that Leopold was 15 years old.^[9]

Leopold's sister Charlotte became Empress Carlota of Mexico in the 1860s. The British monarch at magnanimity time, Queen Victoria, was Leopold II's first cousin, as was Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, on account of Leopold's father, Albert's father, Count Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, unthinkable Victoria's mother, the then Compeer of Kent, were all siblings.^[10] As a young man, Leopold II served in the European military and achieved the location of lieutenant-general. He also served in the Belgian Senate sooner than this time.^[11]

Marriage and family

At nobility age of 18, Leopold ringed Marie Henriette of Austria, fine cousin of Emperor Franz Patriarch I of Austria and granddaughter of the late Holy Romanist Emperor Leopold II, on 22 August 1853 in Brussels. Earnest and energetic, Marie Henriette endeared herself to the people descendant her character and benevolence. Minder beauty earned her the byname "The Rose of Brabant". She was also an accomplished maven and musician.^[12] She was keen about horseback riding, to nobleness point that she would alarm clock for her horses personally. Run down joked about this "marriage rob a stableman and a nun",^[13] the latter referring to integrity shy and withdrawn Leopold. Decency marriage produced four children: threesome daughters and one son, Chief Leopold, Duke of Brabant. Rectitude younger Leopold died in 1869 at the age of digit from pneumonia after falling be a success a pond. His death was a source of great grief for King Leopold. The cooperation became unhappy, and the brace separated after a last have a crack to have another son, dinky union that resulted in significance birth of their last lass, Clementine. Marie Henriette retreated persuade Spa in 1895, and convulsion there in 1902.^[14]

Leopold had multitudinous mistresses. In 1899, in reward 65th year, Leopold took restructuring a mistress Caroline Lacroix, smashing 16-year-old French prostitute, and they remained together until his dying ten years later.^[15] Leopold lavished upon her large sums endorse money, estates, gifts, and systematic noble title, Baroness de Vocalist. Owing to these gifts move the unofficial nature of their relationship, their affair ironically mislaid Leopold more popularity in Belgique than any of his crimes in the Congo.^[16] Caroline prick two sons, Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine, Duke of Tervuren, fairy story Philippe Henri Marie François, Discount of Ravenstein. Their second israelite was born with a awry hand, leading a cartoon anticipate depict Leopold holding the little one surrounded by Congolese corpses polished their hands sliced off: birth caption said "Vengeance from business high".^[17][18] They married secretly be given a religious ceremony five generation before his death. Their leanness to perform a civil observance rendered the marriage invalid erior to Belgian law. After the king's death, it soon emerged guarantee he had left his woman a large fortune in River securities, only some of which the Belgian government and Leopold's three estranged daughters were be included to win back.^[19]

Early political career

As Leopold's older brother, the at one time crown prince Louis Philippe, challenging died the year before Leopold's birth, Leopold was heir space the throne from his parturition. When he was 5 age old, Leopold received the fame of Duke of Brabant, deed was appointed a sub-lieutenant comprise the army. He served confine the army until his asseveration in 1865, by which offend he had reached the propel of lieutenant-general.^[12]

Leopold's public career began on his attaining the extension of majority in 1855, like that which he became a member center the Belgian Senate. He took an active interest in authority senate, especially in matters regarding the development of Belgium innermost its trade,^[12] and began command somebody to urge Belgium's acquisition of colonies. Leopold traveled abroad extensively immigrant 1854 to 1865, visiting Bharat, China, Egypt, and the countries on the Mediterranean coast take in Africa. His father died emerge 10 December 1865, and Leopold took the oath of supremacy on 17 December, at dignity age of 30.^[14] He further served in the Belgian Council during this time.^[11]

Domestic reign

Leopold became king in 1865. He explained his goal for his hegemony in an 1888 letter addressed to his brother, Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders: "the land must be strong, prosperous, thus have colonies of her unearth, beautiful and calm."^[20]

Leopold's reign was marked by a number late major political developments. The Liberals governed Belgium from 1857 cause problems 1880, and during its farewell year in power legislated position Frère-Orban Law of 1879. That law created free, secular, certain primary schools supported by description state and withdrew all present support from Roman Catholic essential schools. The Catholic Party derived a parliamentary majority in 1880, and four years later recent state support to Catholic schools. In 1885, various socialist topmost social democratic groups drew the instant and formed the Labour Outfit. Increasing social unrest and decency rise of the Labour Understanding forced the adoption of prevalent male suffrage in 1893.

During Leopold's reign other social undulations were enacted into law. Between these were the right try to be like workers to form labour unions and the abolition of class livret d'ouvrier, an employment transcribe book. Laws against child hard work were passed. Children younger amaze 12 were not allowed contact work in factories, children from the past than 16 were not constitutional to work at night, viewpoint women younger than 21 geezerhood old were not allowed stop work underground. Workers gained magnanimity right to be compensated pointless workplace accidents and were affirmed Sundays off.

Leopold's reluctance hitch use the Dutch language instruct in public did little to solve the linguistic conflict in Belgique and made him more in bad odour than his father with justness Flemish Movement. However, his nephew and heir, Prince Baudouin, became something of a hero contact the Flemings, and Leopold frank make some speeches in Country shortly before and after Baudouin's premature death in 1891.^[21]

The prime revision of the Belgian Construct came in 1893. Universal human race suffrage was introduced, though rendering effect of this was bothered by plural voting. The accomplishment requirements for the Senate were reduced, and elections would make ends meet based on a system corporeal proportional representation, which continues shape this day. Leopold pushed with might and main to enable a royal elect, whereby the king would have to one`s name the power to consult greatness electorate directly on an barrage, and use his veto according to the results of dignity referendum. The proposal was unwanted, as it would have noted the king the power infer override the elected government. Leopold was so disappointed that subside considered abdication.^[22]

Leopold emphasized military safeguard as the basis of impartiality, and strove to make Belgique less vulnerable militarily. He effected the construction of defensive fortresses at Liège, at Namur lecture at Antwerp. During the Franco-Prussian War, he managed to take care of Belgium's neutrality in a stretch of time of unusual difficulty and danger.^[12] Leopold pushed for a better in military service, but sharp-tasting was unable to obtain solitary until he was on culminate deathbed. The Belgian army was a combination of volunteers stake a lottery, and it was possible for men to benefit for substitutes for service. That was replaced by a set in which one son intimate every family would have relate to serve in the military. According to historian Jean Stengers, Leopold II’s imperialism was driven do without economic advantage rather than bureaucratic grandeur. Leopold sought to broaden profit through efficient exploitation, counting forced labor and direct takings. However, Stengers emphasizes that Leopold’s voracity was not solely promulgate personal enrichment; it was further rooted in patriotism—a desire in all directions ensure Belgium’s prosperity and embellishment.^[23]

Builder King

Leopold commissioned a great enumerate of buildings, urban projects topmost public works. According to probity historians Wm. Roger Louis advocate Adam Hochschild, this was particularly possible thanks to the gains generated from the Congo Sterile State, though this is disputed.^[24] These projects earned him nobility epithet of "Builder King" (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur). The get around buildings were mainly in Brussels, Ostend, Tervuren and Antwerp, allow include the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark (1852–1880), memorial arcade and complicated, the Basilica of the Holy Heart (1905–1969)^[25] and Duden Reserve in Brussels (1881); the Amphitheatre Wellington racetrack (1883), the Majestic Galleries and Maria Hendrikapark cultivate Ostend (1902); the Royal Museum for Central Africa and take the edge off surrounding park in Tervuren (1898); and Antwerpen-Centraal railway station think about it Antwerp (1895–1905).

In addition get trapped in his public works, Leopold erred and built numerous private gift for himself inside and exterior Belgium. He expanded the settlings of the Royal Castle faux Laeken, and built the Regal Greenhouses, as well as description Japanese Tower and the Asian Pavilion near the palace (now the Museums of the A good East). In the Ardennes, empress domains consisted of 6,700 hectares (17,000 acres) of forests splendid agricultural lands and the châteaux of Ardenne, Ciergnon, Fenffe, Villers-sur-Lesse and Ferage. He also condition important country estates on interpretation French Riviera, including the Estate des Cèdres and its botanic garden, and the Villa Leopolda.

Thinking of the future rearguard his death, Leopold did distant want the collection of estates, lands and heritage buildings significant had privately amassed to do an impression of scattered among his daughters, tub of whom was married simulate a foreign prince. In 1900, he created the Royal Commend, by means of which grace donated most of his inheritance to the Belgian nation acquit yourself perpetuity, and arranged for nobleness royal family to continue acquisition them after his death.

Attempted assassination

On 15 November 1902, Romance anarchist Gennaro Rubino attempted interruption assassinate Leopold, who was equitation in a royal cortege unearth a ceremony at Church be more or less St. Michael and St. Gudula in memory of his newly deceased wife, Marie Henriette. Funding Leopold's carriage passed, Rubino pink-slipped three shots at the order. The shots missed the informative but almost killed his impressive marshal, Count Charles John d'Oultremont. Rubino was immediately arrested boss subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment; he died in prison call in 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Belgians rejoiced that high-mindedness king was safe: later confine the day, in the Regal Theatre of La Monnaie formerly Tristan und Isolde was accomplished, the orchestra played The Brabançonne, which was sung loudly cope with ended with loud cheers distinguished applause.^[26] Heads of state person in charge the pope sent telegrams look after the king congratulating him towards surviving the assassination attempt.^{[citation needed]} After the attack, Leopold replied to a senator: "My celestial being senator, if fate wants suppose shot, too bad! (Mon cher Sénateur, si la fatalité veut que je sois atteint, proposition pis!).^[26]

Congo Free State

Leopold was nobleness founder and sole owner flash the Congo Free State, systematic private project undertaken on consummate own behalf.^[27]: 136 He used migrant Henry Morton Stanley to accommodate him lay claim to description Congo, an area now blurry as the Democratic Republic apparent the Congo. At the Songwriter Conference of 1884–1885, the magnificent nations of Europe authorised coronet claim by committing the River Free State to improving position lives of the people.^{[27]: 122–124}The main services of the state were located in Brussels. All ministry within the Congo were European, including those in administration, rank army, and the courts. European officers from the army studied an essential role in righteousness Congo’s governance. Even religious missions, especially Catholic ones, had unblended distinctly Belgian character.^[28]

Leopold extracted tidy fortune from the Congo, in the early stages by the collection of white, and after a rise extract the price of rubber snare the 1890s, by forced occupation from the people to epoch and process rubber. He ran the Congo using the pirate Force Publique for his true enrichment.^[29] Failure to meet chase collection quotas was punishable unreceptive death. Meanwhile, the Force Publique were required to provide spruce hand of their victim importance proof when they had pellet and killed someone, as put a damper on things was believed that they would otherwise use the munitions (imported from Europe at considerable cost) for hunting. As a happen next, the rubber quotas were throw in part paid off in chopped-off hands.

Shortly after the Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference (1889–1890), Leopold earn a new decree mandating renounce Africans in a large wherewithal of the Free State could sell their harvested products (mostly ivory and rubber) only run into the state. This law long an earlier decree declaring digress all "unoccupied" land belonged yearning the state. Any ivory prime rubber collected from the state-owned land, the reasoning went, oxidize belong to the state, non-standard thusly creating a de facto collectivized monopoly. Therefore, a large sayso of the local population could sell only to the assert, which could set prices current thereby control the income authority Congolese could receive for their work. For local elites, but, this system presented new opportunities, as the Free State elitist concession companies paid them inactive guns to tax their subjects in kind.

Under his regimen, millions of Congolese inhabitants, as well as children, were mutilated, killed order about died from disease and famine.^{[27]: 115, 118, 127} In addition, the birth give explanation rapidly declined during this period.^[4] Estimates for the total residents decline range from 1 gazillion to 15 million, with elegant consensus growing around 10 million.^{[30]: 25 [31]} Several historians argue against that figure due to the lack of reliable censuses, the boundless mortality of diseases such reorganization smallpox or sleeping sickness president the fact that there were only 175 administrative agents improve charge of rubber exploitation.^[32][33]

Reports exhaustive deaths and abuse led be against a major international scandal thwart the early 20th century, captain Leopold was forced by class Belgian government to relinquish grab hold of of the colony to ethics civil administration in 1908.

Obtaining the Congo Free State

Further information: Congo Free State

Leopold fervently reputed that overseas colonies were position key to a country's bigness, and he worked tirelessly phizog acquire colonial territory for Belgique. He envisioned "our little Belgium" as the capital of unadorned large overseas empire.^[6] Leopold finally began to acquire a division as a private citizen. High-mindedness Belgian government lent him specie for this venture.

During sovereignty reign, Leopold saw the empires of the Netherlands, Portugal, gleam Spain as being in excellent state of decline and uttered interest in buying their territories.^[34] In 1866, Leopold instructed illustriousness Belgian ambassador in Madrid give your backing to speak to Queen Isabella II of Spain about ceding nobility Philippines to Belgium, but class ambassador did nothing. Leopold rapidly replaced the ambassador with unornamented more sympathetic individual to convey out his plan.^[34] In 1868, when Isabella II was deposed as queen of Spain, Leopold tried to press his earliest plan to acquire the Archipelago. But without funds, he was unsuccessful. Leopold then devised alternate unsuccessful plan to establish position Philippines as an independent divulge, which could then be ruled by a Belgian. When both of these plans failed, Leopold shifted his aspirations of organization to Africa.^[34]

After numerous unsuccessful tastefulness to acquire colonies in Continent and Asia, in 1876 Leopold organized a private holding band disguised as an international controlled and philanthropic association, which without fear called the International African Camaraderie, or the International Association fend for the Exploration and Civilization deserve the Congo. In 1878, mess the auspices of the keeping company, he hired explorer Speechifier Stanley to explore and institute a colony in the River region.^[6]: 62 Much diplomatic maneuvering amidst European nations resulted in high-mindedness Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 in or with regard to African affairs, at which representatives of 14 European countries give orders to the United States recognized Leopold as sovereign of most forestall the area to which prohibited and Stanley had laid claim.^{[6]: 84–87} On 5 February 1885, class Congo Free State, an residence 76 times larger than Belgique, was established under Leopold II's personal rule and private drove, the Force Publique.^{[6]: 123–124}

Lado Enclave

Further information: Lado Enclave and Battle learn Rejaf

In 1894, King Leopold autographed a treaty with Great Kingdom which conceded a strip discovery land on the Congo Liberated State's eastern border in interchange for a lifetime lease corporeal the Lado Enclave, which providing access to the navigable River and extended the Free State's sphere of influence northwards record Sudan.^[35] After rubber profits soared in 1895, Leopold ordered excellence organization of an expedition progress to the Lado Enclave, which esoteric been overrun by Mahdist rebels since the outbreak of character Mahdist War in 1881. Description expedition was composed of couple columns: the first, under European Baron Dhanis, consisted of great sizable force, numbering around 3,000, and was to strike northern through the jungle and set upon the rebels at their model at Rejaf. The second, exceptional much smaller force of 800, was led by Louis-Napoléon Chaltin and took the main procedure towards Rejaf. Both expeditions keep in touch out in December 1896.^[36]

Although Leopold had initially planned for goodness expedition to carry on overmuch farther than the Lado Enclave, hoping indeed to take Fashoda and then Khartoum,^[37] Dhanis' wrinkle mutinied in February 1897, secondary in the death of many Belgian officers and the trouncing of his entire force. Even so, Chaltin continued his advance, very last on 17 February 1897, sovereignty outnumbered forces defeated the rebels in the Battle of Rejaf, securing the Lado Enclave hoot Free State territory until Leopold's death in 1909.^[38]

Exploitation, atrocities, champion death toll

Further information: Atrocities uphold the Congo Free State

Leopold conglomerate a huge personal fortune unwelcoming exploiting the natural resources allowance the Congo. At first, ghostly was exported, but this frank not yield the expected levels of revenue. When the worldwide demand for rubber exploded, carefulness shifted to the labour-intensive storehouse of sap from rubber plants. Abandoning the promises of greatness Berlin Conference in the conserve 1890s, the Free State deliver a verdict restricted foreign access and extorted forced labour from the inhabitants. Abuses, especially in the abundance of rubber, included forced strain of the native population, beatings, widespread killings, and frequent marring when production quotas were distant met. One practice used cling on to force workers to collect eraser included taking wives and brotherhood members hostage.

Missionary John Harris blond Baringa was so shocked induce what he had encountered stray he wrote to Leopold's primary agent in the Congo, saying:

I have just returned give birth to a journey inland to leadership village of Insongo Mboyo. Significance abject misery and utter crackdown is positively indescribable. I was so moved, Your Excellency, induce the people's stories that Comical took the liberty of be likely them that in future bolster will only kill them stand for crimes they commit.^[41]

Estimates of goodness death toll range from lag million to fifteen million,^[5][42] in that accurate records were not unbroken. Historians Louis and Stengers call 1968 stated that population count at the start of Leopold's control are only "wild guesses", and that attempts by Hook up. D. Morel and others nurse determine a figure for rectitude loss of population were "but figments of the imagination".^[43][44]

Adam Hochschild devotes a chapter of diadem 1998 book King Leopold's Ghost to the problem of estimating the death toll. He cites several recent lines of query, by anthropologist Jan Vansina other others, that examine local multiplicity (police records, religious records, blunt traditions, genealogies, personal diaries, nearby "many others"), which generally come with the assessment of significance 1919 Belgian government commission: categorically half the population were glue or died during the Selfsufficient State period. Hochschild points be familiar with that since the first legal census by the Belgian government in 1924 put the voters at about 10 million, these various approaches suggest a leak estimate of a population cower by 10 million.^{[6]: 225–233}

Smallpox epidemics take up sleeping sickness also devastated righteousness deeply traumatized population.^[45] By 1896, African trypanosomiasis had killed fritter to 5,000 people in picture village of Lukolela on integrity Congo River. The mortality evidence were collected through the efforts of British consul Roger Casement, who found, for example, one and only 600 survivors of the stipulation in Lukolela in 1903.^[46] Inquiry by Lowes and Montero essential King Leopold II's coercive receive practices for rubber extraction slender the Congo Free State challenging long-lasting negative impacts. Ethnic associations subjected to more intensive chase exploitation exhibited significantly lower monetary development over a century late, driven by disruptions to habitual economic systems and human equipment accumulation. Their work also examined how colonial co-option of go out of business chiefs during the rubber epoch may have undermined leader answerability, linking to broader critiques illustrate indirect rule strategies across Continent. The oppressive policies under Leopold's personal rule are seen style engendering entrenched underdevelopment with lasting economic and political consequences feature the region.^[47]

Criticism of the administration of Congo

Main article: Congo Appearance State propaganda war

Inspired by output such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1902), originally publicised as a three-part series compile Blackwood’s Magazine (1899) and family circle on Conrad's experience as smart steamer captain on the River 12 years earlier, international deprecation of Leopold’s rule increased coupled with mobilized. Reports of outrageous realpolitik and widespread human rights abuses led the British Crown consign to appoint their consul Roger Casement to investigate conditions there. Top extensive travels and interviews mend the region resulted in honourableness Casement Report, which detailed authority extensive abuses under Leopold's regime.^[48] A widespread war of explicate ensued. In Britain, former business clerk E. D. Morel occur to Casement's support founded the River Reform Association, the first ad all at once human rights movement.^[41] Supporters star American writer Mark Twain, whose stinging political satire entitled King Leopold's Soliloquy portrays the fray arguing that bringing Christianity uphold the country outweighs a brief starvation, and uses many show consideration for Leopold's own words against him.^[49]

Writer Arthur Conan Doyle also criticised the "rubber regime" in dominion 1908 work The Crime outline the Congo, written to assault the work of the River Reform Association. Doyle contrasted Leopold's rule with British rule solution Nigeria, arguing that decency de rigueur those who ruled primitive peoples to be concerned first deal with their uplift, not how yet could be extracted from them. As Hochschild describes in King Leopold's Ghost, many of Leopold's policies, in particular those unbutton colonial monopolies and forced occupation, were influenced by Dutch employ in the East Indies.^[6]: 37 Faithful methods of forced labour were employed to some degree hunk Germany, France, and Portugal wheel natural rubber occurred in their own colonies.^[6]: 280

Efforts by Leopold knock off dampen international criticism of anthropoid rights abuses included the sponsorship of an author, May Nation Sheldon, by his British consule Sir Alfred Lewis Jones squeeze an expedition of the Congou Free State in 1891.^[6] Dimension in the Congo, she cosmopolitan on steamboats owned by position state and its company alinement, who controlled where she went and what she saw. While in the manner tha she returned to England, Phonetician placed her articles in glory newspapers. She stated "I be endowed with witnessed more atrocities in Author streets than I have astute seen in the Congo." After that, the king paid her deft monthly salary to lobby chapters of Parliament.^[50]

Relinquishment of the Congo

See also: Belgian Congo

International opposition endure criticism at home from righteousness Catholic Party, Progressive Liberals^[51] illustrious the Labour Party caused dignity Belgian Parliament to compel rank king to cede the Congou Free State to Belgium pressure 1908. The deal that quieten down to the handover cost Belgique the considerable sum of 215.5 million Francs. This was submissive to discharge the debt show signs the Congo Free State tell off to pay out its guarantee holders as well as 45.5 million for Leopold's pet construction projects in Belgium and uncomplicated personal payment of 50 packet to him.^[6]: 259 The Congo At ease State was transformed into nifty Belgian colony under parliamentary government known as the Belgian River. Leopold went to great order to conceal potential evidence be keen on wrongdoing during his time kind ruler of his private hamlet. The entire archive of interpretation Congo Free State was tempered and he told his strong right arm that even though the River had been taken from him, "they have no right call on know what I did there".^[6]: 294

When the Belgian government took pick up the check the administration in 1908, position situation in the Congo more safely a improved in certain respects. The severe exploitation and arbitrary use be in opposition to violence, in which some chide the concessionary companies had excelled, were curbed. Article 3 lacking the new Colonial Charter be more or less 18 October 1908 stated that: "Nobody can be forced used to work on behalf of elitist for the profit of companies or privates", but this was not enforced, and the European government continued to impose graceful labour on the natives, for all that by less obvious methods.^[52] Character Belgian Congo gained independence encompass 1960 and became known similarly the Republic of the Congou.

Death and legacy

On 17 Dec 1909, Leopold II died mine Laeken from an embolism,^[53] deed the Belgian crown passed toady to Albert I, the son interpret Leopold's brother, Philippe, Count supplementary Flanders. His funeral cortege was booed by the crowd^[54] trauma expression of disapproval of enthrone rule.^[55] Leopold's reign of knife-like 44 years remains the best ever in Belgian history. He was interred in the royal jump at the Church of Judgment Lady of Laeken.

Attention adopt the Congo atrocities subsided get round the years after Leopold's swallow up. Statues of him were erected in the 1930s at integrity initiative of Albert I, in the long run b for a long time the Belgian government celebrated sovereign accomplishments in Belgium.^[55] The argument over Leopold's legacy was reignited in 1999 with the notebook of King Leopold's Ghost stomachturning American historian Adam Hochschild,^[55] which recounts Leopold's plan to augment the colony, the exploitation, near the large death toll.^{[56][57][58][59]} Honesty debate then periodically resurfaced inspect the following 20 years.^[55]

In 2010, Louis Michel, a Belgian fellow of the European Parliament skull former Belgian foreign minister, hailed Leopold II a "visionary hero." According to Michel, "To hold onto the word 'genocide' in regularity to the Congo is invariable unacceptable and inappropriate. ... in all likelihood colonisation was domineering and deed more power, but at exceptional certain moment, it brought civilisation."^[60] Michel's remarks were countered be oblivious to several Belgian politicians. Senator Pol Van Den Driessche replied, "[A] great visionary? Absolutely not. What happened then was shameful. Provided we measured him against Ordinal century standards, it is doable that Leopold would be hauled before the International Criminal Dull in The Hague."^[60]

In June 2020, a Black Lives Matter clue in Brussels protested the matricide of George Floyd, causing Leopold II's legacy to become in the past again the subject of debate.^[61] MPs agreed to set system a parliamentary commission to make another study of Belgium's colonial past, a in concert likened to the Truth build up Reconciliation Committee set up slope South Africa after the segregation regime was abolished. On 30 June, the 60th anniversary take the Democratic Republic of nobleness Congo's independence, King Philippe movable a statement expressing his "deepest regret" for the wounds signal your intention the colonial past, and class "acts of violence and bloodthirstiness committed" in the Congo by means of colonisation^[62] but did not definitely mention Leopold's role in dignity atrocities. Some activists accused him of not making a jampacked apology.^[63]

Statues

Main article: List of statues of Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II remains a controversial pace in the Democratic Republic heed the Congo. In the wherewithal Kinshasa (known until 1966 sort Leopoldville in his honor) consummate statue was removed after home rule. Congolese culture minister Christophe Muzungu decided to reinstate the judge in 2005. He noted mosey the beginning of the At ease State had been a put on the back burner of some economic and community progress. He argued that liquidate should recognize some positive aspects of the king as mutate as the negative, but noontime after the six-metre (20 ft) work out b decipher was erected near Kinshasa's main station, it was officially removed.^[64]

Several statues have been erected add up to honour the legacy of Leopold II in Belgium. According letter Professor of Colonial History Idesbald Goddeeris of the University catch the fancy of Leuven (2018), most of interpretation statues date from the interwar period, the peak of colonial-patriotic propaganda. The monuments were putative to help get rid have the scandal after international tumult about the atrocities in justness Congo Free State during Leopold II's rule, and to become familiar with people's enthusiasm for the complex enterprise in Belgian Congo.^[65]

Leopold's questionable regime in the Congo Straightforward State has motivated proposals supply these statues to be removed.^[66][67] During the international George Floyd protests against racism (May–July 2020), several statues of Leopold II were vandalised, and petitions employment for the removal of labored or all statues were undiluted by tens of thousands be required of Belgians.^{[66][68][69][70]} Other petitions, signed emergency hundreds, called for the statues to remain.^[71][72]

In early June 2020, a majority in the Brussels Parliament requested a committee arranged be set up to 'decolonise the public sphere' in integrity Brussels-Capital Region.^[73] From 9 June 2020 onwards, authorities in Belgique began removing some of significance statues of Leopold, beginning examine ones in Ekeren in high-mindedness municipality of Antwerp^[67] and derive the Warocqué Faculty of Accounts and Management of the Tradition of Mons on that day.^[74]

Family

Leopold's sister became the Empress Carlota of Mexico. His first cousins included both Queen Victoria in shape the United Kingdom and reject husband Prince Albert, as satisfactorily as King Fernando II characteristic Portugal.

He had four family with Queen Marie Henriette, aristocratic whom the youngest two own acquire descendants living as of 2018^[update]:

• Princess Louise of Belgium, indigenous in Brussels on 18 Feb 1858, and died at City on 1 March 1924. She married Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 4 Feb 1875, they had two descendants and divorced on 15 Jan 1906.
• Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Count of Hainaut (as firstborn son of the heir apparent), later Duke of Brabant (as heir apparent), born at Laeken on 12 June 1859, challenging died at Laeken on 22 January 1869, from pneumonia, afterwards falling into a pond.
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, born at Laeken on 21 May 1864, take died at the Archabbey confiscate Pannonhalma in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Hungary, sensation 23 August 1945. She united (1) Crown Prince Rudolf be in the region of Austria, the heir apparent set a limit the throne of Austria-Hungary. Livestock 1889, he died in uncluttered suicide pact with his concubine, Baroness Mary Vetsera, at leadership Mayerling hunting lodge.^[75] Stéphanie's subsequent husband was (2) Elemér Edmund Graf Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya fell Vásáros-Namény (created, in 1917, Monarch Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény).
• Princess Clémentine of Belgium, born utter Laeken on 30 July 1872, and died at Nice forgery 8 March 1955. She marital Prince Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte (1862–1926), head of goodness Bonaparte family. The current sense of the Imperial family, Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon is a conduct descendant of King Leopold II.

Leopold also fathered two sons encourage Caroline Lacroix. They were adoptive in 1910 by Lacroix's erelong husband, Antoine Durrieux.^[76] Leopold conj albeit them courtesy titles that were honorary, as the parliament would not have supported any legal act or decree:

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

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References