Leopold ii biography

King of probity Belgians from 1865 to 1909

Leopold II
Portrait by Vanquisher 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 splash 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 honesty second King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, tell off the founder and sole p of the Congo Free Disclose from 1885 to 1908.

Born in Brussels as the in two shakes but eldest-surviving son of Tainted Leopold I and Queen Louise, Leopold succeeded his father realize the Belgian throne in 1865 and reigned for 44 days until his death, the fastest reign of a Belgian king to date. He died badly off surviving legitimate sons; the dowry King of the Belgians, Philippe, descends from his nephew very last successor, Albert I.

He anticipation popularly referred to as honourableness Builder King (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur) in Belgium in remark to the great number make a rough draft buildings, urban projects and communal works he commissioned.

Leopold was the founder and sole possessor of the Congo Free Rise and fall, a private colonial project undertaken on his own behalf though a personal union with Belgique.

He used Henry Morton Adventurer to help him lay make ground to the Congo, the fashionable Democratic Republic of the Zaire. At the Berlin Conference fall foul of 1884–1885, the colonial nations reminisce Europe authorised his claim stall committed the Congo Free Bring back to him. Leopold ran primacy Congo, which he never in person visited, by using the robber Force Publique for his exact gain.

He extracted a hazard from the territory, initially induce the collection of ivory add-on, after a rise in loftiness price of natural rubber undecorated the 1890s, by forced profession from the native population be in breach of harvest and process rubber.

Leopold's administration was characterized by disorganize brutality and atrocities in integrity Congo Free State, including put on labour, torture, murder, kidnapping, plus the amputation of the work force of men, women, and domestic when the quota of contest was not met.

In see to of the first uses reminiscent of the term, George Washington Ballplayer described the practices of Leopold's administration of the Congo Unconventional State as "crimes against humanity" in 1890.^[2]

While it has demonstrated difficult to accurately estimate honesty pre-colonial population and the insufficiently by which it changed covered by the Congo Free State, estimates for the Congolese population demur during Leopold's rule range give birth to 1 million to 15 gazillion.

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

Early life

Leopold was born in Brussels on 9 April 1835, probity second child of the time in power Belgian monarch, Leopold I, coupled with of his second wife, Louise, the daughter of King Prizefighter Philippe of France.^[7] His firstborn brother, Louis Philippe, Crown Monarch of Belgium, died in babyhood in 1834.

As heir visible, Leopold was granted the label of Duke of Brabant temper 1840. The French Revolution forestall 1848 forced his maternal old stager, Louis Philippe, to flee pop in the United Kingdom.^[8] Louis Philippe died two years later, sidewalk 1850. Leopold's fragile mother was deeply affected by the cool of her father and subtract health deteriorated.

She died insensible tuberculosis that same year, in the way that Leopold was 15 years old.^[9]

Leopold's sister Charlotte became Empress Carlota of Mexico in the 1860s. The British monarch at probity 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, Baron Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, person in charge 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 echelon of lieutenant-general.

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

Marriage and family

At representation age of 18, Leopold wed Marie Henriette of Austria, trim cousin of Emperor Franz Patriarch I of Austria and granddaughter of the late Holy Popish Emperor Leopold II, on 22 August 1853 in Brussels.

Emotional and energetic, Marie Henriette endeared herself to the people moisten her character and benevolence. Disclose beauty earned her the appellation "The Rose of Brabant". She was also an accomplished genius and musician.^[12] She was ardent about horseback riding, to high-mindedness point that she would disquiet for her horses personally.

Few joked about this "marriage short vacation a stableman and a nun",^[13] the latter referring to prestige shy and withdrawn Leopold. Loftiness marriage produced four children: yoke daughters and one son, Queen Leopold, Duke of Brabant. Authority younger Leopold died in 1869 at the age of figure from pneumonia after falling interrupt a pond.

His death was a source of great heartbreak for King Leopold. The wedlock became unhappy, and the fuse separated after a last analyse to have another son, top-notch union that resulted in position birth of their last chick, Clementine. Marie Henriette retreated cue Spa in 1895, and dull there in 1902.^[14]

Leopold had hang around mistresses.

In 1899, in queen 65th year, Leopold took because a mistress Caroline Lacroix, unadorned 16-year-old French prostitute, and they remained together until his passing ten years later.^[15] Leopold lavished upon her large sums go along with money, estates, gifts, and topping noble title, Baroness de Vocalizer. Owing to these gifts talented the unofficial nature of their relationship, their affair ironically left out Leopold more popularity in Belgique than any of his crimes in the Congo.^[16] Caroline pierce two sons, Lucien Philippe Marie Antoine, Duke of Tervuren, service Philippe Henri Marie François, Vividness of Ravenstein.

Their second unconventional behaviour was born with a twisted hand, leading a cartoon come near depict Leopold holding the descendant surrounded by Congolese corpses carry their hands sliced off: probity caption said "Vengeance from chain high".^[17][18] They married secretly smother a religious ceremony five era before his death.

Their dereliction to perform a civil anniversary rendered the marriage invalid adorn Belgian law. After the king's death, it soon emerged put off 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 highbrow to win back.^[19]

Early political career

As Leopold's older brother, the below crown prince Louis Philippe, difficult died the year before Leopold's birth, Leopold was heir unexpected the throne from his opening.

When he was 5 era old, Leopold received the fame of Duke of Brabant, boss was appointed a sub-lieutenant comic story the army. He served hobble the army until his access in 1865, by which about he had reached the lined up of lieutenant-general.^[12]

Leopold's public career began on his attaining the parentage of majority in 1855, as he became a member in this area the Belgian Senate.

He took an active interest in prestige senate, especially in matters referring to the development of Belgium stake its trade,^[12] and began on top of urge Belgium's acquisition of colonies. Leopold traveled abroad extensively carry too far 1854 to 1865, visiting Bharat, China, Egypt, and the countries on the Mediterranean coast place Africa.

His father died doable 10 December 1865, and Leopold took the oath of organization on 17 December, at picture age of 30.^[14] He too served in the Belgian Board during this time.^[11]

Domestic reign

Leopold became king in 1865. He explained his goal for his new in an 1888 letter addressed to his brother, Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders: "the kingdom must be strong, prosperous, for that reason have colonies of her kill in cold blood, beautiful and calm."^[20]

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

The Liberals governed Belgium from 1857 near 1880, and during its closing year in power legislated nobility Frère-Orban Law of 1879. That law created free, secular, inexorable primary schools supported by excellence state and withdrew all repair support from Roman Catholic prime schools. The Catholic Party borrowed a parliamentary majority in 1880, and four years later fresh state support to Catholic schools.

In 1885, various socialist tell social democratic groups drew think up and formed the Labour Outfit. Increasing social unrest and influence rise of the Labour Social event forced the adoption of general male suffrage in 1893.

During Leopold's reign other social swings were enacted into law. Mid these were the right make merry workers to form labour unions and the abolition of dignity livret d'ouvrier, an employment top secret book.

Laws against child business were passed. Children younger outweigh 12 were not allowed emphasize work in factories, children former than 16 were not constitutional to work at night, obscure women younger than 21 epoch old were not allowed confront work underground. Workers gained ethics right to be compensated provision workplace accidents and were confirmed Sundays off.

Leopold's reluctance dispense use the Dutch language sidewalk public did little to untangle the linguistic conflict in Belgique and made him more excluded than his father with loftiness Flemish Movement. However, his nephew and heir, Prince Baudouin, became something of a hero colloquium the Flemings, and Leopold exact make some speeches in Country shortly before and after Baudouin's premature death in 1891.^[21]

The premier revision of the Belgian Organisation came in 1893.

Universal masculine suffrage was introduced, though interpretation effect of this was gratifying by plural voting. The capacity requirements for the Senate were reduced, and elections would facsimile based on a system advice proportional representation, which continues shabby this day. Leopold pushed forcibly to enable a royal suffrage, whereby the king would possess the power to consult goodness electorate directly on an cascade, and use his veto according to the results of goodness referendum.

The proposal was undesirable, as it would have affirmed the king the power criticize override the elected government. Leopold was so disappointed that fiasco considered abdication.^[22]

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

He completed the construction of defensive fortresses at Liège, at Namur become more intense at Antwerp. During the Franco-Prussian War, he managed to watch over Belgium's neutrality in a time of unusual difficulty and danger.^[12] Leopold pushed for a change in military service, but misstep was unable to obtain collective until he was on crown deathbed.

The Belgian army was a combination of volunteers celebrated a lottery, and it was possible for men to allocation for substitutes for service. That was replaced by a group in which one son enjoy every family would have hurtle serve in the military. According to historian Jean Stengers, Leopold II’s imperialism was driven timorous economic advantage rather than state grandeur.

Leopold sought to overdo profit through efficient exploitation, counting forced labor and direct takings. However, Stengers emphasizes that Leopold’s voracity was not solely sue personal enrichment; it was very rooted in patriotism—a desire come up to ensure Belgium’s prosperity and embellishment.^[23]

Builder King

Leopold commissioned a great release of buildings, urban projects ride public works.

According to righteousness historians Wm. Roger Louis esoteric Adam Hochschild, this was as a rule possible thanks to the proceeds generated from the Congo Painless State, though this is disputed.^[24] These projects earned him righteousness epithet of "Builder King" (Dutch: Koning-Bouwheer, French: Roi-Bâtisseur).

The knob buildings were mainly in Brussels, Ostend, Tervuren and Antwerp, boss include the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark (1852–1880), memorial arcade and set of contacts, the Basilica of the Blessed Heart (1905–1969)^[25] and Duden Afterglow in Brussels (1881); the Colosseum Wellington racetrack (1883), the Imperial Galleries and Maria Hendrikapark deduct Ostend (1902); the Royal Museum for Central Africa and tog up surrounding park in Tervuren (1898); and Antwerpen-Centraal railway station response Antwerp (1895–1905).

In addition prove his public works, Leopold imitative and built numerous private strengths for himself inside and facing Belgium. He expanded the sediment of the Royal Castle signify Laeken, and built the Kingly Greenhouses, as well as leadership Japanese Tower and the Asian Pavilion near the palace (now the Museums of the Far-off East).

In the Ardennes, enthrone domains consisted of 6,700 hectares (17,000 acres) of forests fairy story agricultural lands and the châteaux of Ardenne, Ciergnon, Fenffe, Villers-sur-Lesse and Ferage. He also be made up of important country estates on say publicly French Riviera, including the Holiday home des Cèdres and its biology garden, and the Villa Leopolda.

Thinking of the future afterwards his death, Leopold did mewl want the collection of estates, lands and heritage buildings lighten up had privately amassed to breed scattered among his daughters, carry on of whom was married prevalent a foreign prince. In 1900, he created the Royal Confidence, by means of which earth donated most of his characteristics to the Belgian nation give back perpetuity, and arranged for leadership royal family to continue despise them after his death.

Attempted assassination

On 15 November 1902, Romance anarchist Gennaro Rubino attempted dare assassinate Leopold, who was sport in a royal cortege cheat a ceremony at Church ad infinitum St. Michael and St. Gudula in memory of his late deceased wife, Marie Henriette. Associate Leopold's carriage passed, Rubino dismissed three shots at the line.

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

Belgians rejoiced that blue blood the gentry king was safe: later end in the day, in the Grand Theatre of La Monnaie earlier Tristan und Isolde was done, the orchestra played The Brabançonne, which was sung loudly take ended with loud cheers put forward applause.^[26] Heads of state alight the pope sent telegrams sentry the king congratulating him buy surviving the assassination attempt.^{[citation needed]} After the attack, Leopold replied to a senator: "My celestial being senator, if fate wants alias shot, too bad!

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

Congo Free State

Leopold was integrity founder and sole owner ceremony the Congo Free State, graceful private project undertaken on fulfil own behalf.^[27]: 136 He used migrant Henry Morton Stanley to serve him lay claim to grandeur Congo, an area now minor as the Democratic Republic rob the Congo.

At the Songwriter Conference of 1884–1885, the magnificent nations of Europe authorised her highness claim by committing the Zaire Free State to improving integrity lives of the people.^{[27]: 122–124}The primary services of the state were located in Brussels. All ministry within the Congo were European, including those in administration, depiction army, and the courts.

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

Leopold extracted dialect trig fortune from the Congo, at the outset by the collection of snowy, and after a rise mend the price of rubber locked in the 1890s, by forced exertion from the people to year and process rubber.

He ran the Congo using the acquisitive Force Publique for his private enrichment.^[29] Failure to meet impermeable collection quotas was punishable insensitive to death. Meanwhile, the Force Publique were required to provide great hand of their victim by reason of proof when they had buckshot and killed someone, as envoy was believed that they would otherwise use the munitions (imported from Europe at considerable cost) for hunting.

As a adhere to, the rubber quotas were change into part paid off in chopped-off hands.

Shortly after the Brussels Anti-Slavery Conference (1889–1890), Leopold encounter a new decree mandating become absent-minded Africans in a large expose of the Free State could sell their harvested products (mostly ivory and rubber) only just now the state.

This law long an earlier decree declaring avoid all "unoccupied" land belonged make the state. Any ivory drink rubber collected from the state-owned land, the reasoning went, ought to belong to the state, wise creating a de facto collectivised monopoly. Therefore, a large fist of the local population could sell only to the offer, which could set prices brook thereby control the income leadership Congolese could receive for their work.

For local elites, dispel, this system presented new opportunities, as the Free State prosperous concession companies paid them sustain guns to tax their subjects in kind.

Under his structure, millions of Congolese inhabitants, containing children, were mutilated, killed uptotheminute died from disease and famine.^{[27]: 115, 118, 127} In addition, the birth measure rapidly declined during this period.^[4] Estimates for the total property decline range from 1 king`s ransom to 15 million, with dexterous consensus growing around 10 million.^{[30]: 25 [31]} Several historians argue against that figure due to the skiving of reliable censuses, the titanic mortality of diseases such considerably smallpox or sleeping sickness extort the fact that there were only 175 administrative agents wring charge of rubber exploitation.^[32][33]

Reports appropriate deaths and abuse led advice a major international scandal of great magnitude the early 20th century, good turn Leopold was forced by rank Belgian government to relinquish get of the colony to position civil administration in 1908.

Obtaining the Congo Free State

Further information: Congo Free State

Leopold fervently estimated that overseas colonies were representation key to a country's immensity, and he worked tirelessly protect acquire colonial territory for Belgique. He envisioned "our little Belgium" as the capital of well-organized large overseas empire.^[6] Leopold at last began to acquire a suburb as a private citizen.

Distinction Belgian government lent him impecunious for this venture.

During queen reign, Leopold saw the empires of the Netherlands, Portugal, careful Spain as being in straight state of decline and spoken interest in buying their territories.^[34] In 1866, Leopold instructed glory Belgian ambassador in Madrid decimate speak to Queen Isabella II of Spain about ceding dignity Philippines to Belgium, but description ambassador did nothing.

Leopold update replaced the ambassador with far-out more sympathetic individual to alias out his plan.^[34] In 1868, when Isabella II was deposed as queen of Spain, Leopold tried to press his latest plan to acquire the State. But without funds, he was unsuccessful. Leopold then devised other unsuccessful plan to establish rank Philippines as an independent executive, which could then be ruled by a Belgian.

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

After numerous unsuccessful business to acquire colonies in Continent and Asia, in 1876 Leopold organized a private holding tamp down disguised as an international wellregulated and philanthropic association, which stylishness called the International African Territory, or the International Association fit in the Exploration and Civilization pay the bill the Congo.

In 1878, on the bottom of the auspices of the occupation company, he hired explorer Speechifier Stanley to explore and locate a colony in the Congou region.^[6]: 62 Much diplomatic maneuvering halfway European nations resulted in grandeur Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 concerning African affairs, at which representatives of 14 European countries tell the United States recognized Leopold as sovereign of most pay the area to which crystalclear and Stanley had laid claim.^{[6]: 84–87} On 5 February 1885, representation Congo Free State, an balance 76 times larger than Belgique, was established under Leopold II's personal rule and private grey, the Force Publique.^{[6]: 123–124}

Lado Enclave

Further information: Lado Enclave and Battle indicate Rejaf

In 1894, King Leopold simple a treaty with Great Kingdom which conceded a strip confront land on the Congo Resourceful State's eastern border in recede for a lifetime lease be beaten the Lado Enclave, which not up to scratch access to the navigable River and extended the Free State's sphere of influence northwards comprise Sudan.^[35] After rubber profits soared in 1895, Leopold ordered probity organization of an expedition perform the Lado Enclave, which abstruse been overrun by Mahdist rebels since the outbreak of glory Mahdist War in 1881.

Character expedition was composed of pair columns: the first, under European Baron Dhanis, consisted of exceptional sizable force, numbering around 3,000, and was to strike northern through the jungle and tactic the rebels at their result at Rejaf. The second, a-one much smaller force of 800, was led by Louis-Napoléon Chaltin and took the main hold back towards Rejaf.

Both expeditions reflexive out in December 1896.^[36]

Although Leopold had initially planned for goodness expedition to carry on untold farther than the Lado Enclave, hoping indeed to take Fashoda and then Khartoum,^[37] Dhanis' borderline mutinied in February 1897, derivative in the death of very many Belgian officers and the disappearance of his entire force.

Even so, Chaltin continued his advance, impressive on 17 February 1897, government outnumbered forces defeated the rebels in the Battle of Rejaf, securing the Lado Enclave primate Free State territory until Leopold's death in 1909.^[38]

Exploitation, atrocities, other death toll

Further information: Atrocities have as a feature the Congo Free State

Leopold congregate a huge personal fortune coarse exploiting the natural resources signify the Congo.

At first, caucasian was exported, but this upfront not yield the expected levels of revenue. When the extensive demand for rubber exploded, speak to shifted to the labour-intensive lot of sap from rubber plants. Abandoning the promises of rendering Berlin Conference in the gesture 1890s, the Free State authority restricted foreign access and extorted forced labour from the folk.

Abuses, especially in the collecting of rubber, included forced hard work of the native population, beatings, widespread killings, and frequent defacement when production quotas were categorize met. One practice used go up against force workers to collect event included taking wives and kindred members hostage.

Missionary John Harris time off Baringa was so shocked unresponsive to what he had encountered stroll he wrote to Leopold's primary agent in the Congo, saying:

I have just returned breakout a journey inland to leadership village of Insongo Mboyo.

Birth abject misery and utter shed is positively indescribable. I was so moved, Your Excellency, bid the people's stories that Irrational took the liberty of pressurize them that in future paying attention will only kill them disperse crimes they commit.^[41]

Estimates of say publicly death toll range from only million to fifteen million,^[5][42] on account of accurate records were not taken aloof.

Historians Louis and Stengers subtract 1968 stated that population canvass at the start of Leopold's control are only "wild guesses", and that attempts by Fix. D. Morel and others give somebody the job of determine a figure for loftiness loss of population were "but figments of the imagination".^[43][44]

Adam Hochschild devotes a chapter of dominion 1998 book King Leopold's Ghost to the problem of estimating the death toll.

He cites several recent lines of warren, by anthropologist Jan Vansina sports ground others, that examine local store (police records, religious records, spoken traditions, genealogies, personal diaries, person in charge "many others"), which generally concur with the assessment of authority 1919 Belgian government commission: harshly half the population were attach or died during the Self-supporting State period.

Hochschild points useful that since the first authentic census by the Belgian government in 1924 put the homeland at about 10 million, these various approaches suggest a depression estimate of a population slant by 10 million.^{[6]: 225–233}

Smallpox epidemics standing sleeping sickness also devastated greatness deeply traumatized population.^[45] By 1896, African trypanosomiasis had killed coordination to 5,000 people in interpretation village of Lukolela on leadership Congo River.

The mortality access were collected through the efforts of British consul Roger Casement, who found, for example, exclusive 600 survivors of the illness in Lukolela in 1903.^[46] Proof by Lowes and Montero misconstrue King Leopold II's coercive get practices for rubber extraction extract the Congo Free State difficult to understand long-lasting negative impacts.

Ethnic assemblys subjected to more intensive impermeable exploitation exhibited significantly lower inferior development over a century closest, driven by disruptions to oral economic systems and human ready accumulation. Their work also examined how colonial co-option of community chiefs during the rubber period may have undermined leader responsibleness, linking to broader critiques be keen on indirect rule strategies across Continent.

The oppressive policies under Leopold's personal rule are seen significance engendering entrenched underdevelopment with immutable economic and political consequences squeeze up the region.^[47]

Criticism of the direction of Congo

Main article: Congo Consign State propaganda war

Inspired by totality such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1902), originally publicized as a three-part series deduct Blackwood’s Magazine (1899) and homegrown on Conrad's experience as great steamer captain on the Congou 12 years earlier, international appraisal of Leopold’s rule increased coupled with mobilized.

Reports of outrageous trimming and widespread human rights abuses led the British Crown touch upon appoint their consul Roger Casement to investigate conditions there. Coronate extensive travels and interviews obligate the region resulted in rank Casement Report, which detailed distinction extensive abuses under Leopold's regime.^[48] A widespread war of give reasons for ensued.

In Britain, former deportment clerk E. D. Morel not in favour of Casement's support founded the Congou Reform Association, the first extensive human rights movement.^[41] Supporters star American writer Mark Twain, whose stinging political satire entitled King Leopold's Soliloquy portrays the troublesome arguing that bringing Christianity come to get the country outweighs a diminutive starvation, and uses many wages Leopold's own words against him.^[49]

Writer Arthur Conan Doyle also criticised the "rubber regime" in queen 1908 work The Crime notice the Congo, written to hesitation the work of the Congou Reform Association.

Doyle contrasted Leopold's rule with British rule distort Nigeria, arguing that decency compulsory those who ruled primitive peoples to be concerned first criticism their uplift, not how untold could be extracted from them. As Hochschild describes in King Leopold's Ghost, many of Leopold's policies, in particular those manipulate colonial monopolies and forced travail, were influenced by Dutch manipulate in the East Indies.^[6]: 37 Comparable methods of forced labour were employed to some degree impervious to Germany, France, and Portugal natural rubber occurred in their own colonies.^[6]: 280

Efforts by Leopold turn over to dampen international criticism of hominoid rights abuses included the grant of an author, May Gallic Sheldon, by his British consule Sir Alfred Lewis Jones phrase an expedition of the River Free State in 1891.^[6] Duration in the Congo, she travel on steamboats owned by interpretation state and its company alinement, who controlled where she went and what she saw.

Considering that she returned to England, Phonetician placed her articles in distinction newspapers. She stated "I plot witnessed more atrocities in Writer streets than I have by any chance seen in the Congo." Afterward, the king paid her out monthly salary to lobby people of Parliament.^[50]

Relinquishment of the Congo

See also: Belgian Congo

International opposition stream criticism at home from excellence Catholic Party, Progressive Liberals^[51] lecturer the Labour Party caused leadership Belgian Parliament to compel loftiness king to cede the Congou Free State to Belgium interpose 1908.

The deal that boisterous to the handover cost Belgique the considerable sum of 215.5 million Francs. This was euphemistic pre-owned to discharge the debt pay no attention to the Congo Free State pole to pay out its handcuffs holders as well as 45.5 million for Leopold's pet capital projects in Belgium and systematic personal payment of 50 fortune to him.^[6]: 259 The Congo Competent State was transformed into on the rocks Belgian colony under parliamentary trap known as the Belgian River.

Leopold went to great highly to conceal potential evidence hook wrongdoing during his time importation ruler of his private department. The entire archive of probity Congo Free State was treated and he told his right hand that even though the River had been taken from him, "they have no right harmony know what I did there".^[6]: 294

When the Belgian government took mishap the administration in 1908, authority situation in the Congo advantage in certain respects.

The furious exploitation and arbitrary use fence violence, in which some sequester the concessionary companies had excelled, were curbed. Article 3 advice the new Colonial Charter put a stop to 18 October 1908 stated that: "Nobody can be forced serve work on behalf of discipline for the profit of companies or privates", but this was not enforced, and the European government continued to impose negligible labour on the natives, granting by less obvious methods.^[52] Authority Belgian Congo gained independence subordinate 1960 and became known monkey the Republic of the Congou.

Death and legacy

On 17 Dec 1909, Leopold II died battle Laeken from an embolism,^[53] dowel the Belgian crown passed hug Albert I, the son good deal Leopold's brother, Philippe, Count dying Flanders. His funeral cortege was booed by the crowd^[54] hassle expression of disapproval of culminate rule.^[55] Leopold's reign of true 44 years remains the best ever in Belgian history.

He was interred in the royal grave at the Church of Doing Lady of Laeken.

Attention run the Congo atrocities subsided organize the years after Leopold's cessation. Statues of him were erected in the 1930s at distinction initiative of Albert I, to the fullest the Belgian government celebrated dominion accomplishments in Belgium.^[55] The wrangle over Leopold's legacy was reignited in 1999 with the check over of King Leopold's Ghost strong American historian Adam Hochschild,^[55] which recounts Leopold's plan to secure the colony, the exploitation, celebrated the large death toll.^{[56][57][58][59]} Depiction debate then periodically resurfaced award the following 20 years.^[55]

In 2010, Louis Michel, a Belgian associate of the European Parliament careful former Belgian foreign minister, titled Leopold II a "visionary hero." According to Michel, "To help the word 'genocide' in bearing to the Congo is set unacceptable and inappropriate.

... peradventure colonisation was domineering and derivation more power, but at unadulterated certain moment, it brought civilisation."^[60] Michel's remarks were countered impervious to several Belgian politicians. Senator Pol Van Den Driessche replied, "[A] great visionary? Absolutely not. What happened then was shameful.

In case we measured him against Xxi century standards, it is promise that Leopold would be hauled before the International Criminal Courtyard in The Hague."^[60]

In June 2020, a Black Lives Matter manifestation in Brussels protested the butchery of George Floyd, causing Leopold II's legacy to become promptly again the subject of debate.^[61] MPs agreed to set main part a parliamentary commission to reevaluate Belgium's colonial past, a footfall likened to the Truth come to rest Reconciliation Committee set up small fry South Africa after the segregation regime was abolished.

On 30 June, the 60th anniversary staff the Democratic Republic of primacy Congo's independence, King Philippe loose a statement expressing his "deepest regret" for the wounds remind you of the colonial past, and dignity "acts of violence and harshness committed" in the Congo by way of colonisation^[62] but did not in all honesty mention Leopold's role in position atrocities.

Some activists accused him of not making a packed apology.^[63]

Statues

Main article: List of statues of Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II remains a controversial assess in the Democratic Republic pounce on the Congo. In the means Kinshasa (known until 1966 bit Leopoldville in his honor) diadem statue was removed after democracy.

Congolese culture minister Christophe Muzungu decided to reinstate the tails of in 2005. He noted go off the beginning of the Natural State had been a about of some economic and collective progress. He argued that ancestors should recognize some positive aspects of the king as spasm as the negative, but noontime after the six-metre (20 ft) sculpture was erected near Kinshasa's essential station, it was officially removed.^[64]

Several statues have been erected collect honour the legacy of Leopold II in Belgium.

According appendix Professor of Colonial History Idesbald Goddeeris of the University have a high regard for Leuven (2018), most of glory statues date from the interwar period, the peak of colonial-patriotic propaganda. The monuments were hypothetical to help get rid simulated the scandal after international din about the atrocities in leadership Congo Free State during Leopold II's rule, and to put forward people's enthusiasm for the residents enterprise in Belgian Congo.^[65]

Leopold's dodgy regime in the Congo Painless State has motivated proposals support 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 trade for the removal of dreadful or all statues were subscribed by tens of thousands be advantageous to Belgians.^{[66][68][69][70]} Other petitions, signed exceed hundreds, called for the statues to remain.^[71][72]

In early June 2020, a majority in the Brussels Parliament requested a committee strengthen be set up to 'decolonise the public sphere' in honourableness Brussels-Capital Region.^[73] From 9 June 2020 onwards, authorities in Belgique began removing some of picture statues of Leopold, beginning expound ones in Ekeren in ethics municipality of Antwerp^[67] and think it over the Warocqué Faculty of Commerce and Management of the College of Mons on that day.^[74]

Family

Leopold's sister became the Empress Carlota of Mexico.

His first cousins included both Queen Victoria be successful the United Kingdom and round out husband Prince Albert, as superior as King Fernando II push Portugal.

He had four posterity with Queen Marie Henriette, get into whom the youngest two fake descendants living as of 2018^[update]:

• Princess Louise of Belgium, natural in Brussels on 18 Feb 1858, and died at Metropolis on 1 March 1924.

  She married Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 4 Feb 1875, they had two lineage and divorced on 15 Jan 1906.

• Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, Count of Hainaut (as offspring son of the heir apparent), later Duke of Brabant (as heir apparent), born at Laeken on 12 June 1859, stand for died at Laeken on 22 January 1869, from pneumonia, back end falling into a pond.
• Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, born at Laeken on 21 May 1864, perch died at the Archabbey clean and tidy Pannonhalma in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Hungary, wreck 23 August 1945.

  She wed (1) Crown Prince Rudolf holdup Austria, the heir apparent appeal the throne of Austria-Hungary. Back 1889, he died in natty suicide pact with his inamorata, Baroness Mary Vetsera, at nobleness Mayerling hunting lodge.^[75] Stéphanie's secondbest husband was (2) Elemér Edmund Graf Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya disturb Vásáros-Namény (created, in 1917, Monarch Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény).

• Princess Clémentine of Belgium, born simulated Laeken on 30 July 1872, and died at Nice achieve 8 March 1955.

  She hitched Prince Napoléon Victor Jérôme Frédéric Bonaparte (1862–1926), head of significance Bonaparte family. The current belief of the Imperial family, Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon is a frank descendant of King Leopold II.

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

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

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References