Leopold II Saxe-Coburg-Gotha: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox politician|image_size=200|birth_date=9 April 1835|birth_place=Brussels, [[Belgium]]|death_date=17 December 1909|death_place=Brussels, [[ | {{Infobox politician|image_size=200|birth_date=9 April 1835|birth_place=Brussels, [[Belgium]]|death_date=17 December 1909 (aged 74)|death_place=Brussels, Belgium|political_orientation=[[Monarchism]]<br>[[Colonialism]]|image=King Leopold.png}} | ||
'''Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor''' was the king of Belgium from 1865 to 1909 | '''Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor''' (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909), commonly known as '''Leopold II of Belgium''', was the [[king of Belgium]] from 1865 to 1909. He was also the brutal colonial ruler of the [[Congo Free State (1885–1909)|Congo Free State]], murdering half of its population between 1885 and 1908.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Brussels|page=17–18|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref> | ||
== Colonization of the Congo == | == Colonization of the Congo == | ||
Leopold founded a private company to colonize the Congo in 1878 and became the owner of 2.3 million km<sup>2</sup> of African land following the 1885 [[Berlin Conference]]. He set up a militia called the Public Force to dismember and torture Africans who did not work hard enough.<ref name=":0" /> | Leopold founded a private company to colonize the Congo in 1878 and became the owner of 2.3 million km<sup>2</sup> of African land with the formation of the "Congo Free State" following the 1885 [[Berlin Conference]]. The Congo Free State was approximately eighty times the size of Belgium.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
Leopold, who had been attempting to acquire colonies for Belgium, had set up a so-called scientific institute called the International African Association (IAA) which sent expeditions into central Africa to gather intelligence for a future land grab. He portrayed himself as a [[Philanthropy|philanthropist]] and proposed that the IAA become a protective state over the Congo basin, which was approved at the Berlin Conference.<ref>{{Citation|author=John Tully|year=2011|title=The Devil's Milk: A Social History of Rubber|isbn=978-1-58367-231-0}}</ref><sup>:104</sup> | |||
He set up a militia called the Force Publique (or "Public Force") to dismember and torture Africans who did not work hard enough.<ref name=":0" /> The colonial economy of Congo Free State initially focused on acquiring [[ivory]], but shifted more to a focus on [[Natural rubber|rubber]] following the onset of the wild rubber boom in the late 1800s.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Angela Thompsell|newspaper=Thought Co.|title=Congo Free State Rubber Regime Atrocities|date=2025-05-18|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/congo-free-state-atrocities-rubber-regime-43731}}</ref> | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
[[Category:1835 births]] | |||
[[Category:1909 deaths]] | |||
[[Category:Belgian monarchs]] | |||
[[Category:Genocide perpetrators]] | [[Category:Genocide perpetrators]] | ||
[[Category:Imperialists]] | |||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Monarchs]] | [[Category:Monarchs]] | ||
Latest revision as of 12:00, 17 February 2026
Leopold II Saxe-Coburg-Gotha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 April 1835 Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | 17 December 1909 (aged 74) Brussels, Belgium |
| Political orientation | Monarchism Colonialism |
Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909), commonly known as Leopold II of Belgium, was the king of Belgium from 1865 to 1909. He was also the brutal colonial ruler of the Congo Free State, murdering half of its population between 1885 and 1908.[1]
Colonization of the Congo[edit | edit source]
Leopold founded a private company to colonize the Congo in 1878 and became the owner of 2.3 million km2 of African land with the formation of the "Congo Free State" following the 1885 Berlin Conference. The Congo Free State was approximately eighty times the size of Belgium.[1]
Leopold, who had been attempting to acquire colonies for Belgium, had set up a so-called scientific institute called the International African Association (IAA) which sent expeditions into central Africa to gather intelligence for a future land grab. He portrayed himself as a philanthropist and proposed that the IAA become a protective state over the Congo basin, which was approved at the Berlin Conference.[2]:104
He set up a militia called the Force Publique (or "Public Force") to dismember and torture Africans who did not work hard enough.[1] The colonial economy of Congo Free State initially focused on acquiring ivory, but shifted more to a focus on rubber following the onset of the wild rubber boom in the late 1800s.[3]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Brussels' (pp. 17–18). [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]
- ↑ John Tully (2011). The Devil's Milk: A Social History of Rubber. ISBN 978-1-58367-231-0
- ↑ Angela Thompsell (2025-05-18). "Congo Free State Rubber Regime Atrocities" Thought Co..