Albert I

Known as the "Knight King," he led the Belgian army in holding the line on the Yser in World War I.

Life

Congo expedition

Albert I was the nephew of Leopold II and came to the throne in 1909. Before his accession he went to the Congo himself to investigate and advocated reforming colonial rule.

Yser

In 1914, when Germany demanded passage through Belgium to attack France, he flatly refused. After the German invasion he commanded the army himself, opening the sluices on the Yser to flood the lowlands and stop the Germans, holding on to a small corner of Belgium in the northwest; for four years he stayed at the front with his soldiers.

Knight King

After the war he pushed for universal male suffrage and social reform. In 1934 he fell to his death while rock climbing.

Legacy

Albert I won the respect of Belgians and the Allies for his steadfast resistance in World War I and was called the "Knight King."

Did you know? He was a keen mountaineer and ultimately died in a rock-climbing accident.

Key dates

• 1909Succession
• 1914Refuses Germany passage; holds the Yser
• 1918Led the army to liberate Belgium
• 1919Introduced universal male suffrage
• 1934Killed in a rock-climbing fall