Leopold II
The Belgian king who seized the Congo as his private domain and plundered its rubber through atrocities.
Life
King of a small country
Leopold II came to the throne in 1865. He believed that small Belgium needed colonies, but parliament was not interested, so he privately funded the explorer Stanley's activities in the Congo River basin.
Congo Free State
In 1885 the Berlin Conference recognized the "Congo Free State" as his private possession. He forced the local people to gather rubber and ivory; those who failed to meet quotas had their hands cut off, were taken hostage, or had their villages burned. An estimated several million Congolese died from atrocities, famine and disease. He used the plundered wealth for lavish building projects in Belgium.
Atrocities and condemnation
After missionaries and journalists exposed the atrocities, international opinion strongly condemned them, and in 1908 the Belgian government was forced to take the Congo over from him. He died the following year.
Legacy
Leopold II's rule in the Congo is one of the darkest chapters in colonial history; in recent years the King of the Belgians has expressed deep regret to Congo over the colonial past, and statues of Leopold II have repeatedly been removed in various places.
Did you know? Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness is set in the Congo Free State.
Key dates
- 1865Succession
- 1876Founded the International African Association
- 1885Established the Congo Free State
- 1904British consul Casement's report exposes the atrocities
- 1908Congo taken over by the Belgian government
- 1909Died