# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/willem-frans-van-kerckhoven
# Generated: 2026-08-15T22:13:18.267Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/willem-frans-van-kerckhoven"
name: "Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven"
slug: "willem-frans-van-kerckhoven"
description: "Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven, or Guillaume François van Kerckhoven was a Belgian soldier, explorer, colonial administrator who was active in the service of the International Association of the Congo and the subsequent Congo Free State. He is known for his extended expedition through the Uele River basin and onward towards the Nile, which was responsible for the deaths of over 1,800 people and established a Belgian presence in the region. Van Kerckhoven died in an accident before reaching the Nile."
tagline: "Belgian soldier, explorer and colonial administrator"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Willem_Frans_Van_Kerckhoven_in_the_Congo.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
birthDate: "1853-01-28"
deathDate: "1892-08-10"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           40.05
  momentum:             8.25
  historical:           4.805796
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     30
  profileCompleteness:  40
  trendDirection:       "RISING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
sources:
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Van_Kerckhoven"
    title: "Guillaume Van Kerckhoven"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Frans_Van_Kerckhoven"
    title: "Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Van_Kerckhoven"
    title: "Guillaume Van Kerckhoven"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ha.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Frans_Van_Kerckhoven"
    title: "Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Frans_Van_Kerckhoven"
    title: "Willem Frans Van Kerckhoven"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80091734"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Imported from discovery source: wikidata-dump