207,380 profiles ranked

Leopold II of Belgium

King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 (1835-1909) · Belgium · Historical Figures · Died at 74

Leopold II of Belgium is read about 4,266 times a day, in 86 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare

He ruled Belgium for 44 years and privately owned an African territory seventy-six times its size - a venture that produced a fortune in ivory and rubber through forced labor, systematic mutilation, and what was called, in 1890, among the first recorded uses of the phrase, "crimes against humanity."

PoliticiansHistorical FigureRoyaltyPolitics19th Century

A life in dates

1909Died17 December 19091901“Young trees need stakes to support them, but the stakes must be removed once the trees begin to grow, precisely so not to hinder their growth.”In their words9 June 1901Leopold II, King of the Belgians in a letter to his minister, Charles Woeste, dated June 9, 1901.

1885Sovereign of the Congo Free StateOffice1885-19081865“I have no other desire than to leave Belgium bigger, stronger and more beautiful.”In their wordsPierre Vercauteren: A king unjustly maligned. (Page 18) Leopold II on the evening of his accession in 1865 confided to the baron

King of the BelgiansOffice1865-19091861“I sleep poorly. This long abstinence is destroying me. My nature needs frequent contacts with the beautiful gender. I don't understand how priests can live like this.”In their wordsMay 1861Leopold II, Het hele Verhaal, Johan Op De Beeck Horizon, 2020 Prince Leopold II in a letter to his father Leopold I on may 1861 when

Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands LionAward1853“You just have to dare to succeed.”In their wordsAll the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert),

“A Prince must not speak the language of the tribunes and proclaim absolute principles in terms which are likely to deeply offend those who are of another opinion than his own.”In their wordsAll the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert), 5.

“I want it to be and it will be.”In their wordsAll the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert),

Senator by RightOffice1853-18651835Born9 April 1835

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Queen Louise of Orléans with her son Prince Leopold, later Leopold II. Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1838)Queen Louise of Orléans with her son Prince Leopold, later Leopold II. Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1838)Leopold as a younger man in the uniform of the Grenadiers (Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser)Leopold as a younger man in the uniform of the Grenadiers (Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser)Leopold II in 1875. Portrait by Louis GallaitLeopold II in 1875. Portrait by Louis GallaitLeopold II at his accession to the throneLeopold II at his accession to the throneThe Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark memorial arcade and museums in Brussels, commissioned by Leopold IIThe Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark memorial arcade and museums in Brussels, commissioned by Leopold IICartoon depicting Leopold II laying the first stone of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in BrusselsCartoon depicting Leopold II laying the first stone of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels

In their own words 10

,
Leopold II of Belgium
,
10 statements, newest first

  1. Young trees need stakes to support them, but the stakes must be removed once the trees begin to grow, precisely so not to hinder their growth.

    Jun 9, 1901, Leopold II, King of the Belgians in a letter to his minister, Charles Woeste, dated June 9, 1901., Own words

  2. I have no other desire than to leave Belgium bigger, stronger and more beautiful.

    1865, Pierre Vercauteren: A king unjustly maligned. (Page 18) Leopold II on the evening of his accession in 1865 confided to the baron, Own words

  3. I sleep poorly. This long abstinence is destroying me. My nature needs frequent contacts with the beautiful gender. I don't understand how priests can live like this.

    May 1861, Leopold II, Het hele Verhaal, Johan Op De Beeck Horizon, 2020 Prince Leopold II in a letter to his father Leopold I on may 1861 when, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion1861
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Black Eagle
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II
Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Order of Saint Anna, 1st class
Order of the White Eagle
Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky
Order of the Star of Romania
Order of St. Andrew
Order of the Red Eagle 1st Class
Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
Knight of the Order of the Elephant
Order of Ludwig I
House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
Order of Saint Joseph
Grand Commander of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
Order of the Medjidie
Order of Osmanieh
Order of Saint Ferdinand and of Merit
Sash of the Three Orders
Order of the Crown
Order of Saint Hubert
Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
Order of the Rue Crown
Order of the Cross of Takovo
Order of the Garter
Order of the White Elephant
Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary

Family

Parents

Leopold II of Belgium

Partners

Children

Brothers and sisters

Is this everyone?

Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong.

Correct this family

About this person

Born in Brussels in 1835, the second son of Leopold I, he became king of the Belgians in 1865 and reigned until his death in 1909. At the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, European colonial powers granted him personal ownership of the Congo Free State, a vast territory he never visited but controlled through the mercenary Force Publique. He extracted wealth first from ivory, then from rubber after prices rose in the 1890s, enforcing production quotas with torture, murder, kidnapping, and the amputation of hands and feet of men, women, and children who fell short. The Congolese population is estimated to have declined by between one and fifteen million during his rule, from disease, reduced birth rates, and violence. International condemnation eventually forced him to cede the territory to Belgium in 1908, a year before his death.

Country
Belgium
Category
Historical Figures
Type
Historical Figure
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1835 to 1909 · aged 74

Historical Figures from Belgium 6

Leopold III of Belgium63.1Albert II of Belgium62.8Queen Mathilde of Belgium61.9Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant60.7Baudouin of Belgium59.1Albert I of Belgium59.0

Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.