King of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909 (1835–1909)
People connected to Leopold II of Belgium
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."
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 esti…
Sourced, dated quotes from Leopold II of Belgium
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.
I have no other desire than to leave Belgium bigger, stronger and more beautiful.
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.
I have only one goal and one desire, namely to give myself a practical instruction, to get to know the world and its inhabitants.
You just have to dare to succeed.
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