610,460 views Aug 1, 2023 #congo #history #kingleopoldii
The official title of the Belgian kings is “King of the Belgians.” In Belgium, there is a difference between the titles “King of Belgium” and the “King of the Belgians.” The first suggests that the monarch is the owner of all of the country’s land.
The second title implies that he simply “reigns” over the Belgians in the constitutional monarchy that’s existed in the country since it separated from Holland and the “United Kingdom of the Netherlands” in 1830.
The Belgian king, and its been a king, not a queen, since independence, was never an absolute monarch, though in the 19th century, the king had considerable more power and influence than King Philippe does today.
The problem for Leopold was that he really wanted to be that king – you know, the “your wish is my command, Sire” type king, and he could not be that kind of a king to the Belgians, who had gone through much debate, internal strife and some bloodshed to prevent that kind of absolute monarchy in Belgium. Much of Western Europe was going through the “Second Age of Imperialism” in the latter part of the 19th century. Great Britain’s empire spanned the globe – the largest empire the world has ever seen.
The French controlled a great deal of Africa and parts of the Middle East. Italy had a small African empire. Holland had extensive colonies in the Pacific, most notably today’s Indonesia.
Even declining Spain and Portugal had colonies in Africa and the Far East in the late 1800s. Some in Belgium call Leopold II “The Great Builder,” for in Belgium, he sponsored and promoted the building of new roads, public buildings and a variety of public works, many of which are still in existence.
Many in the country believe that that was his purpose in attempting to gain the Congo River area for Belgium – to improve and modernize the vast forested territory. He also wanted to spread the Christian faith and to bring Western culture and technology to the area.
