Leopold II Biography, Life, Interesting Facts
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Early Life And Education
Leopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor was born 9th April 1835, to Leopold I of Belgium, and his second wife, Louise of Orleans. He was born into the house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold was born in Brussels, Belgium and was one of three children, although his brother died before he was born.
Due to the early death of his brother, Leopold was born as the heir to the throne. His mother died when he was 15 years of age. At the age of nine, Leopold was given the title of Duke of Brabant. He was also given the rank of sub-lieutenant in the army. Leopold served in the army until 1865 when he ascended the throne and attained the rank of lieutenant-general.
Ascension And Ruling Monarch
Leopold began his public service at the age of 20. In 1855, he joined the Belgian Senate. He was a keen member of the senate, particularly in the area of trade, and began to push for Belgium to acquire other colonies. Between 1854 and 1865, Leopold traveled extensively, visiting countries such as India, China, Egypt and the Mediterranean. His father died in 1865, and on December 17, Leopold ascended the throne, at the age of 30. He outlined his plan in a letter to his brother, Prince Philippe, in 1888. He stated the country needed to be strong and prosperous and would achieve this through the acquisition of other colonies.
Several important political issues happened during the reign of Leopold. In 1879, the Liberals, who were in power, created free, compulsory, primary schools, that the state funded. At the same time, they stopped supporting primary schools run by the Roman Catholic institution. In 1880, the Catholic Party achieved the majority in parliament and once again the state funded Catholic schools. A few years later, in 1885, the Labour Party was born. Male suffrage was undertaken in 1893. Another important advancement was laws that came in preventing child labor, stating that children under 12 couldn’t work in factories. Workers were also to be given Sundays off and to be compensated for workplace accidents.
Through the profits generated from the natural resources in the Congo, Leopold was able to commission many projects, public works, and buildings to be completed. He also amassed a great personal fortune but had the foresight to create a Royal Trust so that the wealth could not be diverted overseas. This was due to his daughters all being married to foreign princes. By creating the Royal Trust, future generations of the Belgian Royal family could enjoy the wealth, but everything was owned by the Royal Trust, and thus, belonged to the Belgian nation. In 1902, Leopold survived an assassination attempt, much to the joy of the Belgian people, and other leading dignitaries in Europe.
Leopold still believed that colony acquisition was the best way forward, but when he was unable to secure any through official capacities, he tried to acquire them on a personal level. His first attempt was to take over the Philippines, but this failed after several attempts. He then moved on to Africa and Asia. He failed several times, but then created a holding company, and with the help of his explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, through deception, Leopold founded the Congo Free State. He laid claim to the area, espousing that he would improve the lives of those living there, and at the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885, the claim was approved by the other colonial nations of Europe.
Once the claim was authorized, Leopold had millions of Congolese citizens slaughtered or mutilated. This included children. Leopold created the Force Publique, which was the equivalent of an army, and they ran the Congo Free State. They were brutal in their authority. Estimates of the slaughter ranged from one million to fifteen million.
Leopold didn’t care and happily made a fortune from the activities that took place in the Congo – primarily the collection and sale of ivory, and the harvesting and selling of rubber.
News of the atrocities caused a huge scandal, and in the early 1900s, the Belgian government forced Leopold to give up his control of the colony, and a civil administration was installed in 1908 to take over management.
Leopold ruled Belgium for 44 years, the longest reign by a Monarch in that country.
Leopold married Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria in 1853 and remained married until 1895. She was very popular with the people and was a very talented artist and musician. The couple had four children – three daughters and a son. Their son was also called Leopold. He died from pneumonia at the age of nine and left Leopold II without an heir to the throne. They tried to have another son but were unsuccessful, and eventually, they separated as the marriage had become an unhappy one.
Leopold also had several mistresses, but one in particular, Caroline Lacroix, he had a relationship with for over a decade. They married in secret just a few days before his death, due to her unpopularity with the people of Belgium. As the marriage had not been legitimized through a civil ceremony, Lacroix was not able to have her children officially recognized, although Leopold had left her a great deal of wealth.
Whilst Leopold II is recognized for having built many buildings and structures in Belgium, and also for having several very important pieces of legislation pass under his rule, it is very unfortunate that he was also responsible for great atrocities in the Congo Free State, and the slaughter of millions of innocent lives.
Leopold II, ambaye pia anajulikana kama Leopold II, alizaliwa tarehe 9 Aprili 1835 katika familia ya Leopold I wa Ubelgiji na mkewe wa pili, Louise wa Orleans. Alizaliwa katika nyumba ya Saxe-Coburg na Gotha. Leopold alizaliwa Brussels, Ubelgiji na alikuwa mmoja wa watoto watatu, ingawa ndugu yake alikufa kabla ya kuzaliwa. Kwa sababu ya kifo cha mapema cha ndugu yake, Leopold alizaliwa kama mrithi wa kiti cha enzi. Mama yake alikufa alipokuwa na umri wa miaka 15. Alipokuwa na umri wa miaka tisa, Leopold alipewa cheo cha Duke wa Brabant. Pia alipewa cheo cha luteni wa chini katika jeshi. Leopold alitumikia katika jeshi hadi 1865 alipopanda kiti cha enzi na kufikia cheo cha Luteni-Jenerali. Mfalme Leopold wa Uingereza alianza kazi yake ya umma akiwa na umri wa miaka 20. Mwaka 1855 alijiunga na Seneti ya Ubelgiji. Alikuwa mshiriki mwenye bidii wa baraza la seneti, hasa katika eneo la biashara, na akaanza kushinikiza Ubelgiji kupata koloni nyingine. Kati ya mwaka wa 1854 na 1865, Leopold alitembelea nchi nyingi, kama vile India, China, Misri na Mediterania. Baba yake alikufa mnamo Desemba 17, 1865, na Leopold akaingia kwenye kiti cha enzi akiwa na umri wa miaka 30. Aliandika barua kwa ndugu yake, Prince Philip, mwaka 1888. Alisema nchi inahitaji kuwa na nguvu na kustawi na itafanikisha hili kupitia ununuzi wa koloni nyingine. Masuala kadhaa muhimu ya kisiasa yalitokea wakati wa utawala wa Leopold. Mwaka 1879 chama cha Liberal kilianzisha shule za msingi za bure na za lazima ambazo serikali iliwafadhili. Wakati huohuo, waliacha kutegemeza shule za msingi zilizosimamiwa na shirika la Katoliki ya Kiroma. Mwaka 1880, Chama cha Katoliki kilipata kura nyingi katika bunge na serikali ikaanza tena kufadhili shule za Kikatoliki. Mwaka 1885 chama cha Labour Party kilianzishwa. Haki ya kupiga kura ya wanaume ilianzishwa mwaka 1893. Sheria nyingine muhimu ilitolewa ili kuzuia kazi ya watoto, ikisema kwamba watoto chini ya umri wa miaka 12 hawawezi kufanya kazi katika viwanda. Wafanyakazi pia walipaswa kupewa likizo ya Jumapili na kulipwa fidia kwa ajili ya aksidenti za kazini. Kupitia faida zilizotokezwa kutokana na rasilimali za asili katika Kongo, Leopold aliweza kuagiza miradi mingi, kazi za umma, na majengo kukamilishwa. Pia, alipata utajiri mkubwa, lakini aliamua kuanzisha shirika la Royal Trust ili utajiri huo usipelekwe ng'ambo ya nchi. Hilo lilitokana na kwamba binti zake wote walikuwa wameolewa na wakuu wa kigeni. Kwa kuunda Royal Trust, vizazi vya baadaye vya familia ya kifalme ya Ubelgiji vingeweza kufurahia utajiri, lakini kila kitu kilikuwa mali ya Royal Trust, na kwa hivyo, kilikuwa cha taifa la Ubelgiji. Leopold II aliokoka jaribio la mauaji mwaka 1902 na kuuawa, na watu wa Ubelgiji na watu wengine mashuhuri wa Ulaya walifurahi. Leopold aliamini kwamba kupata koloni ilikuwa njia bora ya kuendelea, lakini aliposhindwa kupata yoyote kupitia uwezo rasmi, alijaribu kupata yao katika ngazi ya kibinafsi. Jaribio lake la kwanza lilikuwa kuteka Ufilipino, lakini hilo lilishindwa baada ya majaribio kadhaa. Kisha akahamia Afrika na Asia. Baada ya kushindwa mara kadhaa, Leopold alianzisha kampuni ya kuhifadhi, na kwa msaada wa mvumbuzi wake, Henry Morton Stanley, kupitia udanganyifu, Leopold alianzisha Jimbo la Uhuru la Kongo. Alipiga kura ya kuunga mkono eneo hilo, akisema kwamba ataiboresha maisha ya wale wanaoishi huko, na katika Mkutano wa Berlin katika 1884-1885, madai hayo yaliidhinishwa na mataifa mengine ya kikoloni ya Ulaya. Mara tu madai hayo yalipoidhinishwa, Leopold aliamuru mamilioni ya raia wa Kongo wauawa au kuharibiwa. Hilo lilitia ndani watoto. Leopold alianzisha kikosi cha jeshi la umma (Force Publique) ambacho kilikuwa kikosi cha serikali ya Kongo. Walikuwa wakali katika mamlaka yao. Makadirio ya mauaji hayo yalitoka milioni moja hadi milioni kumi na tano. Leopold hakujali na kwa furaha alifanya utajiri kutoka kwa shughuli zilizofanyika nchini Kongo - hasa ukusanyaji na uuzaji wa pembe za tembo, na kuvuna na kuuza mpira. Habari za mauaji hayo zilisababisha fujo kubwa, na mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1900, serikali ya Ubelgiji ilimlazimisha Leopold kuacha udhibiti wake wa koloni, na utawala wa kiraia uliwekwa mnamo 1908 kuchukua udhibiti. Leopold alitawala Ubelgiji kwa miaka 44, na hivyo akaendelea kutawala kwa muda mrefu zaidi kuliko mfalme mwingine yeyote. Leopold aliolewa na Marie Henriette wa Austria mnamo 1853 na waliendelea kuwa wenzi wa ndoa hadi 1895. Alikuwa maarufu sana miongoni mwa watu na alikuwa msanii na mwanamuziki mwenye kipaji sana. Wanandoa hao walikuwa na watoto wanne <unk> mabinti watatu na mwana mmoja. Mwana wao pia aliitwa Leopold. Alikufa kutokana na ugonjwa wa mapafu akiwa na umri wa miaka tisa na kumwacha Leopold wa Pili bila mrithi wa kiti cha ufalme. Walijaribu kupata mtoto mwingine wa kiume lakini hawakufaulu, na hatimaye, waliachana kwa sababu ndoa yao ilikuwa haifurahi. Leopold alikuwa na mpenzi mmoja, Caroline Lacroix, ambaye aliishi naye kwa miaka kumi. Walifunga ndoa kwa siri siku chache tu kabla ya kifo chake, kwa sababu ya kutopendwa kwake na watu wa Ubelgiji. Kwa kuwa ndoa hiyo haikuwa imehakikishwa kupitia sherehe ya kiraia, Lacroix hakuweza kuwa na watoto wake kutambuliwa rasmi, ingawa Leopold alikuwa amemwachia utajiri mwingi. Leopold II alikuwa kiongozi wa nchi ya Ubelgiji, lakini pia alikuwa na jukumu kubwa katika mauaji ya mamilioni ya watu wasio na hatia.