"In fourteen years Leopold has deliberately destroyed more lives than have suffered death on all the battlefields of this planet for the past thousand years. In this vast statement I am well within the mark, several millions of lives with the mark. It is curious that the most advanced and most enlightened century of all the centuries the sun has looked upon should have the ghastly distinction of having produced this moldy and peity-mouthing hypocrite, this bloody monster whose mate is not findable in human history anywhere, and whose personality will surely shame hell itself when he arrives there--which will be soon, let us hope and trust."
- Mark Twain on King Leopold II
Leopold was born in 1835. He was a first cousin of the Princess who would soon become Queen Victoria, being the oldest surviving son of her beloved uncle Leopold. Leopold I was a minor German Prince who, by his influence and charm, was chosen to be King of Belgium when they started an independant monarchy.
That was a few years before Leopold Jr. was born. Leopold Sr. wasn't really a bad guy. He was great at manipulating people, but he didn't really use that power for evil.
Leopold II became King in 1835, aged thirty. He had already been married to an Austrian princess in 1853. His wife, Marie Henriette, seemed to think he was kind of a creep, too, as they were leading seperate lives pretty soon into their marriage, though they still managed to have four kids. But she seemed interested in getting away from him whenever possible. Leopold also liked hookers.
When he came to the throne, Leopold thought Belgium could a greater world power than it was. He saw what was going on in his cousin Victoria's country, and thought colonialism was the way of the future. Problem was, the Belgian people and government weren't really interested in it. But Leopold wouldn't leave the idea alone. So Leopold borrowed money from the government and some friends and set about making his own special colony. He decided to colonize Congo in central Africa. Leopold hired some explorers and sent them down there. Then he declared himself absolute ruler of the "Congo Free State" and basically from that point on considered all of the land he claimed, everything on it, and all of the people who lived there his personal property.
Leopold set up a rubber industry there, and paid for a private army to enslave people to harvest it for him. He used brutality to force people to work for him. He cut off the hands of children if they didn't meet his quota. He also kidnapped people and held them hostage to force their relatives to give him what he wanted. Leopold's goons were also in the habit of killing entire villages and commiting mass arson. Why? Because they could, I guess.
All in all, Leopold's actions resulted in the deaths of between two and fifteen million people. It's hard to know because Leopold didn't exactly keep track, but it was known from local records that about half the population died. Word of Leopold's actions did get out, but not the extent of them.
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a book about what he was up to, but he could only guess at some of Leopold's atrocities. When Leopold died (of natural causes at age seventy-four) his funeral procession was booed by the crowds. He was succeeded by his nephew Albert, and from then on people started forgetting Leopold and all he had done.
What disgusts me about Leopold is that other than some contemporary criticism he basically got away with it. He was on the same level as Hitler, and commited his crimes out of greed. He was never pressured into suicide, he was never locked away, and he was never tried for anything. He got to live the royal lifestyle until he died.
- Mark Twain on King Leopold II
Leopold was born in 1835. He was a first cousin of the Princess who would soon become Queen Victoria, being the oldest surviving son of her beloved uncle Leopold. Leopold I was a minor German Prince who, by his influence and charm, was chosen to be King of Belgium when they started an independant monarchy.
That was a few years before Leopold Jr. was born. Leopold Sr. wasn't really a bad guy. He was great at manipulating people, but he didn't really use that power for evil.
Leopold II became King in 1835, aged thirty. He had already been married to an Austrian princess in 1853. His wife, Marie Henriette, seemed to think he was kind of a creep, too, as they were leading seperate lives pretty soon into their marriage, though they still managed to have four kids. But she seemed interested in getting away from him whenever possible. Leopold also liked hookers.
When he came to the throne, Leopold thought Belgium could a greater world power than it was. He saw what was going on in his cousin Victoria's country, and thought colonialism was the way of the future. Problem was, the Belgian people and government weren't really interested in it. But Leopold wouldn't leave the idea alone. So Leopold borrowed money from the government and some friends and set about making his own special colony. He decided to colonize Congo in central Africa. Leopold hired some explorers and sent them down there. Then he declared himself absolute ruler of the "Congo Free State" and basically from that point on considered all of the land he claimed, everything on it, and all of the people who lived there his personal property.
Leopold set up a rubber industry there, and paid for a private army to enslave people to harvest it for him. He used brutality to force people to work for him. He cut off the hands of children if they didn't meet his quota. He also kidnapped people and held them hostage to force their relatives to give him what he wanted. Leopold's goons were also in the habit of killing entire villages and commiting mass arson. Why? Because they could, I guess.
All in all, Leopold's actions resulted in the deaths of between two and fifteen million people. It's hard to know because Leopold didn't exactly keep track, but it was known from local records that about half the population died. Word of Leopold's actions did get out, but not the extent of them.
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a book about what he was up to, but he could only guess at some of Leopold's atrocities. When Leopold died (of natural causes at age seventy-four) his funeral procession was booed by the crowds. He was succeeded by his nephew Albert, and from then on people started forgetting Leopold and all he had done.
What disgusts me about Leopold is that other than some contemporary criticism he basically got away with it. He was on the same level as Hitler, and commited his crimes out of greed. He was never pressured into suicide, he was never locked away, and he was never tried for anything. He got to live the royal lifestyle until he died.
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