Congo Free State
Videos
The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by King Leopold II, the cons
Leopold II, King of the Belgians and de facto owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908
Henry Morton Stanley, whose exploration of the Congo region at Leopold's invitation led to the establishment of the Congo Free State under personal sovereignty
A cartoon depicting Leopold II in the middle, German Emperor William I on the right and the Russian Empire on the left, at the 1884 Berlin Conference
A bond of the Congo Free State, issued March 1888
Leopold II of Belgium
Videos
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.
Congo Free State
…the Congo (French: État indépendant du Congo), was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by King Leopold II, the constitutional monarch of the Kingdom of Belgium. In legal terms, the two separate countries were in a personal union. The Congo Free State was…
Leopold in 1889
Queen Louise of Orléans with her son Prince Leopold, later Leopold II. Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1838)
Young Prince Leopold by John Partridge (1841)
Leopold as a younger man in the uniform of the Grenadiers (Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser)