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.
Royal portrait, c. 1900
Leopold as a child. Painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1844)
Leopold as a younger man in the uniform of the Grenadiers (Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser)
A political cartoon pillorying Leopold's affair with Caroline Lacroix. The Abbot: Oh! Sire, at your age? The King: You should try it for yourself!
Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled King of the Belgians and serves as the country's head of state and commander-in-chief of the Belgian Armed Forces. There have been seven Belgian monarchs since independence in 1830.
Monarchy of Belgium
Equestrian statue of King Leopold II in Brussels, Belgium
Busts of the first five Kings of the Belgians
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels is the National Basilica of Belgium.