Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was
King of the Belgians
Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...
from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the
Congo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
.
Baudouin was the elder son of
King Leopold III
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...
(1901–1983) and his first wife, Princess
Astrid of Sweden
Astrid of Sweden (17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was the Queen of the Belgians and the first wife of King Leopold III. Originally a princess of Sweden of the House of Bernadotte, Astrid became the Duchess of Brabant after her marriage to ...
(1905–1935). Because he and his wife,
Queen Fabiola
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
, had no children, at Baudouin's death the crown passed to his younger brother,
King Albert II.
Childhood and accession
![Baudouin and Albert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Baudouin_and_Albert.jpg)
Prince Baudouin was born on 7 September 1930 in the
Château du Stuyvenberg
Stuyvenberg Castle (french: Château du Stuyvenberg, nl, Kasteel van Stuyvenberg, german: Schloss Stuyvenberg) is a residence of the Belgian Royal Family, located in Laeken, Brussels. Château du Stuyvenberg is situated at an elevation of 56 meter ...
, near Laeken, Brussels, the elder son and second child of
Prince Leopold, then
Duke of Brabant
The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Low ...
, and his first wife, Princess
Astrid of Sweden
Astrid of Sweden (17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was the Queen of the Belgians and the first wife of King Leopold III. Originally a princess of Sweden of the House of Bernadotte, Astrid became the Duchess of Brabant after her marriage to ...
. In 1934, Baudouin's grandfather King
Albert I of Belgium
Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934.
Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
was killed in a
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
accident; Leopold became king and the three-year-old Baudouin became
Duke of Brabant
The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Low ...
as
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the throne. Baudouin's mother died in 1935 in an automobile accident, when Baudouin was nearly five. Later, in 1941, his father remarried to
Mary Lilian Baels
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
(later became Princess of Réthy). This marriage produced three more children:
Prince Alexandre, Princess Marie-Christine (who is also Baudouin's goddaughter) and
Princess Marie-Esméralda. Baudouin and his siblings had a close relationship with their stepmother and they called her "Mother". His education began at the age of seven, his tutors taught him half his lessons in French and half in
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
. He frequently accompanied his father to parades and ceremonies and became well known to the public.
Despite maintaining strict
neutrality during the opening months of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, on 10 May 1940, Belgium was invaded by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. Baudouin, his elder sister Princess Josephine-Charlotte and his younger brother Prince Albert, were immediately sent to France for safety and then to Spain.
The
Belgian Army
The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...
, assisted by the French and British, conducted a defensive
campaign lasting 18 days, but Leopold, who had taken personal command,
surrendered unconditionally on 28 May. Although the Belgian government escaped to form a
Belgian government in exile
The Belgian Government in London (french: Gouvernement belge à Londres, nl, Belgische regering in Londen), also known as the Pierlot IV Government, was the government in exile of Belgium between October 1940 and September 1944 during World W ...
, Leopold elected to remain in Belgium, and was placed under house arrest at the
Palace of Laeken
The Palace of Laeken or Castle of Laeken (french: Château de Laeken, nl, Kasteel van Laken, german: Schloss zu Laeken) is the official residence of the King of the Belgians and the Monarchy of Belgium, Belgian Royal Family. It lies in the B ...
, from where he attempted to reach an understanding with the Germans, especially in respect of Belgian
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
who were being held in Germany. The children returned to Laeken from Spain on 6 August.
Leopold had established a royal
Scout group at the palace for his sons, whose members were drawn from the
various Belgian Scout associations. In April 1943, the wearing of uniforms was banned by the occupation forces and although Leopold was told that the royal group was exempt, insisted that the ban should apply to them too. However, Baudouin was about to be invested as a Scout and persuaded his father to delay the ban for one day so that the ceremony could take place.
Immediately following the
Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
in June 1944, the king, his new wife Princess Lilian, and the royal children, were deported to
Hirschstein
Hirschstein is a municipality in the district of Meißen, in Saxony, Germany.
The following villages belong to Hirschstein: Althirschstein, Bahra, Böhla, Boritz, Heyda, Kobeln, Mehltheuer, Neuhirschstein, Pahrenz, Prausitz and Schänitz.
Leop ...
in Germany and then to
Strobl
Strobl (or Strobl am Wolfgangsee) is a municipality of the Salzburg-Umgebung District (''Flachgau''), in the northeastern portion of the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg, right on the border with Upper Austria. It comprises the Katastr ...
in Austria from where they were liberated in May 1945 by the United States Army.
However, the royal family were prevented from returning to Belgium by the "
Royal Question" over whether Leopold had collaborated with the Nazis; the surrender in 1940, his refusal to join the government-in-exile, his fruitless visit to
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
at the
Berghof in November 1940 and his unconstitutional marriage to Lilian whose father was believed to be pro-Nazi. Until a political solution could be found, the king's brother,
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
became
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
and the royal family lived at the
Château du Reposoir in
Pregny-Chambésy
Pregny-Chambésy is a Municipalities of Switzerland, commune in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is located directly north of the city of Geneva, on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva.
A number of foreign Diplomatic mission, permanent ...
, Switzerland. Baudouin continued his education at a secondary school in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
and visited the United States in 1948. In a
referendum in March 1950, the public narrowly voted for the king to return and he was recalled on 4 June 1950. However, parliamentary dissent and public protests forced Leopold to delegate his powers to Baudouin on 11 August 1950, and finally to
abdicate
Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...
in favour of Baudouin, who took the oath of office as King of the Belgians on 17 July 1951.
Marriage
![Baudouin I of Belgium visit to Israel (997009932515805171)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Baudouin_I_of_Belgium_visit_to_Israel_%28997009932515805171%29.jpg)
On 15 December 1960, Baudouin was married in Brussels to
Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón
Don (; ; pt, Dom, links=no ; all from Latin ', roughly 'Lord'), abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Spain and Hispanic America, and with different connotations also in Italy, Portugal and its former colonies, and Croatia ...
. Fabiola was a Spanish noblewoman who was working as a nurse. The couple announced their engagement on 16 September 1960 at the
Castle of Laeken
The Palace of Laeken or Castle of Laeken (french: Château de Laeken, nl, Kasteel van Laken, german: Schloss zu Laeken) is the official residence of the King of the Belgians and the Belgian Royal Family. It lies in the Brussels-Capital Regio ...
.
Fabiola began undertaking official engagements immediately, accompanying the king to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Brussels on 26 September 1960, and remained an active Queen Consort and Queen Dowager for the rest of her life, involved in social causes particularly those related to mental health, children's issues and women's issues.
The king and queen had no children; all of the queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage.
Notable events
During Baudouin's reign the colony of
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
became independent. During the parade following the last ceremonial inspection of the Force Publique, the royal
sabre
A sabre ( French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...
of the king was momentarily stolen by
Ambroise Boimbo
Ambroise Boimbo (died 1981) was a Congolese citizen who snatched the ceremonial sword of King Baudouin I of Belgium on June 29, 1960, in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) on the eve of the independence of the Belgian Congo. He was a former soldier wh ...
. The photograph, taken by
Robert Lebeck
Robert Lebeck (21 March 1929 – 14 June 2014) was an award-winning German photojournalist.
Biography
At the age of fifteen Lebeck was drafted into the Wehrmacht and sent to the Eastern Front where he was captured as a POW by the Soviet Army. ...
, was widely published in world newspapers, with some seeing the act as a humiliation for the king. The next day the king attended the official reception; he gave a speech that received
a blistering response by Congolese Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...
.
As the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
of Belgium, Baudouin, along with French President
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
, were the two prominent world leaders at the state funerals of two American presidents,
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
in November 1963 and his predecessor General of the Army
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
in March 1969. At
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
's, Baudouin was accompanied by
Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul-Henri Charles Spaak (; 25 January 1899 – 31 July 1972) was an influential Belgian Socialist politician, diplomat and statesman. Along with Robert Schuman, Alcide De Gasperi and Konrad Adenauer he was a leader in the formation of the i ...
, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former three-time
Prime Minister of Belgium
german: Premierminister von Belgien
, insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
, insigniasize = 100px
, insigniacaption = Coat of arms
, insigniaalt =
, flag = Government ...
. At Ike's, his next visit to the United States, he was accompanied by Prime Minister
Gaston Eyskens
Gaston François Marie, viscount Eyskens (1 April 1905 – 3 January 1988) was a Christian democratic politician and prime minister of Belgium. He was also an economist and member of the Belgian Christian Social Party (CVP-PSC).
He served t ...
.
In 1976, on the 25th anniversary of Baudouin's accession, the
King Baudouin Foundation
The King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) ( nl, Koning Boudewijnstichting, KBS; french: Fondation Roi-Baudouin) is an independent, pluralistic foundation based in Brussels (Belgium). It seeks to change society for the better and invests in inspiring proj ...
was formed, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the Belgian people.
He was the 1,176th Knight of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
in Spain, which was bestowed upon him in 1960, the 930th Knight of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...
and also the last living knight of the Papal
Supreme Order of Christ
The Supreme Order of Christ ( it, Ordine Supremo del Cristo) was the highest order of chivalry awarded by the pope. According to some scholars, it owes its origin to the same Order of Christ of the Knights Templar, from which came the Order of ...
.
Religious influences
Baudouin was a devout
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. Through the influence of
Leo Cardinal Suenens, Baudouin participated in the growing
Renewal Movement The Renewal Movement () was a political party in El Salvador. The Renovadores started as an organized internal tendency within the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Farabundo ...
and regularly went on pilgrimages to the French shrine of
Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Since 2004 is Paray-le-Monial part of the Charolais-Brionnais Country.
It is nicknamed the "city of the Sacred Heart" an ...
.
In 1990, when a law submitted by
Roger Lallemand
Roger Lallemand (; 17 January 1932 – 20 October 2016) was a Walloon lawyer, socialist politician, and president of the Belgian Senate.
Education
He graduated as a licentiate in Romance philology and obtained a doctorate in law at the Universi ...
and
Lucienne Herman-Michielsens
Lucienne Adeline Jeanne Ida Herman-Michielsens (13 March 1926 – 22 January 1995) was a Belgium, Belgian liberal politician and a member of the Party for Freedom and Progress (PVV). She was married to Jacques Herman, a physician.
Biography
Herm ...
that liberalized Belgium's
abortion laws
Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...
was approved by Parliament, he refused to give
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
to the bill. This was unprecedented; although Baudouin was ''de jure'' Belgium's chief executive, Royal Assent
has long been a formality (as is the case in most constitutional and popular monarchies). However, due to his religious convictions—the Catholic Church
opposes all forms of abortion—Baudouin asked the Government to declare him temporarily unable to reign so that he could avoid signing the measure into law.
[ The Government under ]Wilfried Martens
Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian People's Party, during his premiership ...
complied with his request on 4 April 1990. According to the provisions of the Belgian Constitution
The Constitution of Belgium ( nl, Belgische Grondwet, french: Constitution belge, german: Verfassung Belgiens) dates back to 1831. Since then Belgium has been a parliamentary monarchy that applies the principles of ministerial responsibility f ...
, in the event the king is temporarily unable to reign, the Government as a whole assumes the role of head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
. All members of the Government signed the bill, and the next day (5 April 1990) the Government declared that Baudouin was capable of reigning again.
Baudouin and the death of Patrice Lumumba
In 1960, Baudouin declared the Belgian colony of Congo independent. During the declaration of independence, Baudouin delivered a highly contested speech in which he celebrated the acts of the first Belgian owner of the Congo, King Leopold II, whom he described as "a genius". In the same event on the day of that independent status, the first democratically elected prime minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba (; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June u ...
, responded in a speech that was hypercritical of the Belgian regime. Lumumba cited the killings of many Congolese, as well as the insults, humiliation and the slavery they experienced.
Lumumba's speech infuriated Baudouin and generated extreme conflicts between the two men. After the independence of Congo, the natural resource-rich Katanga Province
Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914.
It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...
orchestrated a secession that received substantial military and financial support from the Belgian government, as well as from Belgian companies with business interests in Katanga. King Baudouin strengthened his relationships with the Katangese politician Moise Tshombé
Moise is a given name and surname, with differing spellings in its French and Romanian origins, both of which originate from the name Moses (given name), Moses: Moïse is the French spelling of Moses, while Moise is the Romanian spelling. As a su ...
, whom he made a Knight in the Belgian Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to:
* Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918
* Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium
* Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...
. In the meantime, Belgium's government, as well as the CIA, supported or organized plots to assassinate Lumumba.
In early December 1960, Lumumba and two colleagues, Maurice Mpolo
Maurice Mpolo (12 September 1928 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician who served as Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of the Congo in 1960. He briefly led the Congolese army that July. He was executed alongside Prime Minister ...
and Joseph Okito
Joseph Okito (5 February 1910 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and close political ally to Patrice Lumumba who briefly served as Second Vice-President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Republic of the Cong ...
, political colleagues who had planned to assist him in setting up a new government, were imprisoned in military barracks located about from Leopoldville. They were underfed and mistreated, per Mobutu's orders. Lumumba registered his objections, writing directly to Indian and U.N. diplomat Rajeshwar Dayal
Rajeshwar Dayal (1909–1999) was an Indian diplomat, writer, Ambassador of India to the former state of Yugoslavia and the Head of the United Nations Operation in the Congo. Born on 12 August 1909, Dayal was one of the earlier officers of the I ...
, "in a word, we are living amid absolutely impossible conditions; moreover, they are against the law". Dayal later headed the United Nations Operation in the Congo
The United Nations Operation in the Congo (french: Opération des Nations Unies au Congo, abbreviated to ONUC) was a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. ONUC was the ...
, which aimed to deescalate the hostilities in that country. Lumumba and his associates were released in mid-January 1961. Within hours, they were again captured, transported, beaten, then executed and buried in a shallow grave by Congolese soldiers under Belgian command. Belgian police officer Gerard Soete
Gerard Soete (29 January 1920 – 9 June 2000) was a Belgian gendarme, colonial, author, and teacher. One year before his death, in 1999, it became known that he was involved in the wake of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba by disposing of his b ...
quickly exhumed, dismembered Lumumba's body, and dissolved the corpse in acid.[Verslag namens de Onderzoekscommissie van de Belgische Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers van het parlementair onderzoek met het oog op het vaststellen van de precieze omstandigheden waarin Patrice Lumumba werd vermoord en van de eventuele betrokkenheid daarbij van Belgische politici, 16 November 2001] Dayal would later become India's foreign secretary. Lumumba's assassination shocked Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
who called it "an international crime of the first magnitude."
In 2001, a parliamentary investigation set up by the Belgian government concluded that King Baudouin, amongst others, was informed of the assassination scheme developed by the subsequent dictator Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
and the Katangese rebel Moise Tshombé
Moise is a given name and surname, with differing spellings in its French and Romanian origins, both of which originate from the name Moses (given name), Moses: Moïse is the French spelling of Moses, while Moise is the Romanian spelling. As a su ...
. Both men had conspired with a Belgian colonel, Guy Weber, to "neutralize Lumumba, if possible physically." The king was informed of the plot, but did nothing to oppose the murder. His lack of intervention was described as "incriminating" by the parliamentary investigation, although there was no conclusory evidence found that the king ordered the specifics of the plans.
Death, succession, and legacy
Baudouin reigned for 42 years. He died of heart failure on 31 July 1993 in the Villa Astrida in Motril
Motril () is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the Granada, Spain. It is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 60,368 as of 2016. The town is located near the Guadalfeo River and is from Granada.
Hi ...
, in the south of Spain. Although in March 1992 the king had been operated on for a mitral valve prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a valvular heart disease characterized by the displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole. It is the primary form of myxomatous degeneration of the valve. There ar ...
in Paris, his death still came unexpectedly, and sent much of Belgium into a period of deep mourning. His death notably stopped the 1993 24 Hours of Spa
The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies.
History
The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their a ...
sportscar race, which had reached the 15-hour mark when the news broke.
Within hours the Royal Palace gates and enclosure were covered with flowers that people brought spontaneously. A viewing of the body was held at the Royal Palace in central Brussels; 500,000 people (5% of the population) came to pay their respects. Many waited in line up to 14 hours in sweltering heat to see their King one last time. All European monarchs attended the funeral service, including Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and the other Commonwealth realms (the only foreign state funeral ever attended by her in person as monarch), as did Emperor Akihito
is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide.
Bo ...
of Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Non-royal guests at the funeral included more than 20 presidents and leaders, such as UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (; , ar, بطرس بطرس غالي ', ; 14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1992 to 1996. An academic ...
, European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
President Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French politician who served as the 8th President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He served as Minister of Finance of France from 1981 to 1984. He was a Member of the European Par ...
, French President François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.
Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...
, German President Richard von Weizsacker
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...
, Polish President Lech Walesa
Lech may refer to:
People
* Lech (name), a name of Polish origin
* Lech, Czech, and Rus, Lech, the legendary founder of Poland
* Lech (Bohemian prince)
Products and organizations
* Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Po ...
, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic
Alija is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Ifraim Alija (born 1985), footballer
* Kučuk Alija (died 1804), janissary, mutesellim of Kragujevac and one of four Dahiyas who controlled Belgrade Pashal ...
, Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was the president of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1992, and was close to the centre ...
, Canadian Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn
Ramon John Hnatyshyn ( ; uk, Роман Іванович Гнатишин, Roman Ivanovych Hnatyshyn, ; March 16, 1934December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as governor general of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Co ...
and former American President Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
.
King Baudouin was interred in the royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken
nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van Laken
, native_name_lang =
, image = Église Notre-Dame de Laeken (DSCF1248-DSCF1251).jpg
, imagesize = 271
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, caption ...
, Brussels, Belgium. He was succeeded by his younger brother, who became King Albert II.
A statue of him in Brussels was vandalised
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...
in June 2020, following George Floyd protests in Belgium
Shortly after George Floyd protests, protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African Americans, African-American who was murder of George Floyd, murdered during a Minneapolis Police Department, police arrest, List of George Floyd protests ...
.
Ancestry
See also
* Kings of Belgium family tree
This is a family tree of the Kings of the Belgians, hereditary, constitutional monarchs of Belgium as defined by the Belgian Constitution.
{{Family trees
Belgium
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien ...
* Crown Council of Belgium
The Crown Council of Belgium (french: Conseil de la Couronne, nl, Kroonraad) is composed of the King of the Belgians, the Ministers and the Ministers of State (mostly former ministers and other major politicians). The constitutional Monarch chair ...
* Royal Trust
* Herman Liebaers
Herman Liebaers (February 1, 1919 in Tienen, Belgium – November 9, 2010 in Jette, Brussels) was a Belgian linguist. He was director general of the central Belgian Royal Library and ''Marshal of the Royal Household'' of the Royal Court of B ...
(Marshal of the Royal Household)
* André Molitor
André Molitor (4 August 1911 – 4 June 2005) is a former Belgian senior civil servant of the Belgian State and former principal private secretary of King Baudouin I of Belgium from 1961 until 1977 (17 years). André Molitor was also a professor ...
(private secretary)
* Jacques van Ypersele de Strihou
Jacques Marie Joseph Hubert Ghislain van Ypersele de Strihou (born 5 December 1936), was the ''Principal Private Secretary'' to the King of the Belgians (1983–2013). When Albert II of Belgium succeeded his brother Baudouin I of Belgium, he kept ...
(private secretary)
* Pierre-Yves Monette
Pierre-Yves Monette (born 1960) is the former Secretary-General of EurEau, a visiting professor at the College of Europe, registered Mediator and attorney at the Brussels Bar. He was formerly a councilor to King Baudouin and King Albert II of Bel ...
(advisor)
* King Baudouin Ice Shelf
The King Baudouin Ice Shelf (also called Roi Baudouin Ice shelf, from French: Plateforme de glace Roi Baudouin) in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, is within the Norwegian part of Antarctica. It is named after King Baudouin of Belgium (1930 ...
, Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
* List of covers of Time magazine (1950s)
This is a list of people and other topics appearing on the cover of ''Time'' magazine in the 1950s. ''Time'' was first published in 1923. As ''Time'' became established as one of the United States' leading news magazines, an appearance on the co ...
Notes
References
Sources
*
Bibliography
*
*
Other languages
* A. Molitor, ''La fonction royale en Belgique'', Brussels, 1979
* J.Stengers, ''De koningen der Belgen. Van Leopold I tot Albert II'', Leuven, 1997.
* Kardinaal Suenens, ''Koning Boudewijn. Het getuigenis van een leven'', Leuven, 1995.
* Kerstrede 18 December 1975, (ed.V.Neels), ''Wij Boudewijn, Koning der Belgen. Het politiek, sociaal en moreel testament van een nobel vorst, deel II'', Gent, 1996.
* H. le Paige (dir.), ''Questions royales, Réflexions à propos de la mort d'un roi et sur la médiatisation de l'évènement'', Brussels, 1994.
External links
Official biography from the Belgian Royal Family website
*
Archive Baudouin of Belgium
Royal museum for central Africa
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baudouin 01 of Belgium
1930 births
1993 deaths
20th-century Belgian monarchs
People from Laeken
Belgian Congo
Belgian anti-communists
Belgian monarchs
Belgian expatriates in Switzerland
Dukes of Brabant
Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
House of Belgium
Alumni of Institut Le Rosey
Belgian Roman Catholics
Belgian people of Swedish descent
Burials at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken
20th-century Roman Catholics
Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of the Lion
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II
Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry
Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain
Extra Knights Companion of the Garter
Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Baudouin of Belgium
Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his de ...
3
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium)
Sons of kings