Captain Camille-Aimé Coquilhat (18531891) was a Belgian soldier, explorer and colonial civil servant who finished his career as Vice Governor-General of the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

from 1890 until his death in 1891. He was notably an associate of

Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author and politician who was famous for his exploration of Central Africa Cen ...

during his expeditions in the

Haut-Congo Haut-Congo Province was a province of the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formed in April 1962 from part of the Orientale Province. In 1966 it was merged back into the reconstituted Orientale ...

during the mid-1880s.

Career

Camille-Aimé Coquilhat was born into a family of French origin in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

on 15 October 1853. He volunteered for service in the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). He returned to Belgium after the conflict where he became a junior officer in 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. ...

. In 1882, he volunteered to join the

International African Association The International African Association (in full, "International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa"; in French ''Association Internationale Africaine,'' and in full ''Association Internationale pour l'Exploration et ...

(IAA) expedition to

led by

and served at Stanleyville until 1884. After this, he was involved in setting up colonial stations among the Bangala people in the Équateur region of the future

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

(modern-day

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

). Returning to Belgium for health reasons in 1885, he returned to the Congo in 1886 where he was briefly involved with fighting against the Eastern Congolese "Arabs" in the Stanley Falls. Later the same year, he was forced to return to Belgium again for health reasons where he stayed until 1890, becoming an official in the colonial administration. In 1889, Coquilhat was proposed as a replacement for

Camille Janssen Camille Janssen (5 December 1837–18 April 1926) was a Belgium, Belgian colonial civil servant and lawyer who held the position of Governor-General of the Congo Free State, Governor-General of the Congo Free State from 1886 to 1892. His son, Geor ...

as Governor-General of the Congo Free State, the most senior administrative position, and sent to Congo again. Coquilhat died of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

at Boma on 24 March 1891 shortly after his return to the Congo. His body was repatriated to Belgium where he was buried in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. In Belgium, Coquilhat was celebrated as one of the "pioneers" of the Congo Free State and a town, previously known as Équateurville, was renamed

Coquilhatville Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Province ...

(Coquilhatstad 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 ...

) in his honour. Coquilhatville was subsequently renamed as

Mbandaka Mbandaka (, formerly known as Coquilhatville in French, or Coquilhatstad in Dutch) is a city on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Provin ...

Publications

*''Sur le Haut-Congo''. Paris: Lebègue et Cie, 1888.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Camille-Aimé Coquilhat

Archive Camille Coquilhat
Royal museum for central Africa {{DEFAULTSORT:Coquilhat, Camille-Aime 1853 births 1891 deaths Military personnel from Liège Belgian soldiers 19th-century Belgian civil servants Congo Free State officials Belgian people of French descent Deaths from malaria French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Mbandaka Royal Military Academy (Belgium) alumni International Association of the Congo