Charles X of France vs Leopold II of Belgium

Charles X was crowned at Reims Cathedral in a lavish ceremony that revived medieval traditions, including the use of the Holy Ampulla. The coronation emphasized divine right and traditionalist Catholicism, signaling his rejection of the constitutional principles of the Charter of 1814.

Charles X ordered a military expedition to invade Algiers, aiming to boost his popularity and distract from domestic unrest. The French captured Algiers in July 1830, beginning the colonization of Algeria. The victory came too late to save his throne, as the July Revolution erupted simultaneously.

Charles X issued the July Ordinances, dissolving the Chamber of Deputies, restricting press freedom, and altering the electoral system. This sparked three days of street fighting in Paris (July 27-29, 1830). The revolution forced Charles to abdicate and flee to England, ending the Bourbon Restoration.

On July 25, 1830, Charles X signed four ordinances that suspended the press, dissolved the newly elected Chamber, changed the electoral system to favor the aristocracy, and called for new elections. These authoritarian decrees directly triggered the July Revolution and his overthrow.

After abdicating in favor of his grandson, the Duke of Bordeaux, Charles X fled to England and later to Scotland and Prague. He lived in exile until his death in 1836, never returning to France. His exile marked the definitive end of the senior Bourbon line's rule.

Leopold II established the Congo Free State as his personal colony at the Berlin Conference. He gained international recognition for his claim to the Congo Basin, ruling it as private property rather than a Belgian colony.

Leopold II's regime in the Congo Free State enforced rubber quotas through forced labor, mutilation, and murder. Millions of Congolese died from violence, disease, and starvation between 1885 and 1908.

Leopold II commissioned grand buildings in Brussels, including the Cinquantenaire Arcades, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, and the Mont des Arts. These projects aimed to glorify his reign and colonial achievements.

Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement launched a campaign exposing Congo atrocities. The Congo Reform Association pressured governments, leading to international condemnation of Leopold II's rule.

Under international pressure, Leopold II ceded the Congo Free State to Belgium. It became the Belgian Congo, a colony governed by the Belgian state, ending Leopold's personal rule but continuing colonial exploitation.