Hari Singh vs Leopold III of Belgium

Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26, 1947, after Pakistani tribal invaders entered Kashmir. This decision made Jammu and Kashmir a part of India, triggering the First Indo-Pakistani War.

Hari Singh signed a Standstill Agreement with Pakistan in August 1947, maintaining existing trade and communications. The agreement was intended to buy time, but Pakistan later violated it by supporting the tribal invasion.

Hari Singh left Kashmir for Jammu after the tribal invasion and later moved to India. He never returned to rule, as the state was placed under Indian administration, ending his direct rule.

Hari Singh's title of Maharaja was abolished by the Indian government under the Constitution of India. He lost his ruling powers and became a private citizen, marking the end of the Dogra dynasty's rule in Kashmir.

Leopold III became king of Belgium after his father Albert I's death. He inherited a country facing economic depression and rising political tensions between Flemish and French-speaking communities.

Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940. Leopold III took personal command of the Belgian army, which fought for 18 days before being overwhelmed by the German blitzkrieg.

Leopold III surrendered the Belgian army to Germany on May 28, 1940, without consulting his government. This decision was condemned by the Belgian government in exile, which declared him unable to reign.

Leopold III remained in Belgium under German house arrest at the Royal Palace of Laeken. He was later deported to Germany in 1944 and then to Austria, where he was liberated by American forces in 1945.

After World War II, a referendum on Leopold III's return to the throne divided Belgium. Violence erupted between supporters and opponents, leading to his abdication on July 16, 1951, in favor of his son Baudouin.