Baudouin of Belgium

Baudouin became king of Belgium at age 20 following his father Leopold III's abdication. His accession aimed to heal the divisions caused by the Royal Question and restore stability to the monarchy.

Baudouin presided over the independence of the Belgian Congo on June 30, 1960. In his speech, he praised Leopold II's colonial work, which was met with criticism from Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba.

Baudouin married Spanish aristocrat Fabiola de Mora y Arag

Baudouin oversaw the first constitutional reform that began Belgium's transformation from a unitary state into a federal state. The reform recognized three linguistic communities and three regions, addressing Flemish-Walloon tensions.

Baudouin refused to sign a law legalizing abortion on conscientious grounds. The government declared him temporarily unable to reign, passed the law, and then reinstated him, a constitutional compromise unique in Belgian history.