Leopold II of Belgium

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.