King Leopold II of Belgium
The Rest of The Story …
Denial continues to run deep in the Belgium Royal Family of the atrocities carried out by Leopold II. Prince Laurent, brother of King Philippe, told the Sudpresse agency that abuses had occurred in the Congo Free State, Leopold’s personal fiefdom and source of wealth, but that Leopold was not to blame. “He never himself went to Congo,” he said. So I do not see how he could have made people there suffer.” As they say – you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.
On November 15, 1902, Italian anarchist Gennaro Rubino attempted to assassinate Leopold, who was riding in a royal cortege from a ceremony at Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula in memory of his recently deceased wife, Marie Henriette. After Leopold’s carriage passed, Rubino fired three shots at the procession. The shots missed the king but almost killed his grand marshal, Count Charles John d’Oultremont. Rubino was immediately arrested and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment where he died in prison in 1918.
Cemetery Information:
Final Resting Place:
Église Notre-Dame de Laeken
Parvis Notre-Dame 17, 1020
Laeken, Brussels,
Belgium
Europe
Grave Location:
Royal VaultGrave Location Description
Over 200 years of Belgium Royalty are buried in the basement of this Catholic Church that was partially built on the blood of the Congolese people who were enslaved, raped, tortured and brutally maimed for nearly 50 years for the benefit and enrichment of King Leopold II of Belgium. But hey – enjoy your visit!
Grave Location GPS
50.87852518733064, 4.355590550048818Visiting The Grave:
Photos:
Read More About King Leopold II of Belgium:
- Wikipedia Entry
- Brussels, the Capital of the EU, Was Built With the Blood of Congo
- How Belgium is being forced to confront the bloody legacy of King Leopold II
- King Leopold Reign of Terror in the Congo
- The human zoo of Tervuren (1897)
- Atrocities in the Congo Free State During Leopold II Rule
- Where 'Human Zoos' Once Stood, A Belgian Museum Now Faces Its Colonial Past
- HM Queen Marie-Henriette of the Belgians