Leopold i: Did you mean...?

Belgian Congo was a colony of Belgium from 1908 until 1960. Prior to that, the region had been the Congo Free State (created in 1885), which was effectively a private enterprise of King Leopold II. Often referred to as Belgian Congo even...

The Declaration of Pillnitz was a joint statement issued on 27 August 1791 by Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1790-1792) and King Frederick William II of Prussia (r. 1786-1797). The declaration appealed to all European powers to unite...

Portrait of Emperor Leopold I as a young man, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece, oil on canvas by Benjamin Block, 1631-1689. Private collection. This portrait of the young monarch is rare as it depicts Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...

An illustration by François Maréchal showing King Leopold II of Belgium (reign 1865-1909) carving up the Congo Basin, a reference to the Berlin Conference 1884-5 which set some of the ground rules for the Scramble for Africa. Russia is represented...

Portrait of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (l. 1747-92), wearing a field marshal's uniform. Painted in the workshop of Jean-Marc Nattier, c. 1790.

A c. 1781 painting by Johann Nepomuk della Croce showing Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) and his two children, Maria Anna (nicknamed ‘Nannerl’, 1751-1829) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German organist and composer whose work is today regarded as amongst the finest of mature baroque music (c. 1600-1750). More famous as an organist than as a composer in his own lifetime, Bach's rich...

The Berlin Conference, also known as the Berlin West Africa Conference, was held between November 1884 and February 1885. Imperial powers, notably Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany, met to thrash out their competing claims for control...

Queen Victoria of Great Britain (r. 1837-1901) was one of the most loved of all Britain's monarchs. Her longevity, devotion to her role as figurehead of an empire, and recovery from the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert won her a...

The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was the first of several major wars fought between the great powers of Europe in the 18th century. Triggered by the death of the sickly and childless King Charles II of Spain, the war was fought...