Leopold i: Did you mean...?

A cartoon from a 1906 edition of Punch magazine highlighting the rapacious regime of Leopold II, King of the Belgians (here depicted as a snake), in the Congo Free State (Belgian Congo from 1908). Congo was ruthlessly exploited for its natural...

Painting of the idealized image of a sans-culotte during the French Revolution. Oil on panel by Louis-Léopold Boilly, c. 1792. Musée Carnavalet, Paris.

The Triumph of Marat, painting by Louis-Léopold Boilly, 1794. Following his acquittal before the Revolutionary Tribunal on 26 April 1793, inflammatory journalist Jean-Paul Marat is lifted on the shoulders of an ecstatic crowd of supporters...

Lazare Carnot, member of the Committee of Public Safety and nicknamed "Organizer of Victory", portrait by Louis-Léopold Boilly.

The Third Crusade (1189-1192 CE) was launched to retake Jerusalem after its fall to the Muslim leader Saladin in 1187 CE. The Crusade was led by three European monarchs, hence its other name of 'the Kings' Crusade'. The three leaders were...

Louis XVI (l. 1754-1793) was the last king of France (r. 1774-1792) before the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution (1789-99). An indecisive king, his attempts to navigate France through the crises of the 1780s failed, leading...

Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart (Cœur de Lion), reigned as king of England from 1189 to 1199. The son of Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (c. 1122-1204), Richard was known for his courage...

Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) was the Tsar of Russia from 1682-1721 and Emperor of Russia from 1721-1725. During his long reign, Peter had absolute power and brought real change to Russia, including building its first navy, introducing...

The Fashoda Incident of 1898 occurred in Sudan and caused a diplomatic crisis between the British and French empires. A small French force claimed authority over the town of Fashoda (modern Kodok) and the Upper Nile Valley. A much larger...

Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy, a sprawling empire that included Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and other territories spread out across Italy, the Netherlands, and Central Europe. Though her ascension to the...