Leopold I of Belgium

Leopold I, first King of the Belgians was born on December 16, 1790 as Leopold Georg Christian Frederik (please check spelling) in Ehrenburg Castle in the Bavarian town of Coburg, Germany. He was the youngest son of Duke Franz Friedrich Anton of Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld (1750-1806) and Auguste Caroline Sophia Reuss of Ebersdorf (1757-1831).

In 1795 – Leopold was only a toddler - he was appointed colonel of the Izmailovski Imperial Regiment by the Russian czar. Seven years later he became a general. When the Duchy of Sachsen-Coburg was occupied by Napoleonic troops in 1806 he went to Paris. Napoleon offered him the position of adjutant, but he refused. Instead he succeeded his brother as head of the Duchy. Afterwards he campaigned against Napoleon. In 1815 Leopold acquired the British nationality (may be 1816 – see talk) and was appointed field-marshal.

On May 2, 1816 he married Crown Princess Charlotte Augusta of Hannover, (1796-1817; father: Prince Regent George IV of Hannover, the future King George IV of England; mother: Princess Karoline Elisabeth Amalie of Braunschweig), heiress to the English throne. On November 5, 1817 Princess Charlotte gave birth to a stillborn son. The next day she died as a result of a haemorrhage. (1 or 2 children? – see talk)

In 1830 Leopold was offered the Greek crown, but he refused. (why? – please check) After Belgium asserted its independence from the Netherlands on October 4, 1830, the Belgian National Congress asked Leopold to become king of the newly formed country. He accepted and became King of the Belgians on June 26, 1831. His inauguration took place in the Royal Palace in Brussels on July 21, 1831. This day became the Belgian national holiday.

Less than two weeks later, on August 2, the Netherlands invaded Belgium. Not being able to defend itself, the brand new country was saved by the great powers of that moment. (which ones exactly? – please check) However, Belgium lost territory (which? – please check) and had to pay toll to the Netherlands for passage on the river Scheldt.

On August 9, 1832 Leopold was married to his second wife, Louise Marie Therese of Orleans (1812-1850; father: King Louis Philippe I of France; mother: Marie Amelie Therese of Bourbon-Sicily). She became Belgium’s first queen.

Leopold and Louise Marie’s first child, Louis-Philippe Leopold Victor Ernst of Sachsen-Coburg was born 1833, but died the following year. Their second child was born in Brussels on April 9, 1835. Leopold Louis-Philippe Marie Victor of Sachsen-Coburg was to become Leopold II, second King of the Belgians.

With the opening of the railway line between Brussels and Mechelen on May 5, 1835 one of the king’s main projects - to build the first railway on the European continent - was a succes.

On March 24, 1839 their third child, Philippe Eugene Ferdinand Marie Clement Baudouin Leopold Georges of Sachsen-Coburg was born.

In the same year the Netherlands officially recognised Belgium as an independent state.

Their fourth child, Carlota Amelie of Sachsen-Coburg, was born in 1840. She was to become Empress of Mexico.

That year Leopold also arranged the marriage of his niece Queen Victoria of England to his nephew Albert of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha.

Leopold tried to pass laws to regulate female and child labour in 1842, but the time was not yet ripe for it.

A wave of revolutions passed over Europe after Louis-Philippe was chased from the French throne in 1848. Belgium remained neutral, mainly because of Leopold’s diplomatic efforts.

On October 11, 1850 Queen Louise-Marie died. Fifteen years later, on December 10, 1865 the king too died in Laeken.

Other kings of Belgium:

Leopold II

Albert I

Leopold III

Baudouin I

Albert II