The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (French: État indépendant du Congo), was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by King Leopold II, the constitutional monarch of …

2025年1月10日 · Congo Free State, former state in Africa that occupied almost all of the Congo River basin, coextensive with the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in the 1880s as the private holding of a group of European investors headed by Leopold II, …

On February 5, 1885, Belgian King Leopold II established the Congo Free State by brutally seizing the African landmass as his personal possession. Rather than control the Congo as a colony , as other European powers did throughout Africa, Leopold privately owned the region .

The Congo Free State was a former state in Africa covering much of the territory that comprises the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in the 1880s through agreements with local rulers by a group of European investors headed by Leopold II, King of the Belgians.

Civilian victims of mutilation by Free State authorities. From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium.

2024年5月28日 · The establishment of the Congo Free State represents one of the most infamous episodes in the history of European imperialism in Africa. This vast territory, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was a personal possession of King Leopold II …

2023年1月20日 · The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a private possession owned by King Leopold II of Belgium from 1885 to 1908. King Leopold II became interested in the region during Sir Henry Morton Stanley’s exploration of the Congo River between 1874 and 1877.

Here is a curated list of primary sources for those researching the Congo Free State and the Congo Reform Movement, including direct links to access these materials: Official Reports and Documents. General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa (1885)

As part of this agreement, Leopold II of Belgium gained personal control over the Congo region. In fact, Leopold II officially formed the Congo Free State in 1885 and ruled over it as his own private possession. He used his control over the region to as a way of amassing a fortune for himself.

The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium from 1885 to 1908, originally established as a personal possession of the king.