Belgian colonial empire
Belgian colonial empire | |
---|---|
1908–1962 | |
Dutch was also used to a lesser extentLocal:
various | |
Religion | Roman Catholicism (Official)[1] |
Government | Constitutional monarchy |
King | |
• 1908-1909 | Leopold II (first) |
• 1951–1962 | Baudouin (last) |
History | |
1908 | |
• Annexation of Ruanda-Urundi | 1916 |
• Independence of Congo | 1960 |
1 July 1962 | |
Area | |
• Total | 2,430,270 km2 (938,330 sq mi) |
Currency | Belgian franc, Congolese franc and Ruanda-Urundi franc |
Belgium controlled several territories and concessions during the colonial era, principally the Belgian Congo (modern DR Congo) from 1908 to 1960, Ruanda-Urundi (modern Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962, and Lado Enclave (modern Central Equatoria province in South Sudan) from 1884 to 1910. It also had small concessions in Guatemala (1843–1854) and Belgian concession of Tianjin in China (1902–1931) and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco.
Roughly 98% of Belgium's overseas territory was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium itself) – known as the Belgian Congo. The colony was founded in 1908 following the transfer of sovereignty from the Congo Free State, which was the personal property of Belgium's king, Leopold II. The violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction had led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country. Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the "colonial trinity" (trinité coloniale) of state, missionary and private company interests. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Congo experienced extensive urbanization and the administration aimed to make it into a "model colony". As the result of a widespread and increasingly radical pro-independence movement, the Congo achieved independence, as the Republic of Congo-Léopoldville in 1960.
Of Belgium's other colonies, the most significant was
Background in the early 19th century
During the 1840s and 50s,
By the time Belgium's second king,
The Congo
Congo Free State (1885–1908)
The Free State government exploited the Congo for its natural resources, first
A sharp reduction of the population of the Congo through
Although the Congo Free State was not a Belgian colony, Belgium was its chief beneficiary in terms of trade and the employment of its citizens. Leopold II personally accumulated considerable wealth from exports of rubber and ivory acquired at gunpoint. Much of this was spent on public buildings in Brussels, Ostend and Antwerp.[citation needed]
Lado Enclave (1884–1910)
The Lado Enclave was a Belgian Colony that existed from 1894 until 1910, situated on the west bank of the Upper Nile in what is now Central Equatoria province in South Sudan and northwest Uganda. Its capital was the town of Lado.
British desire for a
However, there continued to be uncertainty in the enclave with the knowledge that the enclave would revert to British rule upon Leopold's death. As a result, the Belgians were unable to create an effective government, leading to civil unrest within the enclave.[18] At the death of King Leopold, the Belgians handed over Lado to the British in 1910.
Belgian Congo (1908–1960)
Leopold achieved international recognition for the Congo Free State in 1885.[5] By the turn of the century, however, the violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country, which it did in 1908, creating the Belgian Congo.[19]
Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the "colonial trinity" (trinité coloniale) of
Congolese troops
In 1960, as the result of a widespread and increasingly radical
Ruanda-Urundi
Ruanda-Urundi was a part of
Minor possessions
Santo Tomás, Guatemala (1843–1854)
In 1842, a ship sent by King
Status
While the Compagnie belge de colonisation was granted the land in perpetuity, the concession did not become a colony in the political sense. Article 4 of the May 1842 Acte de concession clearly stated that the cession of the territory to the Belgian company did not involve, implicitly or explicitly, a cession of sovereignty over the territory, which would forever remain under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Guatemala. Article 5 stated that upon their arrival on the territory, the settlers would become Guatemalan natives (indigènes de Guatemala) fully subject to the existing constitution and laws of the country, relinquishing their former Belgian or other national birthright, as well as any claim to any privileges or immunity as foreigners. Justice was to be administered by judges named by the government (art. 40). No foreign troops were to be allowed on the concession and Guatemalan troops were to garrison two forts that were to be built near the projected new town. (art. 18–22) [26]
Tianjin Concession (1900–1931)
The city of
In the late 19th century, Belgian engineers were employed on construction of the
Tangier International Zone (1925–1956)
In 1880 and 1905, Belgium was a signatory to the Madrid Convention and the Algeciras Conference on Morocco. Thus, from 1925 to 1940 and from 1945 to 1956, Belgium was one of the nine nations that administered the Tangier International Zone. The last two administrators (1954-1956) were Belgian, Belgium was also subordinate to the customs and financial administration and the gendarmerie in Tangier.
Isola Comacina (1919)
In 1919, the island of Comacina was bequeathed to King Albert I of Belgium for a year, and became an enclave under the sovereignty of Belgium. After a year, it was returned to the Italian State in 1920. The Consul of Belgium and the president of the Brera Academy established a charitable foundation with the goal of building a village for artists and a hotel.[30]
See also
- History of Belgium
- Atrocities in the Congo Free State
- Foreign relations of Belgium
- Rio Nuñez incident
- Société Belge d'Études Coloniales (est. 1894)
- Colonial University of Belgium (est. 1920 in Antwerp)
- Institut Royal Colonial Belge(est. 1928)
- Belgium–Mexico relations
Notes and references
Footnotes
References
- ISSN 0010-4175.
- ^ "Belgium's role in Rwandan genocide". Le Monde Diplomatique. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Ricord, John; Williams, Stephen H.; Marshall, James F. B. (1846). Report of the proceedings and evidence in the arbitration between the King and Government of the Hawaiian Islands and Ladd & Co., before Messrs. Stephen H. Williams & James F. B. Marshall, arbitrators under compact. C.E. Hitchcock, printer, Hawaiian Government press.
- ^ Ansiaux, Robert (December 2006). "Early Belgian Colonial Efforts: The Long and Fateful Shadow of Leopold I" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help). The archives contain files opened at Leopold's request on Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Mexico-State of Puebla, Sandwich Islands, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, San Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Rio Nunez, Marie (West coast of Africa), Bolivia, Colombia, Guiana, Argentina (La Plata), Argentina (Villaguay), Patagonia, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kansas, Isle of Pines, Cozumel, St. Bartholomew Island, Haiti, Tortugas, Faroe Islands, Portugal, Isle of Nordstrand, Cyprus, Surinam, India, Java, Philippines, Abyssinia, Barbary Coast, Guinea Coast, Madagascar, Republic of South Africa, Nicobar, Singapore, New Zealand, New Guinea (Papua), Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, Marianas Island, the New Hebrides, and Samoa. - ^ a b Pakenham 1992, pp. 253–5.
- ^ Religious Tolerance Organisation: The Congo Free State Genocide. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ISBN 0-521-22803-4
- ^ Hochschild.
- ^ Ndaywel è Nziem, Isidore. Histoire générale du Congo: De l'héritage ancien à la République Démocratique.
- ^ "Congo Free State, 1885–1908". Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ^ "King Leopold's legacy of DR Congo violence". 24 February 2004. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ISBN 0-582-50601-8
- ^ Stenger, p. 277.
- ^ Taylor, p. 53.
- ^ Pakenham, pp. 525-526.
- ^ Hill, p. 330.
- The Mercury, 30 November 1906, p. 5.
- ^ Christopher, p. 89.
- ^ Pakenham 1992, pp. 588–9.
- ^ a b Turner 2007, p. 28.
- ^ Turner 2007, p. 29.
- ^ a b Freund 1998, pp. 198–9.
- ^ Freund 1998, p. 198.
- ^ "New Physical, Political, Industrial and Commercial Map of Central America and the Antilles" Archived 24 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Library of Congress, World Digital Library, accessed 27 May 2013
- ^ "Santo Tomas de Castilla Archived 5 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Britannica Encyclopedia
- ^ Colonisation dans l'Amérique centrale du District de Santo-Tomas de Guatemala, Paris, 1843, p. 32–36.
- ^ Neild 2015, p. 248.
- ^ Neild 2015, pp. 248–9.
- ^ Neild 2015, p. 106.
- ^ Jacobs, Frank (15 May 2012). "Enclave-Hunting in Switzerland". New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
Bibliography
- Anstey, Roger (1966). King Leopold's Legacy: The Congo under Belgian Rule 1908–1960. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ISBN 978-1-84277-052-8.
- ISBN 978-0-333-69872-3.
- ISBN 978-0-349-10449-2.
- Poddar, Prem, and Lars Jensen, eds., A historical companion to postcolonial literatures: Continental Europe and Its Empires (Edinburgh UP, 2008), "Belgium and its colonies" pp 6–57. excerpt
- Turner, Thomas (2007). The Congo Wars: Conflict, Myth, and Reality (2nd ed.). London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-688-9.
- ISBN 978-988-8139-28-6.
External links
- Belgian Concession Archived 15 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine at "Tianjin under Nine Flags" Project (University of Bristol)