Leopold II: References & Edit History
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The two best biographies of Leopold II in English are Neal Ascherson, The King Incorporated: Leopold the Second and the Congo (1963, reprinted 1999); and Barbara Emerson, Leopold II of the Belgians: King of Colonialism (1979). While the latter is longer and better-documented, the former better captures the spirit of the man. Adam Hochschild, King Leopoldās Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (1998, new ed. 2006); and Martin Ewans, European Atrocity, African Catastrophe: Leopold II, the Congo Free State and Its Aftermath (2002), both concentrate almost entirely on his rule over the Congo. David Levering Lewis, The Race to Fashoda: European Colonialism and African Resistance in the Scramble for Africa (1987), focuses on one part of the colonial land grab in which Leopold was a player.
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (1902), the most famous of all novels set in the Congo, is drawn directly from Conradās stay there. Mark Twain, King Leopoldās Soliloquy (1905, numerous reprints); and Edmund D. Morel, King Leopoldās Rule in Africa (1904), are examples, in fiction and nonfiction respectively, of the international campaign against Leopoldās regime in the Congo.
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Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invalidated site: The Guardian - Belgium forced to reckon with Leopold's legacy and its colonial past. | Jul 30, 2026 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Apr 05, 2026 | ||
| Anniversary information added. | Dec 13, 2025 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 27, 2025 | ||
| Questions and answers added. | Feb 12, 2025 | ||
| Cross-reference added. | Sep 06, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: BBC - Leopold II: Belgium 'wakes up' to its bloody colonial past. | Aug 29, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: CNN - BelgiumĀs King sends ĀregretsĀ to Congo for Leopold II atrocities Ā but doesnĀt apologize. | Jul 23, 2024 | ||
| First paragraph modernization. | Mar 21, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: The Guardian - Belgium forced to reckon with Leopold's legacy and its colonial past. | Dec 05, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Teach Democracy - King LeopoldĀs ĀHeart of DarknessĀ. | May 22, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: African American Registry - King Leopold II, Monarch, and Tyrant born. | Mar 13, 2022 | ||
| Add new Web site: The Belgian Monarchy - Chronobiography of King Leopold I. | Dec 06, 2020 | ||
| Media added. | Jun 09, 2020 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Sep 05, 2019 | ||
| Changed title of the "Assessment" section to "Legacy." | Nov 15, 2017 | ||
| Add new Web site: The Famous People - Biography of Leopold II. | Mar 30, 2016 | ||
| Article thoroughly revised. | Feb 11, 2015 | ||
| Article revised. | Jan 14, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: HyperHistory.net - Biography of King Leopold II. | Apr 23, 2012 | ||
| Add new Web site: South African History Online - King Leopold II and the Congo Free State. | Sep 27, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: Fact Monster - People - Biography of Leopold II. | Sep 27, 2011 | ||
| Add new Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation - Leopold II: Belgium 'wakes up' to its bloody colonial past. | Sep 27, 2011 | ||
| Added photograph. | May 27, 2011 | ||
| Media added. | Feb 12, 2009 | ||
| Article revised. | Feb 08, 1999 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 20, 1998 |