Leopold II

noun

1. 1747–92, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1790–92 (son of Francis I; brother of Joseph II and Marie Antoinette).
2. 1835–1909, king of Belgium 1865–1909 (son of Leopold I of Belgium).

Leopold II

noun

1. Leopold II17471792MGermanPOLITICS: hereditary ruler 1747–92, Holy Roman Emperor (1790–92). He formed an alliance with Prussia against France (1792) after the downfall of his brother-in-law Louis XVI
2. Leopold II18351909MBelgianPOLITICS: hereditary ruler 1835–1909, king of the Belgians (1865–1909); son of Leopold I. He financed Stanley's explorations in Africa, becoming first sovereign of the Congo Free State (1885)

Example Sentences

Russia's conquest of Siberia starting in the 1580s, for instance, included the enslavement of indigenous peoples whom it forced to pay tribute in the form of furs known as yasak on pain of death, resulting in starvation as people struggled to meet yasak quotas instead of feeding themselves in a system some historians have compared to Belgian King Leopold II's enslavement of the Congo.

From Salon

King Leopold II wanted his own slice of the continent, but without government backing he had to win over investors and the public.

From BBC

The museum traces its origins back to when King Leopold II set up the International Exposition of 1897.

From BBC

The Black Lives Matter protests that swept the world after the death of George Floyd in 2020 were particularly potent in Belgium, where the country's record of extreme brutality in the Democratic Republic of Congo under King Leopold II was put under a spotlight.

From BBC

Local folklore says that, before their recent return, the last wolf in Belgium was shot by the nation's King Leopold II in the 1890s.

From BBC