Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History / The Belgian Congo's Last King: Baudouin's Colonial Dilemma
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've covered a lot of ground in this series — the Congo Free State, the Force Publique, the uranium mine at Shinkolobwe. But one figure we haven't really talked about is the man who was king when it all fell apart: Baudouin. He came to the throne in 1951, just as the first stirrings of independence were starting to be heard. Luna: Right, Baudouin — he's often seen as a tragic figure, isn't he? A young king who inherited a crumbling empire. Lucas: Exactly. He was only twenty when he became king, and he'd had a difficult childhood — his mother died when he was young, and his father Leopold III was forced to abdicate after a controversy over his actions during World War II. So Baudouin grew up with a sense of duty but also a certain detachment. He was deeply religious, very reserved, and genuinely believed in the civilizing mission of colonialism — that Belgium was bringing progress to the Congo. Luna: He believed in it? Even after all the atrocities? Lucas: That's the thing — he was shielded from the worst of it. The Congo Reform movement, the reports of atrocities — those were framed as isolated incidents, not systemic. Baudouin's Congo was the one he saw on official tours: the hospitals, the schools, the mines. He never visited a rubber collection post. So when he gave a speech in Leopoldville in 1959 promising independence 'without undue delay,' he genuinely thought Belgium could guide the transition smoothly. Luna: But that speech backfired, didn't it? It sparked riots. Lucas: It did. He said 'Independence will be granted to you, but not in haste' — and that 'not in haste' part infuriated Congolese nationalists who'd been waiting decades. Within days, there were demonstrations in Leopoldville, and the police opened fire, killing dozens. It was the beginning of the end. The Round Table Conference in Brussels early in 1960 was chaotic, with Congolese leaders like Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasa-Vubu demanding immediate freedom. Luna: And Baudouin had to sit there and negotiate with them? Lucas: He did, though he mostly stayed in the background. But when independence day came on June 30, 1960, he gave a speech that is still infamous in Congo. He praised Leopold II as a 'genius' and talked about Belgium's civilizing mission. He didn't mention exploitation or violence. Lumumba, who spoke right after him, gave a blistering reply, listing the humiliations and suffering of colonial rule. Baudouin was visibly shaken. Luna: I can imagine. He expected gratitude and got a reckoning. Lucas: Exactly. And within two weeks, the Force Publique mutinied, the country descended into chaos, and Katanga seceded. Baudouin watched helplessly as the Congo he thought he knew collapsed. Over the next few years, he became more cautious, more aware of the damage. By the 1970s, he was quietly supporting development projects in Congo — but he never publicly apologized for colonialism. Luna: Why not? He must have known by then. Lucas: He was constrained by his role as a constitutional monarch — he couldn't speak politically without government approval. And successive Belgian governments were unwilling to confront the past. But there's also a personal dimension: Baudouin was deeply loyal to the memory of his family, including Leopold II. Admitting the crimes of the Congo Free State would have meant condemning his own great-uncle. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Luna: So he stayed silent. That must have weighed on him. Lucas: It did, especially in his later years. In 1985, he visited Rwanda — another former Belgian colony — and gave a speech where he said 'we must recognize the errors of the past.' But he never specified what those errors were. When he died in 1993, there was no official apology. It wasn't until 2020 that King Philippe, his nephew, expressed 'deepest regrets' for Belgium's colonial past. Luna: Better late than never, but it took thirty years. Lucas: Thirty years and a global reckoning with racism. Baudouin's dilemma sums up the tragedy of Belgian colonialism — a system that was built on exploitation but defended by people who genuinely thought they were doing good. He wasn't a monster, but he was complicit. And his silence allowed the myth of a benevolent empire to persist long after independence. Luna: So what's his legacy, then? A king who couldn't face the truth? Lucas: Partly. But also a king who, in his own quiet way, tried to steer Belgium toward a more humane relationship with its former colony. He pushed for development aid, he welcomed Congolese students to Belgium, and he maintained personal friendships with some Congolese leaders. It's not enough. But it's a reminder that even in the midst of empire, individuals struggled with their conscience. Baudouin's story is a human one — flawed, conflicted, and ultimately unresolved.