Baudouin of Belgium

Baudouin (; 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993) was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his death in 1993. He was the last Belgian king to be sovereign of the Congo, before it became independent in 1960 and became the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known from 1971 to 1997 as Zaire).

Baudouin was the elder son of King Leopold III (1901–1983) and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden (1905–1935). Because he and his wife, Queen Fabiola, had no children, at Baudouin's death the crown passed to his younger brother, King Albert II.

In 2024, the Holy See opened the cause for his beatification, granting him the title Servant of God.

Biography

Childhood

thumb|left|upright|Prince Baudouin of Belgium (left) and his brother Prince Albert,

Prince Baudouin was born on 7 September 1930 at the Château of Stuyvenberg in Laeken, northern Brussels, the elder son and second child of Prince Leopold, then Duke of Brabant, and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. In 1934, Baudouin's grandfather King Albert I of Belgium was killed in a rock climbing accident; Leopold became king and the three-year-old Baudouin became Duke of Brabant as heir apparent to the throne. When Baudouin was nearly five, his mother died in 1935 in Switzerland in the accident of an automobile that his father was driving. Later, in 1941, his father remarried to Mary Lilian Baels (later became Princess of Réthy). This marriage produced three more children: Prince Alexandre, Princess Marie-Christine (who is also Baudouin's goddaughter) and Princess Marie-Esméralda. Baudouin and his siblings had a close relationship with their stepmother and they called her "Mother". His education began at the age of seven, his tutors taught him half his lessons in French and half in Dutch. He frequently accompanied his father to parades and ceremonies and became well known to the public.

Despite maintaining strict neutrality during the opening months of World War II, on 10 May 1940, Belgium was invaded by Nazi Germany. Baudouin, his elder sister Princess Josephine-Charlotte and his younger brother Prince Albert, were immediately sent to France for safety and then to Spain. The Belgian Army, assisted by the French and British, conducted a defensive campaign lasting 18 days, but Leopold, who had taken personal command, surrendered unconditionally on 28 May. Although the Belgian government escaped to form a Belgian government in exile, Leopold elected to remain in Belgium, and was placed under house arrest at the Palace of Laeken, from where he attempted to reach an understanding with the Germans, especially in respect of Belgian prisoners of war who were being held in Germany. The children returned to Laeken from Spain on 6 August.

Immediately following the Normandy landings in June 1944, the king, his wife, and the royal children, were deported to Hirschstein in Germany and then to Strobl in Austria from where they were released in May 1945 by the United States 106th Cavalry Regiment. Until a political solution could be found, the king's brother, Prince Charles, became regent and the royal family lived at the Château du Reposoir in Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland. Baudouin continued his education at a secondary school in Geneva and visited the United States in 1948.

Reign

thumb|262px|Baudouin and Fabiola with US President [[Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon in May 1969]]

In a referendum in March 1950, the public narrowly voted for King Leopold III to return from Switzerland and he was recalled on 4 June 1950. However, parliamentary dissent and public protests forced Leopold to delegate his powers to Baudouin on 11 August 1950, and finally to abdicate in favour of Baudouin, who took the oath of office as King of the Belgians on 17 July 1951. with some seeing the act as a humiliation for the king.

Death of Patrice Lumumba

During the Congolese declaration of independence, Baudouin delivered a highly contested speech in which he celebrated the acts of the first Belgian owner of the Congo, King Leopold II, whom he described as "a genius". At the same event, the first democratically elected prime minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba, gave a blistering response with a speech that was highly critical of the Belgian regime. Lumumba cited the killings of many Congolese, as well as the insults, humiliation and the slavery they experienced.

Lumumba's speech infuriated Baudouin and generated significant conflict between the two men. After the independence of Congo, the natural resource-rich Katanga Province orchestrated a secession that received substantial military and financial support from the Belgian government, as well as from Belgian companies with business interests in Katanga. Baudouin strengthened his relationships with the Katangese politician Moise Tshombé, whom he made a Knight in the Belgian Order of Leopold. In the meantime, Belgium's government, as well as the CIA, supported or organized plots to assassinate Lumumba.

In early December 1960, Lumumba and two colleagues, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito, who had planned to assist him in setting up a new government, were imprisoned in military barracks located about from Leopoldville. They were underfed and mistreated, per Mobutu Sese Seko's orders. Lumumba registered his objections, writing directly to Indian and U.N. diplomat Rajeshwar Dayal, "in a word, we are living amid absolutely impossible conditions; moreover, they are against the law". Lumumba and his associates were released in mid-January 1961. Within hours, they were again captured and then transported to Katanga by the Congolese military and handed over to the Katangese authorities. They were beaten by Katangese officers and on January 17, they were executed on the orders of the Katangese leadership. The execution took place in the presence of Katangese President Tshombe, two Katangese ministers and Belgian officials. The firing squad was reportedly commanded by a Belgian Julien Gat. Lumumba was buried in a shallow grave but his body was later exhumed by Belgian police officer Gerard Soete who dismembered Lumumba's body, and dissolved the corpse in acid.

In 2001, a parliamentary investigation set up by the Belgian government concluded that Baudouin, amongst others, was informed of the assassination scheme developed by Mobutu and Tshombé. Both men had conspired with a Belgian colonel, Guy Weber, to "neutralize Lumumba, if possible physically." The king was informed of the plot, but did nothing to oppose the murder. His lack of intervention was described as "incriminating" by the parliamentary investigation, although there was no conclusive evidence found that the king ordered the specifics of the plans.

Western engagements and later reign

As the head of state of Belgium, Baudouin, along with French President Charles de Gaulle, were the two prominent world leaders at the state funerals of two American presidents, John F. Kennedy in November 1963 and his predecessor Dwight D. Eisenhower in March 1969. At Kennedy's funeral, Baudouin was accompanied by Paul-Henri Spaak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and former three-time Prime Minister of Belgium. At Eisenhower's funeral, his next visit to the United States, he was accompanied by Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens.

In 1976, on the occasion of his silver jubilee, the King Baudouin Foundation was formed, with the aim of improving the living conditions of the Belgian people.

Death and funeral

Baudouin died from a heart attack on 31 July 1993, while on holiday at the Villa Astrida in the southern Spanish town of Motril, after a 42-year reign. Although in March 1992 the king had been operated on for a mitral valve prolapse in Paris, his death still came unexpectedly, and sent much of Belgium into a period of deep mourning. His death notably stopped the 1993 24 Hours of Spa sportscar race, which had reached 15 hours when the news broke.

Within hours, the gates and enclosure of the royal palace were covered with flowers that people brought spontaneously. A viewing of the body was held at the Royal Palace in central Brussels; 500,000 people (5% of the population) came to pay their respects. Many waited in line up to 14 hours in sweltering heat to see their king one last time. The funeral service was attended by all other European monarchs – including Queen Elizabeth II (the only international state funeral she attended in person as monarch) – alongside Emperor Akihito of Japan. Non-royal guests at the funeral included more than twenty presidents and leaders. Only two reigning heads of state of sovereign states at the time were not invited: Saddam Hussein, and Mobutu, the first due to the Gulf War, the latter due to him being declared persona non grata partly thanks to Mobutu exposing information about Baudouin's brother and sister-in-law. The presidents and leaders who did attend the funeral included UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, European Commission President Jacques Delors, French President François Mitterrand, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, German President Richard von Weizsäcker, Polish President Lech Wałęsa, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegović, Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Canadian Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn and former US President Gerald Ford.

King Baudouin was interred in the royal vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. He was succeeded by his younger brother, who became King Albert II.

Personal life

Marriage

thumb|alt=Baudouin I and his wife, Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, during a 1964 visit to Israel|262px|Baudouin and his wife, [[Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, during a 1964 visit to Israel]]

On 15 December 1960, Baudouin was married in Brussels to Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón. Fabiola was a Spanish noblewoman who was working as a nurse. The couple announced their engagement on 16 September 1960 at the Palace of Laeken.

Fabiola began undertaking official engagements immediately, accompanying the king to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Brussels on 26 September 1960, and remained an active queen consort and queen dowager for the remainder of her life, involved in social causes particularly those related to mental health, children's issues and women's issues.

King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola had no children; all of the queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

Religion

Baudouin was a devout Catholic. Through the influence of Cardinal Leo Suenens, Baudouin participated in the growing Catholic Charismatic Renewal and regularly went on pilgrimages to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paray-le-Monial.

In 1990, when a law submitted by Roger Lallemand and Lucienne Herman-Michielsens that liberalized Belgium's abortion laws was approved by Parliament, he refused to give royal assent to the bill. This was unprecedented; although Baudouin was de jure Belgium's chief executive, royal assent has long been a formality (as is the case in most constitutional and popular monarchies). However, due to his religious convictions—the Catholic Church opposes all forms of abortion—Baudouin asked the government to declare him temporarily unable to reign so that he could avoid signing the measure into law. The government under Wilfried Martens complied with his request on 4 April 1990. According to the provisions of the Belgian Constitution, in the event the king is temporarily unable to reign, the government as a whole assumes the role of head of state. All government members signed the bill, and the next day (5 April 1990) the government called the bicameral legislature in a special session to approve a proposition that Baudouin was capable of reigning again.

Legacy

thumb|262px|King Baudouin's statue in the city of [[Aalst, Belgium|Aalst]]On 29 September 2024, Pope Francis announced during Mass as part of an official visit to Belgium, after visiting the Royal Crypt where Baudouin and Fabiola are buried the day before, his intention to start the procedure towards beatification of the late King. On 17 December 2024, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints officially launched the cause for the beatification and canonization of Baudouin.

Honours

Belgian distinctions

thumb|100px|Royal Monogram of King Baudouin I, King of the Belgians

40x40px Grand Cordon on his 18th birthday, later Grand Master of the Order of Leopold
40x40px Grand Master of the Order of the African Star
40x40px Grand Master of the Royal Order of the Lion
40x40px Grand Master of the Order of the Crown
40x40px Grand Master of the Order of Leopold II

Other European distinctions

40x40px Grand Star of the Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
40x40px Recipient of the Bavarian Order of Merit (West Germany)
40x40px Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
40x40px Knight of the Order of the Elephant (Denmark)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
40x40px Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer (Greece)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (Iceland)
40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy)
40x40px Knight of the Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau (Luxembourg)
40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles (Monaco)
40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Netherlands)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (Norway)
40x40px Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (Portugal)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz (Portugal)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of Santiago (Portugal)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ (Portugal)
40x40px Sash of the Three Orders (Portugal)
40x40px Member 1st Class of the Order of the Star of the Socialist Republic of Romania
40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of San Marino
40x40px Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Spain)
40x40px Knight of the Collar in the Order of Charles III (Spain)
40x40px Knight of the Collar in the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)
40x40px Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)
40x40px Stranger Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (UK)
40x40px Great Star of the Order of the Yugoslavian Star (Yugoslavia)

Latin-American distinctions

40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín (Argentina)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross (Brazil)
40x40px Collar of the Order of Merit (Chile)
40x40px Extraordinary Grand Cross of the Order of Boyacá (Colombia)
40x40px Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle (Mexico)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of Rubén Dario (Nicaragua)
40x40px Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru
40x40px Collar of the Order of the Liberator (Venezuela)

African distinctions

40x40px Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Karyenda (Burundi)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Cameroon)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of Central African Merit (Central African Republic)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Green Crescent (Comoros)
40x40px Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Leopard (Congo)
40x40px Collar of the Order of the Seal of Solomon (Ethiopia)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Equatorial Star (Gabon)
40x40px Crand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Pioneers of Liberia
40x40px Grand Cordon of the Order of the Throne (Morocco)
40x40px Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (Nigeria)
40x40px Grand Cross of the National Order (Rwanda)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion (Rwanda)
40x40px Crand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (Senegal)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Order of the Independence (Tunisia)
40x40px Grand Cross of the Nationale Order (Upper-Volta)

Asian and Middle-East distinctions

40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia
40x40px Adipurna (1st Class) of the Star of the Republic of Indonesia
40x40px Member 1st Class of the Order of Pahlavi (Iran)
40x40px 25th Centennial Anniversary Medal (Iran)
40x40px Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan)
40x40px Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (South-Korea)
40x40px Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit (Lebanon)
40x40px Collar of the Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia)
40x40px Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand)
40x40px Knight Grand Cordon in the Order of Chula Chom Klao (Thailand)

Religious distinctions

The Catholic and very pious Baudouin had been awarded some special honours associated with that faith.

40x40px Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
40x40px Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy See)
40x40px Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ (Holy See)
40x40px Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (House of Savoy)

Notes

References

Sources

Bibliography

Other languages

A. Molitor, La fonction royale en Belgique, Brussels, 1979
J.Stengers, De koningen der Belgen. Van Leopold I tot Albert II, Leuven, 1997.
Kardinaal Suenens, Koning Boudewijn. Het getuigenis van een leven, Leuven, 1995.
Kerstrede 18 December 1975, (ed.V.Neels), Wij Boudewijn, Koning der Belgen. Het politiek, sociaal en moreel testament van een nobel vorst, deel II, Gent, 1996.
H. le Paige (dir.), Questions royales, Réflexions à propos de la mort d'un roi et sur la médiatisation de l'évènement, Brussels, 1994.

External links

Official biography from the Belgian Royal Family website
Archive Baudouin of Belgium, Royal museum for central Africa