Misplaced Pages

Part of a series on the
History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Early history pre–1876 Kingdom of Kongo 1390–1914 Kingdom of Luba 1585–1889 Kingdom of Lunda 1600–1887 Kuba Kingdom 1625–1884 Kingdom of Chokwe 1800–1891 Yeke Kingdom 1856–1891
Colonization 1876–1960 Intl. African Association 1876–1879 Intl. Congo Society 1879–1885 Congo Free State (Atrocities) 1885–1908 Belgian Congo 1908–1960 World War II 1940–1945
Independence post–1960 Congo Crisis 1960–1965 Congo–Léopoldville 1960–1971 Zaire (Shaba I / II) 1971–1997 First Congo War 1996–1997 Second Congo War 1998–2003 Joseph Kabila presidency 2001–2019 Félix Tshisekedi presidency 2019–present
See also: Years
DRC Portal
v t e

The Congo Free State was a state in Africa created and headed by the former Belgian monarch, Leopold II as a personal union with Belgium. On 29 May 1885, after the closure of the Berlin Conference, the king announced that he planned to name his possessions "the Congo Free State", an appellation which was not yet used at the Berlin Conference and which officially replaced "International Association of the Congo" on 1 August 1885.

Establishment

The Belgian legislative chambers, in a resolution passed by the House of Representatives on April 28, 1885, and by the Senate on April 30, had authorized Leopold II to become head of another state: "His Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians, is authorized to be the head of the state founded in Africa by the International Association of the Congo. The union between Belgium and the new state will be exclusively personal ", "personal" meaning that, "as far as the Belgian government is concerned, what Leopold II does in Africa, he does as a private individual as in a personal union. The government had no business getting involved. And in fact, except for a few rare moments, the King will not even keep his ministers informed of the development of his enterprise". On April 30, 1885, Leopold II assumed the title of sovereign of the independent state of Congo.

Aftermath of the establishment

It was an Englishman, Sir Francis de Winton, vice-administrator general of the Association Internationale du Congo, who officially proclaimed the foundation of the Independent State of Congo in Vivi on July 1, 1885, and the accession of Leopold II as its sovereign. On April 1, 1886, Winton completed his mandate and returned to England, where he was hired by the British East African Association. The capital was later transferred to Boma.

References

1. Katzenellenbogen, S. (1996). "It didn't happen at Berlin: Politics, economics and ignorance in the setting of Africa's colonial boundaries.". In Nugent, P.; Asiwaju, A. I. (eds.). African Boundaries: Barriers, Conduits and Opportunities. London: Pinter. pp. 21–34.
2. Cornelis, Sabine. 1991. "Stanley au service de Léopold II: La fondation de l'Etat Indépendant du Congo (1878-1885)". In H. M. Stanley: Explorateur au service du Roi, edited by Sabine Cornelis, 41-60. Tervuren: Royal Museum for Central Africa.
3. Crowe, S.E. (1942). The Berlin West African Conference, 1884–1885. London: Longmans Green.
4. Bulletin officiel de l'État indépendant du Congo, années 1885 et 1886.
5. Jean Stengers, La Fondation de l'État indépendant du Congo, Liège, Université de Liège, coll. « L'Histoire aujourd'hui », p. 5.
6. Notice biographique Francis de Winton, Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre-Mer.

• Congo Free State
• Belgian colonisation in Africa