Leopold II of Belgium

1835 – 1909

Leopold II established and personally owned the Congo Free State, where his regime enforced a brutal system of forced labor that resulted in the deaths of millions of Congolese through murder, starvation, and disease. He authorized the cutting off of hands and other atrocities to terrorize the population into extracting rubber and ivory, making his rule one of history's deadliest colonial enterprises until international pressure forced Belgium to take control in 1908.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM