Photo: Studio of Eugène Pirou, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons²¹

Albert I of Belgium

King of the Belgians from 1909 to 1934

Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (Dutch: Koning-Ridder; French: Roi-Chevalier) or Soldier King (Dutch: Koning-Soldaat; French: Roi-Soldat) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Albert I of Belgium (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 8, 1875, died Feb 17, 1934.¹

About

Albert was born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Albert succeeded his uncle Leopold II to the Belgian throne in 1909. He married Elisabeth of Bavaria, with whom he had three children.

Albert ruled during an eventful period in the history of Belgium, which included the period of World War I (1914–1918), when most of Belgium was occupied by German forces. Other crucial events of his reign included the adoption of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, the ruling of the Belgian Congo as an overseas possession of Belgium along with the League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi, the reconstruction of Belgium following the war, and the first five years of the Great Depression (1929–1934).

Albert died in a mountaineering accident in eastern Belgium in 1934, at the age of 58, and he was succeeded by his son Leopold III (r. 1934–1951).

From Wikipedia’s article on Albert I of Belgium, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Academie Royale de Langue et de littérature FrançaisesFounder²⁰

Early life and education

Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad was born 8 April 1875 in Brussels, the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Prince Philippe was the third (second surviving) son of Leopold I (r. 1831–1865), the first king of the Belgians, and his wife, Louise-Marie of France, and the younger brother of King Leopold II (r. 1865–1909). Princess Marie was a relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (r. 1888–1918), and a member of the non-reigning, Catholic branch of the Hohenzollern family. Albert grew up in the Palace of the Count of Flanders, initially as third in the line of succession to the Belgian throne as his reigning uncle Leopold II's son had already died. When, however, Albert's older brother, Prince Baudouin of Belgium, who had been subsequently prepared for the throne, also died young, Albert, at the age of 16, unexpectedly became second in line (after his father) to the Belgian Crown.

Retiring and studious, Albert prepared himself strenuously for the task of kingship. In his youth, Albert was seriously concerned with the situation of the working classes in Belgium, and personally travelled around working-class districts incognito, to observe the living conditions of the people. Shortly before his accession to the throne in 1909, Albert undertook an extensive tour of the Belgian Congo, which had been annexed by Belgium in 1908, finding the country in poor condition. Upon his return to Belgium, he recommended reforms to protect the native population and further technological progress in the colony.

From Wikipedia’s article on Albert I of Belgium (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: mountaineer, military personnel, politician, entomologist, monarch, rock climber.⁶

1909 to 1934King of the Belgians⁵
1906 to 1909Senator by Right⁵
Date not recordedFounded Koninklijk Landjuweel³
Date not recordedFounded Academie Royale de Langue et de littérature Françaises⁴

Personal life

BornApr 8, 1875, Palace of the Count of Flanders⁷
DiedFeb 17, 1934, Rochers de Marche-les-Dames⁸
CitizenshipBelgium⁹
ResidenceLoppem Castle¹⁰
SpouseElisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians 1900 to 1934¹¹

Marriage

Albert was married in Munich on 2 October 1900 to Elisabeth of Bavaria, a Wittelsbach princess whom he had met at a family funeral. The civil wedding was conducted by Friedrich Krafft Graf von Crailsheim in the Throne Hall, and the religious wedding was conducted by Cardinal von Stein, assisted by Jakob von Türk, Confessionar of the King of Bavaria.

Based on the letters written during their engagement and marriage (cited extensively in the memoirs of their daughter, Marie-José) the young couple appear to have been deeply in love. The letters express a deep mutual affection based on a rare affinity of spirit. They also make clear that Albert and Elisabeth continually supported and encouraged each other in their challenging roles as king and queen. The spouses shared an intense commitment to their country and family and a keen interest in human progress of all kinds. Together, they cultivated the friendship of prominent scientists, artists, mathematicians, musicians, and philosophers, turning their court at Laeken into a kind of cultural salon.

Children

Albert and Elisabeth had three children:

Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubert Marie Michel, Duke of Brabant, Prince of Belgium, who became the fourth king of the Belgians as Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983, at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert).

Charles Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium, Prince Regent of Belgium (10 October 1903, in Brussels – 1 June 1983, at Ostend).

Marie-José Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette Gabrielle, last Queen of Italy (4 August 1906, in Ostend – 27 January 2001). She was married at Rome, Italy on 8 January 1930 to Prince Umberto Nicola Tommaso Giovanni Maria, Prince of Piemonte (born 15 September 1904 and died on 18 March 1983 at Geneva, Switzerland). He became King Umberto II (r. 1946) of Italy.

Religion

King Albert was a devout Catholic. Many stories illustrate his deep and tender piety. For instance, when his former tutor General De Grunne, in his old age, entered the Benedictine monastery of Maredsous in Belgium, King Albert wrote a letter to him in which he spoke of the joy of giving oneself to God. He said: "May you spend many years at Maredsous in the supreme comfort of soul that is given to natures touched by grace, by faith in God's infinite power and confidence in His goodness." To another friend, Lu Zhengxiang, a former prime minister of China who became a Catholic monk in Belgium, Albert wrote: "Consecrating oneself wholly to the service of Our Lord gives, to those touched by grace, the peace of soul which is the supreme happiness here below." Albert used to tell his children: "As you nourish your body, so you should nourish your soul." In an interesting meditation on what he viewed as the harm that would result if Christian ideals were abandoned in Belgium, he said: "Every time society has distanced itself from the Gospel, which preached humility, fraternity, and peace, the people have been unhappy, because the pagan civilisation of ancient Rome, which they wanted to replace it with, is based only on pride and the abuse of force" (Commemorative speech for the war dead of the Battle of the Yser, given by Dom Marie-Albert, Abbot of Orval Abbey, Belgium, in 1936).

From Wikipedia’s article on Albert I of Belgium (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

1934Supreme Order of Christ¹²
1933honorary doctorate from the University of Strasbourg^{12 18}
1931Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland¹²
1930doctor honoris causa from the University of Paris^{12 17}
1925Cross of Liberty 1st Division, 1st Class¹²
1914Knight of the Garter^{12 16}
1910Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion^{12 15}
1910Knight of the Order of the Elephant¹²
1910Order of the Rue Crown^{12 13}
1910Royal Order of the Seraphim^{12 13}

More awards (34)

1907Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece¹²
Date not recordedBailiff Grand Cross of the Order of Saint John¹²
Date not recordedCollar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum¹²
Date not recordedDistinguished Flying Cross^{12 13}
Date not recordedGodfather promotion of Special Military School of Saint-Cyr¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Legion of Honour¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword^{12 14}
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Military Order of the Tower and Sword^{12 14}
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of Christ¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of Military Virtue¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of Wissam Alaouite¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of the African Star¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Vytis¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of the Crown¹²
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders^{12 14}
Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II¹²
Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav‎¹²
Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath¹²
Date not recordedKnight grand cross of the order of the crown of Italy¹²
Date not recordedKnight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky¹²
Date not recordedMilitary Cross¹²
Date not recordedOrder of Lāčplēsis¹²
Date not recordedOrder of Michael the Brave¹²
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Anna, 1st class¹²
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Stanislaus, 1st class¹²
Date not recordedOrder of Saint Stephen of Hungary¹²
Date not recordedOrder of St. Andrew¹²
Date not recordedOrder of St. George, 3rd class¹²
Date not recordedOrder of St. George, 4th class¹²
Date not recordedOrder of the Black Eagle¹²
Date not recordedOrder of the Star of Romania¹²
Date not recordedOrder of the Three Stars, 1st Class¹²
Date not recordedOrder of the White Eagle¹²
Date not recordedroyal Order of the Lion¹²

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium on Wikidata
2
WikipediaAlbert I of Belgium on Wikipedia
3
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: Founded Koninklijk Landjuweel, on Wikidata
4
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: Founded Academie Royale de Langue et de littérature Françaises, on Wikidata
5
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: Senator by Right, on Wikidata
6
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: occupation, on Wikidata
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WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: place of birth, on Wikidata
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WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: place of death, on Wikidata
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WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: residence, on Wikidata
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WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: spouse, on Wikidata
12
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: award, on Wikidata
13
Wikidataaward, as reported by Almanach de Gotha
14
Wikidataaward, as reported
15
Wikidataaward, as reported
16
Wikidataaward, as reported
17
Wikidataaward, as reported by Annales de l'Université de Paris
18
Wikidataaward, as reported
19
WikidataAlbert I of Belgium: IMDb, on Wikidata
20
WikidataAcademie Royale de Langue et de littérature Françaises, Founder
21
Wikimedia CommonsAlbert I of Belgium photo by Studio of Eugène Pirou, Public domain

About

Companies

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Marriage

Children

Religion

Awards

Links

Sources