The Belgian colonial empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by Belgium, the largest of which was the Congo, first the personal possession of King Leopold II as the Congo Free State and from 1908 a Belgian colony. Belgium also administered Ruanda-Urundi, today's Rwanda and Burundi, as a League of Nations mandate and then a United Nations trust territory after the First World War. Colonial rule was marked by economic exploitation, in rubber and later in copper, diamonds and other minerals, and by paternalistic policies that left few Congolese with higher education. Independence for the Congo came in 1960 in chaotic circumstances, and Rwanda and Burundi became independent in 1962.
Before and after
- 14 November 1840Birth of Claude Monet
- 1841Discovery of praseodymium
- 1841Publication of Swiss Psalm
- 26 January 1841Founding of Hong Kong
- from 30 January 1841 to 1 July 1962Belgian Empire
- 25 February 1841Birth of Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- 4 April 1841Death of William Henry Harrison
- 3 May 1841Founding of New Zealand
- 8 September 1841Birth of Antonín Dvořák
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 18 May 1804 to 7 July 1815First French Empire
- from 1815 to 1871Unification of Italy
- 16 March 1815Founding of Kingdom of the Netherlands
- from 1 March 1867 to 28 October 1918Austria–Hungary
- from 1 January 1871 to 9 November 1918German Empire
- 24 July 1911Hiram Bingham reaches Machu Picchu
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.