The Congo Free State was a vast territory in Central Africa that was the personal possession of King Leopold II of Belgium, rather than a colony of the Belgian state. Its claim was recognized by the powers at the Berlin Conference of 1884 and 1885, partly on the grounds of a humanitarian mission. In fact, it was run to extract ivory and, increasingly, rubber, using forced labor, hostage-taking and violent punishments, including the mutilation of workers who failed to meet quotas. Campaigners such as E. D. Morel and Roger Casement, along with missionaries, publicized these atrocities, and international pressure grew. Estimates of the death toll vary widely but are often put in the millions. Belgium took over the territory in 1908 and renamed it the Belgian Congo.
Before and after
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 1885Construction of Anfield
- from February 1885 to March 1885Panjdeh Incident
- 7 February 1885Birth of Sinclair Lewis
- from 1 July 1885 to 2 April 1908Congo Free State
- 23 July 1885Death of Ulysses S. Grant
- 11 September 1885Birth of D. H. Lawrence
- 7 October 1885Birth of Niels Bohr
- 11 October 1885Birth of François Mauriac
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 15 July 1799The Rosetta Stone is found
- 16 March 1815Founding of Kingdom of the Netherlands
- 27 September 1822Champollion deciphers the hieroglyphs
- from 1 March 1867 to 28 October 1918Austria–Hungary
- 7 August 1908Discovery of Venus of Willendorf
- 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.