Wikipedia
List of Belgian monarchs
This is a list of Belgian monarchs from 1831 when the first Belgian king, Leopold I, ascended the throne, after Belgium seceded from the Kingdom of the Netherlands during the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
Sculptural busts of the first five Belgian monarchs in the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces
Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belgian monarch is styled "King of the Belgians" (French: Roi des Belges, Dutch: Koning der Belgen, German: König der Belgier) rather than "King of Belgium" in order to reflect the monarchy's constitutional and popular function.
Since 1831, there have been seven Kings of the Belgians and two regents.
List
| Name | Portrait | Birth and death | Reign started | Reign ended | Marriages | Succession right |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erasme Louis, Baron Surlet de Chokier Regent | 27 November 1769 Liège (Prince-Bishopric of Liège) – 7 August 1839 Gingelom (aged 69) | 25 February 1831 | 21 July 1831 (146 days) | Chosen by the National Congress | ||
| Leopold I | 16 December 1790 Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Holy Roman Empire) – 10 December 1865 Laeken (aged 74) | 21 July 1831 | 10 December 1865 (34 years, 142 days) | (1) Charlotte of Wales ∞ 2 May 1816 [1 child (stillborn)] (2) Louise of Orléans ∞ 9 August 1832 [4 children] | Elected by the National Congress | |
| Leopold II | 9 April 1835 Brussels – 17 December 1909 Laeken (aged 74) | 17 December 1865[1] | 17 December 1909 (44 years, 0 days) | Marie-Henriette of Austria ∞ 22 August 1853 [4 children] | Son of Leopold I | |
| Albert I | 8 April 1875 Brussels – 17 February 1934 Marche-les-Dames (aged 58) | 23 December 1909[1] | 17 February 1934 (24 years, 56 days) | Elisabeth of Bavaria ∞ 2 October 1900 [3 children] | Nephew of Leopold II / Grandson of Leopold I | |
| Leopold III | 3 November 1901 Brussels – 25 September 1983 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (aged 81) | 23 February 1934[1] | 16 July 1951[2] (abdicated) (17 years, 143 days) | (1) Astrid of Sweden ∞ 4 November 1926 [3 children] (2) Lilian Baels ∞ 6 December 1941 [3 children] | Son of Albert I | |
| Charles / Karel prince regent for Leopold III | 10 October 1903 Brussels – 1 June 1983 Raversijde (aged 79) | 21 September 1944 | 20 July 1950 (5 years, 302 days) | Unmarried [childless] | Son of Albert I / Brother of Leopold III | |
| Baudouin / Boudewijn | 7 September 1930 Laeken – 31 July 1993 Motril (Spain) (aged 62) | 17 July 1951 | 31 July 1993[3] (42 years, 13 days) | Fabiola of Mora and Aragón ∞ 15 December 1960 [childless] | Son of Leopold III | |
| Albert II | 6 June 1934 Laeken | 9 August 1993[1] | 21 July 2013 (abdicated) (19 years, 346 days) | Paola of Calabria ∞ 2 July 1959 [4 children] | Son of Leopold III / Brother of Baudouin | |
| Philippe / Filip | 15 April 1960 Laeken | 21 July 2013 | Incumbent (9 years, 286 days) | Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz ∞ 4 December 1999 [4 children] | Son of Albert II |
Timeline
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Under Article 90 of the Belgian Constitution, from the death of a monarch until the swearing in of their successor or a regent, the monarch's constitutional powers are in the hands of the Council of Ministers (interregnum); this accounts for the difference of dates between the end of one reign and the beginning of the following one.
- ^ The constitutional powers of the king were exercised by the Council of Ministers from 28 May 1940 until 21 September 1944, followed by Prince Charles as a regent until 20 July 1950, and then from 11 August 1950 until 17 July 1951 by his successor under the title of Royal Prince. See Christian Behrendt and Martin Vrancken, "L'article 93 de la Constitution belge et l'impossibilité de régner du roi : une disposition dépassée par son histoire", in L'Europe au présent ! Liber amicorum Melchior Wathelet.
- ^ From 3 until 5 April 1990, the constitutional powers of the king were exercised by the Council of Ministers during the constitutional crisis around the Belgian Abortion Act (see the external source in the previous footnote).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monarchs of Belgium.
- Vanthemsche, Guy; De Peuter, Roger, eds. (2023), "Appendix: List of Rulers, Sovereigns and Heads of State (1419–Present) and of Governors General (1507–1794) of the Southern Low Countries and Belgium", A Concise History of Belgium, Cambridge Concise Histories, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 357–360.
- Rulers of Belgium
- History of the Belgian Monarchy at Monarchie.be