Alfonso XII vs Leopold II of Belgium

Alfonso XII was proclaimed king after a military coup by General Mart

Alfonso XII's forces defeated the Carlists, ending the Third Carlist War. The victory consolidated his rule and allowed for the implementation of the Restoration system.

Alfonso XII oversaw the adoption of the Constitution of 1876, which established a conservative liberal monarchy with a bicameral parliament. This constitution remained in force until 1923.

Alfonso XII married Maria Cristina of Austria, who later served as regent after his death. The marriage produced Alfonso XIII and helped secure the dynasty.

Leopold II established the Congo Free State as his personal colony at the Berlin Conference. He gained international recognition for his claim to the Congo Basin, ruling it as private property rather than a Belgian colony.

Leopold II's regime in the Congo Free State enforced rubber quotas through forced labor, mutilation, and murder. Millions of Congolese died from violence, disease, and starvation between 1885 and 1908.

Leopold II commissioned grand buildings in Brussels, including the Cinquantenaire Arcades, the Royal Museum for Central Africa, and the Mont des Arts. These projects aimed to glorify his reign and colonial achievements.

Edmund Dene Morel and Roger Casement launched a campaign exposing Congo atrocities. The Congo Reform Association pressured governments, leading to international condemnation of Leopold II's rule.

Under international pressure, Leopold II ceded the Congo Free State to Belgium. It became the Belgian Congo, a colony governed by the Belgian state, ending Leopold's personal rule but continuing colonial exploitation.