PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Leopold III, King of the Belgians
rdfs:comment
  • Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favor of his son Baudoin. Leopold was a controversial monarch. His handling of World War II and the German occupation of Belgium has been heavily scrutinized. Although Leopold saw to it that Belgium was prepared militarily for a German invasion, he did not make the most of the military aid Britain and France provided. Thus, after a period of intense fighting in May 1940, Leopold surrendered to Germany. Many in his own cabinet feared that his actions might be in fact treason, particularly as he insisted upon staying within the country and in German custody. He eventually deported to Germany in 1944. After his liberation, he was to remain in exile for another six years
dcterms:subject
type of appearance
  • Contemporary reference
dbkwik:turtledove/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Appearance
  • Hitler's War
Spouse
  • Astrid of Sweden Lilian Baels
Name
  • Leopold III, King of the Belgians
Title
  • King of the Belgians
Cause of Death
  • Natural Causes
Religion
Years
  • 1934
Affiliations
  • House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Children
  • Six
Occupation
  • Monarch
Death
  • 1983
Birth
  • 1901
Nationality
abstract
  • Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favor of his son Baudoin. Leopold was a controversial monarch. His handling of World War II and the German occupation of Belgium has been heavily scrutinized. Although Leopold saw to it that Belgium was prepared militarily for a German invasion, he did not make the most of the military aid Britain and France provided. Thus, after a period of intense fighting in May 1940, Leopold surrendered to Germany. Many in his own cabinet feared that his actions might be in fact treason, particularly as he insisted upon staying within the country and in German custody. He eventually deported to Germany in 1944. After his liberation, he was to remain in exile for another six years. Leopold's return was met with a general strike in 1950. He abdicated the following year. His retirement was spent traveling the world.