Colonial Era

Belgian Colonial Empire

1885 AD – 1913 AD · peak 1908 AD

The Belgian colonial presence centered on the Congo Free State (1885–1908), held as the private property of King Leopold II with its capital at Boma. This era was characterized by a coercive labor regime for rubber extraction that resulted in the deaths of millions of Congolese people. Following international condemnation of these atrocities, the territory was formally annexed by the Belgian state as the Belgian Congo in 1908.

Capital: Brussels