4. Leopold II
Belgium and Congo Free State (colony)
Years in Power: 1865-1909
King of the Belgians, Leopold II ruled over the Kingdom of Belgium and a large “private” colony known as the Congo Free State, including a major portion of the area known today as the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he founded himself. He extracted ivory and rubber from the colony which was rich in such products and used them to expand his own personal fortune. The extraction meant that native workers were subjected to forced labor, beatings and mutilation. Women were taken as hostages to force the men to work, often to the point of death, and workers were frequently killed, such that the death toll is estimated to be in millions. Many also lost their lives to famine. Leopold II eventually died in 1909 after an incredibly long reign of 44 years.
