Parents: Franz, duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Augusta Reuß
Date of Birth: 16 December 1790
House: Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Wettin)
Spouse(s): (1) Charlotte, daughter of George IV, king of the United Kingdom, and Caroline of Brunswick, then (2) Louise, daughter of Louis-Philippe, king of the French, and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies
Reign: 1831 – 1865
Brief: Last of a family of children, Leopold should never have risen to the rank of king, outpacing his siblings and parents in titles. During the Napoleonic Wars, Leopold rose to the rank of major general before fleeing to Russia to command troops for the Russian Empire. By 1815, he was also a lieutenant general in Russia. In 1816, he married the daughter and heir of George IV of the United Kingdom, but the princess died the following year. George still acknowledged Leopold as a British royal prince, though, out of respect. In the late 1820s, Leopold was offered the throne of Greece, but declined it. A few years later, in 1830, he was offered the throne of a new Belgian kingdom that had recently proclaimed independence from the Netherlands during the July Revolutions. He accepted the offer becoming Leopold I, then went about fighting off attacks from the Netherlands for the next eight years. For the rest of his reign, Leopold largely took a back seat to allow his advisors to rule for him, though he did actively pursue a reduction in child and female labor in manufacturing. He died at the age of 74 in Laeken and was buried at the royal vault at the church there.
Date of Death: 10 December 1865
Date of Death: 10 December 1865
Successor: Leopold II
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Herman I, duke of Swabia (949)
- Michael IV, emperor of Constantinople (1041)
- René II, duke of Lorraine (1508)
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