LEOPOLD I. (179o-1865), king of the Belgians, fourth son of Francis, duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and uncle of Queen Victoria of England, was born at Coburg on Dec. 18, 1790. At the age of 18 he entered the military service of Russia, and ac companied the emperor Alexander to Erfurt as a member of his staff. He was required by Napoleon to quit the Russian army, and spent some years in travelling. But in 1813 he took part in the whole of the campaign of that and the following year, distinguish ing himself in the battles of Leipzig, Liitzen and Bautzen. He entered Paris with the allied sovereigns, and accompanied them to England. He married in May 1816 Charlotte, only child of George, prince regent, afterwards George IV., heiress-presumptive to the British throne. After the death of the princess in 1817 he continued to reside in England. In 1830 he declined the crown of Greece, but was in the following year elected king of the Belgians (June 4, 1831). He accepted, after assuring himself of the support of the great powers. On July I2, he made his entry into Brussels and took the oath to observe the constitution. Dur ing the first eight years of his reign he was confronted with the resolute hostility of King William I. of Holland, and it was not
until 1839 that the differences between the two States, which until 1830 had formed the kingdom of the Netherlands, were finally settled at the conference of London by the treaty of the 24 Arti cles. (See BELGIUM.) From this date until his death, King Leopold spent all his energies in the wise administration of the affairs of the newly formed kingdom. In 1848 the throne of Belgium stood unshaken amidst the revolutions which marked that year in almost every European country. On Aug. 8, 1832, Leopold married, as his second wife, Louise of Orleans, daughter of Louis Philippe, king of the French. This union produced two sons and one daughter ( I) Leopold, afterwards king of the Belgians; (2) Philip, count of Flanders; (3) Marie Charlotte, who married Maximilian of Austria, the unfortunate emperor of Mexico. Leopold I. died at Laeken on Dec. Io, 1865. He was a cultured man, who encouraged art, science and education. His judgment was universally re spected by contemporary sovereigns and statesmen, and he was frequently spoken of as "the Nestor of Europe." For his influ