Leopold I (French: Léopold Ier, German and Dutch: Leopold I;[a]Coburg, 16 December 1790 – Laeken, 10 December 1865) was a German prince who became the first King of the Belgians following Belgian independence in 1830. He reigned between July 1831 and December 1865. He established the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to which all subsequent Belgian Kings have belonged.
Born into the ruling family of the small Germany duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold took a commission in the Imperial Russian Army and fought against Napoleon after French troops overran Saxe-Coburg during the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon´s defeat, Leopold moved to the United Kingdom where he married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the Prince Regent (the future King George IV), thus situating himself as a possible future prince consort of Great Britain. Charlotte died in 1817, although Leopold continued to enjoy considerable status in England.
After the Greek War of Independence (1821-32), LeopoId was offered the position of King of Greece but turned it down, believing it to be too precarious. Instead, Leopold accepted the kingship of the newly-established Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. The Belgian government offered the position to Leopold because of his diplomatic connections with royal houses across Europe. In addition, because he was seen as a British-backed candidate, he was not affiliated to other powers, such as France, which were believed to have territorial ambitions in Belgium which might threaten the European balance of power created by the 1815 Congress of Vienna.
Leopold was crowned in Belgium on 21 July 1831, an event commemorated annually as Belgian National Day. His reign was marked by attempts by the Dutch to recapture Belgium and, later, by internal political division between liberals and Catholics. As a Protestant, Leopold was considered liberal and encouraged economic modernisation, playing an important role in encouraging the creation of Belgium´s first railway and in 1835 and subsequent industrialisation. As a result of the ambiguities in the Belgian Constitution, Leopold was able to slightly expand the monarch´s powers during his reign. He also played an important role in stopping the spread of the Revolutions of 1848 into Belgium. He died in 1865 and was succeeded by his son, Leopold II.
Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik van Saksen-Coburg en Gotha[1] (Coburg, 16 december 1790 – Laken, 10 december 1865), prins van Saksen-Coburg-Saalfeld (later van Saksen-Coburg en Gotha), hertog van Saksen, was van 1831 tot aan zijn dood de eerste Koning der Belgen.
Léopold Ier de Belgique (en néerlandais, Leopold I van België), prince de Saxe-Cobourg et Gotha, duc en Saxe, né prince Léopold Georges Christian Frédéric de Saxe-Cobourg-Saalfeld à Cobourg (en Saxe-Cobourg-Saalfeld) le 16 décembre 1790 et mort le 10 décembre 1865 au palais de Laeken (en Belgique), est un prince allemand de la maison de Saxe-Cobourg et Gotha devenu le premier roi des Belges.
Né dans la famille dirigeant le petit duché allemand de Saxe-Cobourg-Saalfeld et de sa seconde épouse la princesse Augusta Reuss d'Ebersdorf, Léopold fit partie de l´armée impériale russe et combattu Napoléon Ier après que les troupes françaises eurent envahies Saxe-Cobourg au cours des guerres napoléoniennes. Après la défaite de Napoléon, il s´installe au Royaume-Uni où il épouse la princesse Charlotte de Galles, l´enfant unique du Prince régent, devenant ainsi le possible futur prince consort de Grande-Bretagne. Charlotte mourut en 1817 mais Léopold continua à bénéficier d´un important statut en Angleterre.
Après la guerre d´indépendance grecque (1821-1832), Léopold se voit offrir le trône de Grèce qu´il refuse, craignant que la situation ne soit trop instable. En revanche, le Congrès du nouveau Royaume de Belgique le choisit en raison de ses relations diplomatiques avec les maisons royales d´Europe, il est élu premier souverain belge le 4 juin 1831 et accepte. Il prête le serment constitutionnel le 21 juillet 1831 date devenant celle de la fête nationale belgeN 1.
Son règne fut marqué par les tentatives néerlandaises de récupérer la Belgique puis par les tensions politiques internes entre libéraux et catholiques. Léopold fut considéré comme libéral et encouragea la modernisation de l´économie, en jouant un important rôle d´encouragement à la création de la première ligne de chemin de fer belge et à l´industrialisation qui en suivit. Il parvint à étendre les pouvoirs de la monarchie à leur maximum. Il mourut en 1865 et fut succédé par son fils, Léopold II.
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