Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/764

 408

BELGIUM.

(ROYAUME DE BeLGIQUE.)

Reigning King.

Leopold II., born April 9, 1835, the son of King Leopold I., former Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and of Princess Louise, daughter of the late King Louis Philippe of the French ; ascended the throne at the death of his father, Dec. 10, 1865 ; married, Aug. 22, 1853, to Queen Marie Henriette, born Aug. 23, 1836, the daughter of the late Archduke Joseph of Austria.

Children of the King.

I. Princess Louise, born Feb. 18, 1858; married, February 4, 1875, to Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, born March 28, 1844, eldest son of Prince August, cousin of the reigning duke, and of Princess Clementine of Orleans, daughter of the late King Louis Philippe of the French.

J I. Pwaicess Stejihanie, born May 21, 1864 ; married to the late Archduke Diede Rudolf, only son of the Emperor of Aus- tria and King of Hungary, May 10, 1881 ; widow January 30, 1889.

III. Princess Clementine, born July 30, 1872.

Brother and Sister of the King.

I. Philippe, Count of Flanders, born March 24, 1837 ; lieutenant-general in the service of Belgium ; married, April 25, 1867, to Princess Marie of HohenzoUern-Sigmaringen. Offspring of the union are three children living : — 1. Princess Henriette, born November 30, 1870 ; married February 12, 1896, to Prince Emmanuel of Orleans, Due de YendOme. 2. Princess Josephine, born October 18, 1872 ; married, May 28, 1894, to Prince Cliarles-Antoine of Holienzollern. 3, Prince Albert, born April 8, 1875.

II. Princess Charlotte, born June 7, 1840 ; married, July 27, 1857, to Arch- duke Maximilian of Austria, elected Emperor of Mexico July 10, 1863 ; widow June 19, 1867.

King Leopold II. has a civil list of 3,300,000 francs.

The Kingdom of Belgium formed itself into an independent State in 1830, having previously been a part of the Netherlands. The secession was decreed on October 4, 1830, by a Provisional Government, established in consequence of a revolution which broke out at Brussels on August 25, 1 830. A National Congress