58-410: King Albert may refer to: Albert I of Belgium (1875–1934) Albert II of Belgium (born 1934) Albert I of Germany (1255–1308) Albert II of Germany (1397–1439) Albert, King of Saxony (1828–1902) Albert of Sweden (c. 1338–1412) Other uses [ edit ] King Albert (card game) , a solitaire card game Albert, King of Basil,
116-600: A Wittelsbach princess whom he had met at a family funeral. A daughter of Bavarian Duke Karl-Theodor , and his second wife, the Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal , she was born at Possenhofen Castle , Bavaria , Germany , on 25 July 1876, and died on 23 November 1965. The civil wedding was conducted by Friedrich Krafft Graf von Crailsheim in the Throne Hall, and the religious wedding was conducted by Cardinal von Stein , assisted by Jakob von Türk , Confessionar of
174-686: A Boulevard Albert Ier and a statue of the King, and Le Havre , France has a Boulevard Albert Ier. Interestingly, the Nancy statue is marked "Albert Ier" even though, when it was erected in 1934 following his death earlier that year, he was the only King of the Belgians to have been called Albert. Upon his return to Brussels, King Albert made a speech in which he outlined the reforms he desired to see implemented in Belgium, including an improved military, universal suffrage and
232-836: A U.S. territory with its head of state being the President of the United States and federal funds to the commonwealth administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the U.S. Department of the Interior . Remnant Micronesia and the Marshall Islands , the heirs of the last territories of the Trust, attained final independence on 22 December 1990. (The UN Security Council ratified termination of trusteeship, effectively dissolving trusteeship status, on 10 July 1987.) The Republic of Palau , split off from
290-551: A boulder at the top of the mountain that became dislodged; the second that the pinnacle to which his rope was belayed broke, causing him to fall about 60 feet (18 metres). In 2016, DNA testing by geneticist Dr. Maarten Larmuseau and colleagues from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven on bloodstained leaves that were collected in 1934 from Marche-les-Dames concluded that King Albert had died at that location. Like his predecessors Leopold I and Leopold II, King Albert
348-525: A character in computer game The Legend of Dragoon King Albert Siegwald, a character in Mage & Demon Queen King Albert, a nickname for Albert King (1923–1992), blues guitarist & singer See also [ edit ] Prince Albert (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title King Albert . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
406-539: A greater level of control by the mandatory power: "...the Mandatory must be responsible for the administration of the territory under conditions which will guarantee freedom of conscience and religion." The mandatory power was forbidden to construct military or naval bases within the mandates. Class C mandates , including South West Africa and the South Pacific Islands, were considered to be "best administered under
464-558: A keen interest in human progress of all kinds. Together, they cultivated the friendship of prominent scientists, artists, mathematicians, musicians, and philosophers, turning their court at Laeken into a kind of cultural salon. Albert and Elisabeth had three children: Following the death of his uncle, Leopold II , Albert succeeded to the Belgian throne in December 1909, since Albert's own father had died in 1905. Previous Belgian kings had taken
522-595: A mountaineering accident on 17 February 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames , in the Ardennes region of Belgium near Namur . His death shocked the world and he was deeply mourned, both in Belgium and abroad. Because King Albert was an expert climber, some questioned the official version of his death and suggested that the King was murdered (or even committed suicide) somewhere else and that his body had never been at Marche-les-Dames, or that it
580-699: A post-war "Government of National Union" made up of members of the three main parties in Belgium, the Catholics, the Liberals, and the Socialists and attempted to mediate between the parties in order to bring about one man, one vote universal suffrage for men. He succeeded in doing so. The Belgian Government sent the King to the Paris Peace Conference in April 1919, where he met with the leaders of France, Britain and
638-590: A relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany ( r. 1888–1918 ), and a member of the non-reigning, Catholic branch of the Hohenzollern family. Albert grew up in the Palace of the Count of Flanders , initially as third in the line of succession to the Belgian throne as his reigning uncle Leopold II's son had already died. When, however, Albert's older brother, Prince Baudouin of Belgium , who had been subsequently prepared for
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#1732863356810696-703: A roughly equivalent status. In each case, the colonial power that held the mandate on each territory became the administering power of the trusteeship, except that of the Empire of Japan , which had been defeated in World War II, lost its mandate over the South Pacific islands, which became a "strategic trust territory" known as the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under U.S. administration. The sole exception to
754-642: A single mandate from the Council of the League of Nations, but in the countries subject to that mandate, one can distinguish two distinct States: Syria and the Lebanon, each State possessing its own constitution and a nationality clearly different from the other. After the United Nations was founded in 1945 and the League of Nations was disbanded, all but one of the mandated territories became United Nations trust territories ,
812-709: Is interred in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. In 1935, prominent Belgian author Emile Cammaerts published a widely acclaimed biography of King Albert I, titled Albert of Belgium: Defender of Right . In 1993, a close climbing companion of the King, Walter Amstutz , founded the King Albert I Memorial Foundation , an association based in Switzerland and dedicated to honouring distinguished individuals in
870-593: The Belgian general strike of 1893 , plural votes had been granted to individual men based on their wealth, education, and age, but after the Belgian general strike of 1913 the promise had been made to have constitutional reform for one man, one vote universal suffrage but the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914 and the subsequent occupation delayed the implementation of the commission's proposal. In 1918, King Albert forged
928-560: The League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi , the reconstruction of Belgium following the war, and the first five years of the Great Depression (1929–1934). Albert died in a mountaineering accident in eastern Belgium in 1934, at the age of 58, and he was succeeded by his son Leopold III ( r. 1934–1951 ). Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad was born 8 April 1875 in Brussels ,
986-627: The Order of Leopold II . Docher offered the King a turquoise cross mounted in silver made by the Tiwas Indians. Ten thousand people travelled to Isleta for this occasion. That same year he was elected an honorary member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati . In New York, the King received a ticker tape parade in his honor. The visit was considered a success by the Belgian authorities. Since
1044-606: The Treaty of Versailles (1919), with the territories being allotted among the Allies on 7 May of that year. Ottoman territorial claims were first addressed in the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) and finalised in the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). The Ottoman territories were allotted among the Allied Powers at the San Remo conference in 1920. The League of Nations decided the exact level of control by
1102-569: The protectorates in that the mandatory power undertook obligations to the inhabitants of the territory and to the League of Nations. The process of establishing the mandates consisted of two phases: The divestiture of Germany's overseas colonies, along with three territories disentangled from its European homeland area (the Free City of Danzig , the Memel Territory , and the Saar ), was accomplished in
1160-527: The royal accession oath only in French; Albert innovated by taking it in Dutch as well. He and his wife, Queen Elisabeth, were popular in Belgium due to their simple, unassuming lifestyle and their harmonious family life, which stood in marked contrast to the aloof, autocratic manner and the dissolute private life of Leopold II. An important aspect of the early years of Albert's reign was his institution of many reforms in
1218-595: The "no victors, no vanquished" concept. He considered that such a resolution to the conflict would best protect the interests of Belgium and the future peace and stability of Europe. Neither Germany nor the Entente were favourable to the idea, tending instead to seek total victory, and Albert's attempts to further a negotiated peace were unsuccessful. At the end of the war, as commander of the Army Group Flanders , consisting of Belgian, British and French divisions, Albert led
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#17328633568101276-514: The Asiatic countries under the British and French mandates. Iraq is a Kingdom in regard to which Great Britain has undertaken responsibilities equivalent to those of a Mandatory Power. Under the British mandate, Palestine and Transjordan have each an entirely separate organisation. We are, therefore, in the presence of three States sufficiently separate to be considered as distinct Parties. France has received
1334-561: The Belgian throne in 1909. He married Elisabeth of Bavaria , with whom he had three children. Albert ruled during an eventful period in the history of Belgium , which included the period of World War I (1914–1918), when most of Belgium was occupied by German forces . Other crucial events of his reign included the adoption of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, the ruling of the Belgian Congo as an overseas possession of Belgium along with
1392-441: The British royal family's name-change to House of Windsor in 1917. Albert was a committed conservationist and in 1925, influenced by the ideas of Carl E. Akeley , he founded Africa's first national park, now known as Virunga National Park , in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo . During this period, he was also the first reigning European monarch to visit the United States. A passionate alpinist , King Albert I died in
1450-504: The King of Bavaria. Based on the letters written during their engagement and marriage (cited extensively in the memoirs of their daughter, Marie-José ) the young couple appear to have been deeply in love. The letters express a deep mutual affection based on a rare affinity of spirit. They also make clear that Albert and Elisabeth continually supported and encouraged each other in their challenging roles as king and queen. The spouses shared an intense commitment to their country and family and
1508-480: The League of Nations (with the exception of South West Africa ) thus eventually became United Nations trust territories . Two governing principles formed the core of the Mandate System, being non-annexation of the territory and its administration as a "sacred trust of civilisation" to develop the territory for the benefit of its native people. According to historian Susan Pedersen , colonial administration in
1566-402: The League of Nations takes official cognisance of the appointment of the mandatory power and informs the latter that it [the council] considers it as invested with the mandate, and at the same time notifies it of the terms of the mandate, after ascertaining whether they are in conformance with the provisions of the covenant." The U.S. State Department 's Digest of International Law says that
1624-408: The League of Nations was responsible for establishing an arbitral court to resolve disputes that might arise and stipulated that its decisions were final. A disagreement regarding the legal status and the portion of the annuities to be paid by the "A" mandates was settled when an Arbitrator ruled that some of the mandates contained more than one State: The difficulty arises here how one is to regard
1682-399: The League of Nations." Three steps were required to establish a Mandate under international law: (1) The Principal Allied and Associated Powers confer a mandate on one of their number or on a third power; (2) the principal powers officially notify the council of the League of Nations that a certain power has been appointed mandatory for such a certain defined territory; and (3) the council of
1740-715: The Ottoman Empire that were deemed to "... have reached a stage of development where their existence as independent nations can be provisionally recognised subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone. The wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the Mandatory." The second group of mandates, or Class B mandates , were all former German colonies in West and Central Africa , referred to by Germany as Schutzgebiete (protectorates or territories), which were deemed to require
1798-598: The South West Africa mandate. Eventually, in 1990, the mandated territory, now Namibia , gained independence, culminating from the Tripartite Accords and the resolution of the South African Border War — a prolonged guerrilla conflict against the apartheid regime that lasted from 1966 until 1990. Nearly all the former League of Nations mandates had become sovereign states by 1990, including all of
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1856-637: The Treaty of Lausanne required the newly created states that acquired the territory detached from the Ottoman Empire to pay annuities on the Ottoman public debt and to assume responsibility for the administration of concessions that had been granted by the Ottomans. The treaty also let the States acquire, without payment, all the property and possessions of the Ottoman Empire situated within their territory. The treaty provided that
1914-463: The United States. He had four strategic goals: He strongly advised against a harsh, restrictive treaty against Germany to prevent future German aggression. He also considered that the dethronement of the princes of Central Europe and, in particular, the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire would constitute a serious menace to peace and stability on the continent. The Allies considered Belgium to be
1972-740: The Western United States. King Albert and his party arrived in California on 10 October. Upon arrival in Sacramento , the King awarded the Order of Leopold II to the engineer who was on board the King's special train. During his brief stay in Sacramento thousands came to see the Belgian royals, with mothers even holding out their babies for the King to kiss. During a visit of the historic Native American pueblo of Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico , King Albert decorated Father Anton Docher with Knight in
2030-448: The Yser , given by Dom Marie-Albert, Abbot of Orval Abbey , Belgium, in 1936). The war inflicted great suffering on Belgium, which was subjected to a harsh German occupation. The King, fearing the destructive results of the war for Belgium and Europe and appalled by the huge casualty rates, worked through secret diplomatic channels for a negotiated peace between Germany and the Entente based on
2088-500: The administration of the Belgian Congo , Belgium's only colonial possession. King Albert was a devout Catholic . Many stories illustrate his deep and tender piety. For instance, when his former tutor General De Grunne, in his old age, entered the Benedictine monastery of Maredsous in Belgium, King Albert wrote a letter to him in which he spoke of the joy of giving oneself to God. He said: "May you spend many years at Maredsous in
2146-524: The chief victim of the war, and it aroused enormous popular sympathy, but the King's advice played a small role in Paris. Albert spent much of the remainder of his reign assisting in the postwar reconstruction of Belgium. In 1920 Albert changed the family name from " Saxe-Coburg-Gotha " to " House of Belgium " ( van België , in Dutch; de Belgique in French) as a result of strong anti-German sentiment. This mirrored
2204-642: The establishment of a Flemish University in Ghent . From 23 September to 13 November 1919, King Albert, Queen Elisabeth of Bavaria , and their son Prince Leopold made an official visit to the United States . King Albert and his party arrived in New York City on 2 October. The party would then proceed to visit several sites in the Eastern United States including Boston and Niagara Falls , before heading to
2262-548: The establishment of a mandates system. The mandates system reflected a compromise between Smuts (who wanted colonial powers to annex the territories) and Wilson (who wanted trusteeship over the territories). All of the territories subject to League of Nations mandates were previously controlled by states defeated in World War I, principally Imperial Germany and the Ottoman Empire . The mandates were fundamentally different from
2320-402: The fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders , and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen . Prince Philippe was the third (second surviving) son of Leopold I ( r. 1831–1865 ), the first King of the Belgians , and his wife, Louise-Marie of France , and the younger brother of King Leopold II of Belgium ( r. 1865–1909 ). Princess Marie was
2378-569: The final offensive of the war that liberated occupied Belgium. King Albert, Queen Elisabeth, and their children then reentered Brussels to a hero's welcome. The King Albert I Memorial in Nieuwpoort is dedicated to King Albert and the Belgian troops during the Great War. There are also at least two memorials to Albert outside Belgium, to commemorate his role in the Great War: Nancy, France has
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2436-554: The former UN trust territories with the exception of a few successor entities of the gradually dismembered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (formerly Japan's South Pacific Trust Mandate). These exceptions include the Northern Mariana Islands which is a commonwealth in political union with the U.S. with the status of unincorporated organised territory . The Northern Mariana Islands does elect its own governor to serve as territorial head of government , but it remains
2494-505: The harm that would result if Christian ideals were abandoned in Belgium, he said: "Every time society has distanced itself from the Gospel, which preached humility, fraternity, and peace, the people have been unhappy, because the pagan civilisation of ancient Rome, which they wanted to replace it with, is based only on pride and the abuse of force" (Commemorative speech for the war dead of the Battle of
2552-527: The laws of the Mandatory as integral portions of its territory." According to the Council of the League of Nations, meeting of August 1920: "draft mandates adopted by the Allied and Associated Powers would not be definitive until they had been considered and approved by the League... the legal title held by the mandatory Power must be a double one: one conferred by the Principal Powers and the other conferred by
2610-497: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_Albert&oldid=1173784358 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Title and name disambiguation pages Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934)
2668-426: The mandates did not differ substantially from colonial administration elsewhere. Even though the Covenant of the League committed the great powers to govern the mandates differently, the main difference appeared to be that the colonial powers spoke differently about the mandates than their other colonial possessions. The mandate system was established by Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, drafted by
2726-543: The mandatory power over each mandate on an individual basis. However, in every case the mandatory power was forbidden to construct fortifications or raise an army within the territory of the mandate, and was required to present an annual report on the territory to the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations. The mandates were divided into three distinct groups based upon the level of development each population had achieved at that time. The first group, or Class A mandates , were territories formerly controlled by
2784-484: The mountaineering world. To celebrate 175 years of the Belgian royal family and the 100th anniversary of his accession, Albert I was selected as the main motif of a high-value collectors' coin: the Belgian 12.5 euro Albert I commemorative coin , minted in 2008. The obverse shows a portrait of the King. Mandated territory A League of Nations mandate represented a legal status under international law for specific territories following World War I , involving
2842-448: The people. Shortly before his accession to the throne in 1909, Albert undertook an extensive tour of the Belgian Congo , which had been annexed by Belgium in 1908, finding the country in poor condition. Upon his return to Belgium, he recommended reforms to protect the native population and further technological progress in the colony. Albert was married in Munich on 2 October 1900 to Bavarian Duchess Elisabeth Gabrielle Valérie Marie ,
2900-560: The supreme comfort of soul that is given to natures touched by grace, by faith in God's infinite power and confidence in His goodness." To another friend, Lu Zhengxiang , a former prime minister of China who became a Catholic monk in Belgium, Albert wrote: "Consecrating oneself wholly to the service of Our Lord gives, to those touched by grace, the peace of soul which is the supreme happiness here below." Albert used to tell his children: "As you nourish your body, so you should nourish your soul." In an interesting meditation on what he viewed as
2958-400: The terms of the Treaty of Lausanne provided for the application of the principles of state succession to the "A" Mandates. The Treaty of Versailles provisionally recognised the former Ottoman communities as independent nations. It also required Germany to recognise the disposition of the former Ottoman territories and to recognise the new states laid down within their boundaries. The terms of
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#17328633568103016-419: The throne, also died young, Albert, at the age of 16, unexpectedly became second in line (after his father) to the Belgian Crown. Retiring and studious, Albert prepared himself strenuously for the task of kingship. In his youth, Albert was seriously concerned with the situation of the working classes in Belgium, and personally travelled around working-class districts incognito, to observe the living conditions of
3074-450: The transfer of control from one nation to another. These mandates served as legal documents establishing the internationally agreed terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League of Nations . Combining elements of both a treaty and a constitution , these mandates contained minority rights clauses that provided for the rights of petition and adjudication by the Permanent Court of International Justice . The mandate system
3132-474: The transformation of the League of Nations mandates into UN trusteeships was that of South Africa and its mandated territory South West Africa . Rather than placing South West Africa under trusteeship like other former mandates, South Africa proposed annexation , a proposition rejected by the UN General Assembly . Despite South Africa's resistance, the International Court of Justice affirmed that South Africa continued to have international obligations regarding
3190-574: The victors of World War I. The article referred to territories which after the war were no longer ruled by their previous sovereign, but their peoples were not considered "able to stand by themselves under the strenuous conditions of the modern world". The article called for such people's tutelage to be "entrusted to advanced nations who by reason of their resources, their experience or their geographical position can best undertake this responsibility". U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and South African General Jan Smuts played influential roles in pushing for
3248-500: Was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King (Dutch: Koning-Ridder , French: Roi-Chevalier ) or Soldier King (Dutch: Koning-Soldaat , French: Roi-Soldat ) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I. Albert was born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders , and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen , Albert succeeded his uncle Leopold II to
3306-410: Was deposited there. Several of those hypotheses with criminal motives were investigated by authorities, but doubts have remained ever since, being the subject of popular novels, books, and documentaries. Rumors of murder have been dismissed by most historians. There are two possible explanations for his death, according to the official juridical investigations: the first was that the king leaned against
3364-408: Was established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations , entered into force on 28 June 1919. With the dissolution of the League of Nations after World War II , it was stipulated at the Yalta Conference that the remaining mandates should be placed under the trusteeship of the United Nations , subject to future discussions and formal agreements. Most of the remaining mandates of
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