One of the worst people in
historyHe was
Belgium'
s king from 1865-1909, and created a nation known as the Congo Free State in 1878.
During this time, rubber was needed more than ever. So he enslaved the population, and forced them to harvest rubber, which he would later sell. If people didn't meet quotas, their hands would be severed, or they'd be flogged. Those who refused to
work were executed. He conscripted a private
army known as the Force Publique, and drafted members from local tribes
During this time, they had to import their ammo from Europe, which was very expensive. They also fought wars with local tribes. So they made a system to save ammo: When his soldiers killed a man for not fulfilling the quota, they cut off his hand as proof. But the soldiers used the ammo to hunt, so to cover for the loss of bullets, they cut people's hands off while they were still alive. They would also use machetes in order to save ammo. They even cannibalized their victims.
One Christian pastor who came to this region described the horrors, noting "Wicker baskets filled with human hands. Every
day, handless bodies would wash down the river. The houses of the overseers were adorned with human skulls in the front
yard." The Belgian
government eventually colonized the region, bringing an end to the Congo Free State.
It is estimated this killed over
10 million people in the Congo, roughly half the population. Yet, he is barely known in the world, only in
Belgium and Africa.
