<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert I of Belgium</span>

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Albert I of Belgium

<p><b>Albert I</b> (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was <a href="/en/King_of_the_Belgians" title="King of the Belgians" class="mw-redirect wl">King of the Belgians</a> from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">King of the Belgians from 1909 to 1934</div>
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</span><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Albert I, King of the Belgians, Reign, Predec...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn notheme" style="background-color: #cbe; font-size: 125%">Albert I</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image photo"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_(cropped).jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_(cropped).jpg"><img loading="lazy"alt="A man wearing a military uniform with helmet" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="1234" data-file-height="1531" data-file-type="bitmap" height="273" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg/440px-Portrait_of_Albert_I_of_Belgium_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="line-height:normal;padding-bottom:0.2em;padding-top:0.2em;">Albert I, pictured with his characteristic <a href="/en/Adrian_helmet" title="Adrian helmet" class="wl">Adrian helmet</a>, <abbr>c.</abbr>1919</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #e4dcf6;line-height:normal;padding:0.2em 0.2em"><a href="/en/King_of_the_Belgians" title="King of the Belgians" class="mw-redirect wl">King of the Belgians</a></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Reign</th><td class="infobox-data">23 December 1909 – 17 February 1934</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Predecessor</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Leopold_II_of_Belgium" title="Leopold II of Belgium" class="wl">Leopold II</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Successor</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Leopold_III_of_Belgium" title="Leopold III of Belgium" class="wl">Leopold III</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap"><a href="/en/Prime_Minister_of_Belgium" title="Prime Minister of Belgium" class="wl">Prime Ministers</a></span></th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="collapsible-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: left;">
<div style="line-height: 1.6em; font-weight: bold;"><div><i>See list</i></div></div>
<ul class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin-left: 0;"><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><a href="/en/Frans_Schollaert" title="Frans Schollaert" class="wl">Frans Schollaert</a><br><a href="/en/Charles_de_Broqueville" title="Charles de Broqueville" class="wl">Charles de Broqueville</a><br><a href="/en/Gérard_Cooreman" title="Gérard Cooreman" class="wl">Gérard Cooreman</a><br><a href="/en/Léon_Delacroix" title="Léon Delacroix" class="wl">Léon Delacroix</a><br><a href="/en/Henri_Carton_de_Wiart" title="Henri Carton de Wiart" class="mw-redirect wl">Henri Carton de Wiart</a><br><a href="/en/Georges_Theunis" title="Georges Theunis" class="wl">Georges Theunis</a><br><a href="/en/Aloys_Van_de_Vyvere" title="Aloys Van de Vyvere" class="wl">Aloys Van de Vyvere</a><br><a href="/en/Prosper_Poullet" title="Prosper Poullet" class="wl">Prosper Poullet</a><br><a href="/en/Henri_Jaspar" title="Henri Jaspar" class="wl">Henri Jaspar</a><br><a href="/en/Jules_Renkin" title="Jules Renkin" class="wl">Jules Renkin</a><br><a href="/en/Charles_de_Broqueville" title="Charles de Broqueville" class="wl">Charles de Broqueville</a> <i>(2nd time)</i></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #e4dcf6;line-height:normal;padding:0.2em 0.2em"><div style="height: 4px; width:100%;"></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1875-04-08</span>)</span>8 April 1875<br><a href="/en/Brussels" title="Brussels" class="wl">Brussels</a>, Belgium</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">17 February 1934<span style="display:none">(1934-02-17)</span> (aged<span>&nbsp;</span>58)<br><a href="/en/Marche-les-Dames" title="Marche-les-Dames" class="wl">Marche-les-Dames</a>, <a href="/en/Namur" title="Namur" class="wl">Namur</a>, Belgium</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Burial</th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display:inline" class="label"><a href="/en/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_Laeken" title="Church of Our Lady of Laeken" class="wl">Church of Our Lady of Laeken</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Spouse</th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;"><div style="display:inline-block;line-height:normal;margin-top:1px;white-space:normal;"><a href="/en/Elisabeth_of_Bavaria,_Queen_of_Belgium" title="Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium" class="mw-redirect wl">Elisabeth of Bavaria</a></div>
   <div style="line-height:0;margin-bottom:-2px;"><span>​</span></div><span> </span><div style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:1px;"><span>​</span></div><span>(</span><abbr about="#mwt24" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>married</span>&quot;}]]}">m.</abbr><span>&nbsp;</span><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip  ">1900</span><span>)</span><wbr><span>​</span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Issue</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Leopold_III_of_Belgium" title="Leopold III of Belgium" class="wl">Leopold III of Belgium</a><br><a href="/en/Prince_Charles,_Count_of_Flanders" title="Prince Charles, Count of Flanders" class="wl">Prince Charles, Count of Flanders</a><br><a href="/en/Marie-José_of_Belgium" title="Marie-José of Belgium" class="wl">Marie-José, Queen of Italy</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><table class="infobox" style="border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="text-align:left">Names</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data nickname" style="text-align:left; padding-left:0.7em;"><a href="/en/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language" class="wl">Dutch</a> and <a href="/en/German_language" title="German language" class="wl">German</a>: Albert Leopold Clemens Maria Meinrad<br><a href="/en/French_language" title="French language" class="wl">French</a>: Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/en/Dynasty" title="Dynasty" class="wl">House</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/House_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha" title="House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" class="wl">Saxe-Coburg and Gotha</a> (until 1920)<br><a href="/en/House_of_Belgium" title="House of Belgium" class="mw-redirect wl">Belgium</a> (from 1920)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Father</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Prince_Philippe,_Count_of_Flanders" title="Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders" class="wl">Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Mother</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Princess_Marie_of_Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen" title="Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen" class="wl">Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Religion</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church" class="wl">Roman Catholicism</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Signature</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="notpageimage"><a href="/en/File:Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_(1926).svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" title="Albert I's signature" data-hash="File:Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_(1926).svg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Albert I's signature" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg/125px-Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="2063" data-file-height="493" data-file-type="drawing" height="30" width="125" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg/188px-Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg/250px-Signature_-_Albert_Ier_-_Roi_des_Belges_%281926%29.svg.png 2x"></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>

<p>Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of <a href="/en/Prince_Philippe,_Count_of_Flanders" title="Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders" class="wl">Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders</a>, and <a href="/en/Princess_Marie_of_Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen" title="Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen" class="wl">Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen</a>, Albert succeeded his uncle, <a href="/en/Leopold_II_of_Belgium" title="Leopold II of Belgium" class="wl">Leopold II</a>, to the Belgian throne in 1909. He married <a href="/en/Elisabeth_of_Bavaria,_Queen_of_the_Belgians" title="Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians" class="wl">Elisabeth of Bavaria</a>, with whom he had three children. </p>

<p>Albert ruled during an eventful period in the <a href="/en/History_of_Belgium" title="History of Belgium" class="wl">history of Belgium</a>, which included the period of <a href="/en/Belgium_in_World_War_I" title="Belgium in World War I" class="wl">World War I</a> (1914–1918), when most of <a href="/en/Belgium" title="Belgium" class="wl">Belgium</a> was <a href="/en/German_occupation_of_Belgium_during_World_War_I" title="German occupation of Belgium during World War I" class="wl">occupied by German forces</a>. Other crucial events of his reign included the adoption of the <a href="/en/Treaty_of_Versailles" title="Treaty of Versailles" class="wl">Treaty of Versailles</a> in June 1919, the ruling of the <a href="/en/Belgian_Congo" title="Belgian Congo" class="wl">Belgian Congo</a> as an overseas possession of Belgium along with the <a href="/en/League_of_Nations" title="League of Nations" class="wl">League of Nations</a> <a href="/en/Mandated_territory" title="Mandated territory" class="mw-redirect wl">mandate</a> of <a href="/en/Ruanda-Urundi" title="Ruanda-Urundi" class="wl">Ruanda-Urundi</a>, the reconstruction of Belgium following the war, and the first five years of the <a href="/en/Great_Depression" title="Great Depression" class="wl">Great Depression</a> (1929–1934).</p>

<p>Albert died in a mountaineering accident in eastern Belgium in 1934, at the age of 58, and he was succeeded by his son <a href="/en/Leopold_III_of_Belgium" title="Leopold III of Belgium" class="wl">Leopold III</a> (<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><abbr about="#mwt28" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>reigned</span>&quot;}]]}">r.</abbr><span>&nbsp;</span>1934–1951</span>). He is popularly referred to as the <b>Knight King</b> (<span>Dutch: </span><i lang="nl">Koning-Ridder</i>, <span>French: </span><i lang="fr">Roi-Chevalier</i>) or <b>Soldier King</b> (<span>Dutch: </span><i lang="nl">Koning-Soldaat</i>, <span>French: </span><i lang="fr">Roi-Soldat</i>) in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I.</p>



Albert I was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. 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 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 , 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 the League of Nations mandate of Ruanda-Urundi, the reconstruction of Belgium following the war, and the first five years of the Great Depression . 