Leopold II
Americannoun
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1747–92, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1790–92 (son of Francis I; brother of Joseph II and Marie Antoinette).
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1835–1909, king of Belgium 1865–1909 (son of Leopold I of Belgium).
noun
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1747–92, Holy Roman Emperor (1790–92). He formed an alliance with Prussia against France (1792) after the downfall of his brother-in-law Louis XVI
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1835–1909, king of the Belgians (1865–1909); son of Leopold I. He financed Stanley's explorations in Africa, becoming first sovereign of the Congo Free State (1885)
Example Sentences
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By the accession of Leopold II in 1790, an empire based on a “feudal hierarchy of status” found itself in the age of Romantic nationalism, democracy and “enlightened ridicule.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
King Leopold II wanted his own slice of the continent, but without government backing he had to win over investors and the public.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2023
However, Belgium’s second king, the constitutional monarch Leopold II, dreamed of establishing an empire in the Congo Basin of Central Africa and was not to be dissuaded.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
‘Kaneza Schaal: KLII’ The theater artist interrogates issues of racism and colonialism through the historic personage of Belgium’s rapacious 19th century monarch King Leopold II in this solo drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
Joseph was succeeded by his brother, Leopold II, who until now had been Grand Duke of Tuscany.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 14 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
