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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
A job with the International African Association established by the Belgian King, Leopold II would follow.
From BBC • Nov. 30, 2024
In 1908, the Belgian Parliament took the Congo from Leopold II, renamed it the Belgian Congo, and assumed authority over it.
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
The King of the Belgians has with his own hands pinned upon them the Order of Leopold II.
From Golden Lads by Gleason, Arthur
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.
