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Events on Friday 17 December 1909 1
1835 – 1909Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909)Died 17 December 1909, aged 74Leopold II reigned as King of the Belgians from 1865 until his death and personally owned the Congo Free State as a private colonial venture. His administration there was marked by forced labour and mass killing that drew international condemnation, forcing Belgium to annex the territory in 1908. He died at Laeken on 17 December 1909.