King Leopold II Character Analysis in Sapiens

King Leopold II was a Belgian king who colonized the African Congo basin in the 1800s. The expedition he funded was supposed to be a humanitarian mission aimed at flushing out slavery, but his organization ended up oppressing the local population and forcing them to farm rubber. Harari estimates that between six and ten million people lost their lives during the time that the Congo was under King Leopold II’s control.

King Leopold II Character Timeline in Sapiens

The timeline below shows where the character King Leopold II appears in Sapiens. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Fiction, Cooperation, and Culture Theme Icon

Harari thinks about a Belgian “humanitarian” mission to the Congo. King Leopold II of Belgium set up an organization to flush out the slave trade in the Congo,... (full context)