Through the years - Leopold I of Belgium (1790-1865)
Leopold I was the first king of Belgium from 1831 until his death in 1865. He was the younger son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
and Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. In 1816 he married Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince of Wales. The marriage made Leopold a Prince of the United Kingdom but it ultimately ended in tragedy when Charlotte died in childbirth the next year. Leopold remained a member of the royal family and received a substantial allowance. As the successionof the United Kingdom had become uncertain, many British princes were quickly married, including Prince Edward who married Leopold's sister Victoria. their child would also be named Victoria and would inherit the British throne in 1837. Since her father died when she was an infant, Leopold served as a father figure to the young princess. In 1830 Leopold was invited the become the king of Greece, which had only recently won its independence. Leopold declined the offer as he thought ruling the war-torn nation would be too dangerous, a decision he would later come to regret. In the next year, Leopold was offered the throne of Belgium, a nation which was still fighting for its independence against the Dutch. This time Leopold accepted and took the oath as the first King of Belgium on 21 July 1831. In order to create a dynasty Leopold married the daughter of the French king Princess Louise of Orléans. Although the marriage was never truely happy due to Leopold still grieving for his first wife, the couple would have four children, including the later Leopold II and Charlotte, who would marry Archduke Maximilian of Austria and would later become empress of Mexico. In 1839 the Dutch acknowledged Belgium's independence. As king of the new nation Leopold oversaw its rapid industrialisation and Belgium became the most industrialised country in mainland Europe. He also managed to keep his country stable during the revolutions of 1848. He died in 1865 and was succeded by his eldest surviving son, who became Leopold II.