Saturday marks 90 years since 17 February 1934, when King Albert I tragically died aged 58 from a fatal fall in Marche-les-Dames, Namur province.
Born 8 April 1875 in Brussels, Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad was the fifth and last child of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders. He was brother to Léopold II and undertook his early education at home before attending the Royal Military School.
In 1900, Albert married Duchess Élisabeth of Bavaria (1876-1965), with whom he had three children: Léopold (1901-1983), future King Léopold III, Charles (1903-1983) and Marie-José (1906-2001), who would become the last Queen of Italy.
As an avid mountaineer, he ascended to the throne as Belgium’s third king on 23 December 1909, aged 34, succeeding his brother King Léopold II, who had no male heirs.
Despite his quiet and modest demeanour, Albert I exhibited his drive and determination during World War I. On 30 August 1913, military conscription was introduced. When Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914, Albert I made several key strategic decisions such as abandoning Antwerp to prevent the encirclement of the remaining Belgian army and deciding to defend the Yser line, which successfully halted the German advance.
Monument at the foot of the rocks in Marche-les-Dames (Namur) where Albert I of Belgium fell to his death on February 17, 1934. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Michiel Hendryckx
Subsequently, while the government relocated to Le Havre, Albert I remained in the front-line town of La Panne, earning him the nickname the “Knight King”. Despite his diplomatic efforts to end the war, he was unsuccessful.
Upon the armistice of 11 November 1918, King Albert, Queen Élisabeth, and the princes celebrated their victory with a triumphant arrival in Brussels on 22 November. In his royal address on the same day, King Albert announced significant reforms, specifically, introducing universal suffrage, equality for the nation’s two languages, recognising trade union freedoms and expanding social legislation.
The annual commemoration of the death of Albert I, 20 February 1978. Credit: Belga archives
With a lifelong passion for science, Albert I inaugurated the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) to encourage fundamental research. He also became the first Belgian monarch to visit the Belgian Congo twice, first in 1928 and then in 1932.
Following his tragic demise, King Albert was given a national funeral attended by almost two million people, including numerous former soldiers and debutantes. He is entombed in the royal crypt of the Notre-Dame Church in Laeken, where an annual commemorative mass takes place to honour the departed members of the royal family.
