1960 belgian congo gains independence as republic of the congo l 06 30
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1885 141 years ago Historical Events July 1 2 sources

The Congo Free State is established by King Leopold II of Belgium.

On July 1, in the year 1885, The Congo Free State is established by King Leopold II of Belgium. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of July 1, one of 534 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Congo Free State (CFS), also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a large state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by King Leopold II, the constitutional monarch of the Kingdom of Belgium. In legal terms, the two separate countries were in a personal union. The Congo Free State was not a part of, nor did it belong to, Belgium. Leopold was able to seize the region by convincing other European states at the Berlin Conference on Africa that he was involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work and would not tax trade. Via the International Association of the Congo, he was able to lay claim to most of the Congo Basin. On 29 May 1885, after the closure of the Berlin Conference, the king announced that he planned to name his possessions "the Congo Free State", an appellation which was not yet used at the Berlin Conference and which officially replaced "International Association of the Congo" on 1 August 1885. The Free State was privately controlled by Leopold from Brussels; he never visited it.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 1, 1885 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 16 June 2026.

On This Date in History 534

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 1 Alex Delvecchio, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 1 Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor and television host (born 1935)
Historical Events 2024 Jul 1 At the centennial ceremony of the Dominion of Newfoundland National War Memorial, the Commonwealth War Graves…
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 1 Ismail Kadare, Albanian novelist (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 1 Robert Towne, American screenwriter (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2023 Jul 1 Dilano van 't Hoff, Dutch race car driver (born 2004)
Notable Deaths 2021 Jul 1 Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer (born 1939)
Historical Events 2020 Jul 1 The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement replaces NAFTA.
Notable Deaths 2019 Jul 1 Bogusław Schaeffer, Polish composer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2016 Jul 1 Robin Hardy, English author and film director (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 1 Val Doonican, Irish singer and television host (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 1 Czesław Olech, Polish mathematician and academic (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 1 Nicholas Winton, English lieutenant and humanitarian (born 1909)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 1 Jean Garon, Canadian economist, lawyer and politician (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 1 Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founder of The Farm (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 1 Bob Jones, English lawyer and politician (born 1955)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 1 Anatoly Kornukov, Ukrainian-Russian general (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 1 Walter Dean Myers, American author and poet (born 1937)
Historical Events 2013 Jul 1 Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union.
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 1 Sidney Bryan Berry, American general (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 1 Charles Foley, American game designer, co-creator of Twister (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 1 William H. Gray, American minister and politician (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 1 Peter E. Gillquist, American priest and author (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 1 Ossie Hibbert, Jamaican-American keyboard player and producer (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 1 Evelyn Lear, American operatic soprano (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 1 Alan G. Poindexter, American captain, pilot and astronaut (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 1 Jack Richardson, American author and playwright (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 1 Don Coryell, American football player and coach (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 1 Arnold Friberg, American painter and illustrator (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 1 Ilene Woods, American actress and singer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 1 Karl Malden, American actor (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 1 Onni Palaste, Finnish soldier and author (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 1 Mollie Sugden, English actress (born 1922)
Historical Events 2008 Jul 1 Riots erupt in Mongolia in response to allegations of fraud surrounding the 2008 legislative elections.
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 1 Mel Galley, English guitarist (born 1948)
Selected Events 2008 Jul 1 Rioting erupted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, over allegations of fraud surrounding the recent legislative election.
Historical Events 2007 Jul 1 Smoking in England is banned in all public indoor spaces.
Historical Events 2006 Jul 1 The first operation of Qinghai–Tibet Railway is conducted in China.
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 1 Ryutaro Hashimoto, Japanese politician, 53rd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 1 Robert Lepikson, Estonian race car driver and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 1 Fred Trueman, English cricketer and sportscaster (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 1 Renaldo Benson, American singer-songwriter (Four Tops) (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 1 Gus Bodnar, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 1 Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (Change) (born 1951)
Historical Events 2004 Jul 1 Saturn orbit insertion of Cassini–Huygens begins at 01:12 UTC and ends at 02:48 UTC.
Notable Births 2004 Jul 1 Daniela Avanzini, American singer and dancer
Notable Deaths 2004 Jul 1 Peter Barnes, English playwright and screenwriter (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2004 Jul 1 Marlon Brando, American actor and director (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2004 Jul 1 Todor Skalovski, Macedonian composer and conductor (born 1909)
Historical Events 2003 Jul 1 Over 500,000 people protest against efforts to pass anti-sedition legislation in Hong Kong.

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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