Description:

Albert I of Belgium King



Belgian King Albert I Writes a Letter of State Announcing the Marriage of Prince Leopold III to Princess Astrid of Sweden



Document Signed “Albert” (6.75" x 8.75") is signed by King Albert l of Belgium, announcing the marriage of his son, Leopold III, to Princess Astrid, dated Brussels, November 10, 1926, written in French to an unknown recipient. At bottom, faded light blue penciled notation, possibly in Spanish, folded in half, otherwise fine condition.



Albert I, 1875–1934, King of the Belgians (1909–34), was nephew and successor of Leopold II. In World War I his heroic resistance (1914) to the German invasion of Belgium greatly helped the Allied cause. Albert spent the entire war at the head of his army, and in 1918 he led the Allied offensive that recovered the Belgian coast. The king and queen did much to improve social conditions in Belgium and in the Belgian Congo. Albert's democratic and affable ways won him great regard at home and abroad. He died in a rock-climbing accident and was succeeded by his son, Leopold III. His daughter, Marie José, married the crown prince (later King Umberto II) of Italy. Leopold III, 1901–83, King of the Belgians (1934–51), was son and successor of Albert I.



In 1936, Leopold announced a fundamental change in foreign policy; Belgium abandoned its military alliance with France in favor of a return to neutrality. In May, 1940, Germany—which in 1937 had guaranteed Belgian neutrality—invaded the Low Countries. Leopold led the Belgian army in resisting the invaders. After the defense became hopeless, Leopold, over the opposition of his cabinet, surrendered unconditionally (May 28), thus provoking accusations of treason. A prisoner of war at his castle at Laken, Leopold refused to exercise an active rule under German tutelage. After his first wife, Astrid, was killed in an automobile accident while Leopold was at the wheel, he married (1941) a commoner, whom he later created princess of Réthy. Removed (1944) to Germany, Leopold was freed by Allied troops in 1945. His return to Belgium was a burning political issue. The Liberal and leftist parties accused him of cooperation with Germany and of fascist sympathies, and his main support came from the Catholic Conservatives. In 1945, Leopold was barred from returning without the permission of the parliament. He spent his exile mostly in Switzerland while his brother, Prince Charles, acted as regent. A referendum held in 1950 favored the king's return by a slight majority. However, Leopold's arrival in Belgium was followed by such unrest that he transferred the royal powers to his eldest son, Baudouin. In July, 1951, Leopold formally abdicated.



Astrid of Sweden (Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden; 17 November 1905 – 29 August 1935) was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Leopold III. They married n Stockholm, on 4 November 1926 civilly and religiously in Brussels on 10 November, It was a happy and devoted marriage. Astrid was enthusiastically adopted by the Belgians. She was widely loved for her beauty, charm and simplicity. In 1927, Leopold and Astrid had a daughter, Princess Josephine-Charlotte, and in 1930, their first son, Prince Baudouin (who eventually succeeded his father as King of the Belgians). At age 29, Queen Astrid was killed in a car accident in the mountains of Switzerland, on 29 August 1935, King Leopold III was at the wheel.



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