Albert I of Belgium

Albert I (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was a German prince who became the first King of the Belgians following the country's independence in 1830. He reigned between July 1831 and December 1861. He had close ties with the British Royal Family - he was married to George III's granddaughter,

Leopold accepted the kingship of the newly established Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. The Belgian government offered the position to Leopold because of his diplomatic connections with royal houses across Europe, and because as the British-backed candidate, he was not affiliated with other powers, such as France, which were believed to have territorial ambitions in Belgium which might threaten the European balance of power created by the 1815 Congress of Vienna.