Democratic Republic of the Congo Colonial Records

Leopold II, King of Belgium (1885-1908)
The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo, was a large state in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was ruled personally by Leopold II, Belgium's constitutional monarch, and not by the government of Belgium.

Belgium Colonization (1908-1960)
In 1908, the Congo Free State (also known as Zaire) became a colony when Belgium took control of the country from King Leopold. The country achieved independence in 1960, and was renamed The Republic of the Congo.