King Leopold III on the Belgian Capitulation

On May 28, 1940, after 18 days of courageous fighting in collaboration with the Allies, the Belgian army, under the command of King Leopold III, was compelled to surrender to the invading Germans. The King, under desperate circumstances, as the British fled through Dunkirk, had judged further resistance futile and, after making every effort to warn the Allies of his army's imminent collapse, had ordered a cease-fire. He would, nonetheless, be violently attacked in Britain and France; his surrender would be portrayed, extremely unfairly, as a betrayal of the Allied cause, and, even, as a betrayal of his own country. Leopold would, effectively, become the scapegoat for the Allied defeat in 1940; and the charges of treachery would prove to be the beginning of a long political campaign waged against the King, leading, eventually, to his abdication in 1951.

  One of the public figures who defended King Leopold against the slanderous charges was Sir Roger Keyes, a British military hero of World War I and a liaison officer in Belgium during the 18 day campaign. The King also defended his actions in the following letter, dated May 28, 1940. One copy of the letter was sent to Pope Pius XII; a second copy, to US President Roosevelt. It is important to note that King Leopold was known for his truthfulness, and that, since his youth, he had been a loyal and courageous patriot (even volunteering at age 13 for the Belgian army during World War I and insisting on being taken to the front lines). His expressions of his concern to behave honorably and of his love of Belgium, therefore, cannot be dismissed as hypocritical rhetoric. Here is the letter:

Au milieu de la confusion générale provoquée par les événements prodigieusement rapides que nous vivons, et dont la portée est incalculable, je tiens à affirmer que la Belgique et son armée ont accompli tout leur devoir. La Belgique a tenu ses engagements internationaux, d'abord en maintenant scrupuleusement sa neutralité, ensuite en défendant pied à pied toute l'étendue de son territoire.

Attaquée par des forces énormes, notre armée parvint en bon ordre sur une ligne de défense puissament organisée, en liaison avec les armées des garants auxquels nous avions fait appel. Mais des évenements militaires, déroulés hors de notre territoire, ont contraint à évacuer ce champ de bataille et imposé une série de mouvements de repli qui nous acculèrent à la mer. Notre armée se dépensa alors sans compter dans une bataille de quatre jours, menée d'un commun accord avec les armées alliées. Nous nous trouvâmes finalement encerclés sur un territoire extrêmement exigu, habité par une population très dense, envahi déjà par plusieurs centaines de milliers de réfugiés civils sans abri, sans nourriture, sans eau potable, et refluant d'un endroit à l'autre, selon les bombardements aériens. 

Hier, nos derniers moyens de résistance furent brisés sous le poids d'une superiorité écrasante d'effectifs et d'aviation. Dans ces conditions, j'ai cherché à éviter un combat qui, aujourd'hui, aurait conduit à notre extermination sans profit pour les Alliés: personne n'a le droit de sacrifier inutilement des vies humaines. 

J'entends continuer, quoi qu'il advienne, à partager le sort de mon armée et de mon peuple. Sollicité depuis plusieurs jours de quitter mes soldats, j'ai repoussé cette suggestion qui eût été pour le chef de l'armée une désertion. De plus, en restant sur le sol national, je désire soutenir mon peuple dans l'épreuve qu'il traverse.

In the midst of the general confusion, caused by the prodigiously rapid events which we are living through, and of which the results are incalculable, I wish to affirm that Belgium and her army have accomplished their duty to the full. Belgium has honored her international engagements; first, by scrupulously maintaining her neutrality, and later, by defending, foot by foot, the entire extent of her territory.

Attacked by enormous forces, our army reached, in good order, a line of defense, which was powerfully organized, in cooperation with the armies of our garantors, to whom we had appealed. But military events, which occurred outside of our territory, compelled us to evacuate this field of battle, and imposed upon us a series of retreats which drove us to the sea. Our army expended itself, without holding back, in a four-day battle, waged in collaboration with the Allied armies. We finally found ourselves encircled in an extremely small area, very densely populated, already crowded with several hundred thousand civilian refugees without shelter, without food, without drinking water, who were fleeing from one area to another, driven by the bombardments. 

Yesterday, our last means of resistance were shattered under the weight of a crushing superiority of effectives and aviation. In these conditions, I sought to avoid a battle which, today, would have led to our extermination, without benefiting the Allies: no one has the right to sacrifice human lives in vain. 

I intend to continue, whatever may happen, to share the fate of my army and people. I have been asked, for several days, to leave my soldiers, but I have rejected this suggestion, which would be, for the head of an army, a desertion. In addition, by remaining on national soil, I wish to support my people in the ordeal through which they are passing.

I cannot understand why a certain commentator, referring to this letter, while acknowledging it showed Leopold's nobility, wrote that it also illustrated his "somewhat morbid and monkish" character. In my opinion, quite the opposite is true. The King, despite the adverse circumstances, seems calm, courageous, even hopeful. 

Pius XII sent King Leopold a sympathetic reply. The King answered:

J'ai toujours eu la certitude que, dans Sa clairvoyance et Sa juste bonté, Votre Sainteté ne pourrait attribuer ma décision qu'à l'inspiration de mes sentiments chrétiens, comme au souci du bien du Pays dont j'ai le garde et pour lequel je souffrirais mille morts, car subir n'est pas accepter, se taire n'est pas approuver; attendre n'est pas renoncer.

I was always sure that, in Your clear-sightedness and Your just kindness, Your Holiness could not attribute my decision to anything other than the inspiration of my Christian sentiments, and to my concern for the good of the Country that is in my charge and for which I would suffer a thousand deaths, for to endure is not to accept, to be silent is not to approve; to wait is not to give up.

(Quoted by Rémy in Le 18e jour: la tragédie de Léopold III, roi des Belges, 1976)

I emphasized the last phrases of the letter because they became very important for Leopold III. Following his abdication, caused by a long series of political attacks and slanders, the King had to withdraw completely from the public scene, into enforced silence and self-effacement. To preserve national unity, he had to avoid any action which might rekindle the divisive conflict surrounding his person and reign. Thus, from 1951 until his death in 1983, he could not defend himself publicly against the continual repetition of old charges. It was not until the posthumous publication of his memoirs, in 2001, that the King's account of his reign, and of the vicissitudes that led to his abdication, would emerge.

Ciergnon

A lovely country chateau, the Royal Castle of Ciergnon, near the village of the same name. The castle is a residence and summer retreat of the Belgian royal family. 

Photo credits here.

There are touching stories associated with Ciergnon. One illustrates the piety and simplicity of Albert I. When he visited Ciergnon, he would go to Confession in the village church, taking his place in line, and declining to go before his turn. 

Queen Astrid loved Ciergnon; after all, she had been raised, to a great extent, in the countryside herself, in Sweden.

Princess Marie-Esmeralda of Belgium, daughter of Leopold III and his second wife, Princess Lilian, recalls, in her book, Léopold III, mon père, visiting Ciergnon with her family and playing on the grounds of the chateau, with great enjoyment.

Médecins de la Grande Guerre

Marie-José, daughter of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, once wrote that the Belgian kings would never have succeeded in their work of nation-building, without the collaboration of their people:

Évidemment, ces souverains n'auraient guère réussi leur oeuvre s'ils n'avaient trouvé dans leur patrie un peuple travailleur, ingénieux, courageux devant l'avenir, loyal et plein de bon sens, fier de son grand passé communal, de ses villes, de ses provinces, mais avant tout farouchement indépendant. 

Gabriele d'Annunzio avait raison lorsque, sur la photographie qu'il me dédicaça en 1932, il écrivit:

'Un admirateur dévoué du grand peuple belge constructeur en temps de paix et indomptable en temps de guerre.' 

Of course, these sovereigns would never have succeeded in their task if they had not found, in their country, a people that was hard-working, clever, courageous in the face of the future, loyal, full of good sense, proud of its great common past, of its cities, of its provinces, but, above all, fiercely independent.

Gabriele D'Annunzio was right, when, on the photograph he dedicated to me in 1932, he wrote:

'A devoted admirer of the great Belgian people, constructive in time of peace and indomitable in time of war.'

A wonderful website, which illustrates the traditional virtues of the Belgian people is Médecins de la Grande Guerre, by Dr. Patrick Loodts and Francis de Look. The site is dedicated to war heroes (mostly Belgian, but including some British, French, and others) of World War I, with a special emphasis on the medical personnel. Many of the people discussed in the articles were not only very patriotic, in an intelligent and balanced fashion, but also very religious, in a splendid and touching way. It is only a pity that Belgium and the rest of Europe no longer uphold these moral and religious ideals. 

The numerous stories of patriotic devotion, public service and self-sacrifice on the part of a broad spectrum of Belgians, both Flemings and Walloons, disprove the claim, incessantly repeated in certain quarters, that Belgium is merely an artificial state without a real identity. Rather, with its three languages - Dutch, French, and German - it is, in many ways, a crossroads of Catholic Europe. 

Dividing Belgium would be a cruel betrayal of the many heroic individuals who have suffered and died to preserve it.

The Legend of Albert & Elisabeth

In the preface to her memoirs, Queen Marie-José of Italy sets out her purpose in describing the life of her parents, King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, in touching and thoughtful terms:

Émile Verhaeren a écrit:

"La legende transfigure. Elle est plus humaine que l'histoire. Celle-ci se fixe en un texte, celle-là se propage par la parole, se multiplie, s'augment indéfiniment. Elle continue à vivre...

"Il est rare qu'on occupe la légende. Pour y parvenir il faut qu'une atmosphère spéciale enveloppe les héros. Il faut que la poésie s'empare d'eux, il faut qu'il y ait matière non seulement à exaltation, mais aussi à la tendresse. En un mot, il faut qu'il y ait amour.

"Ce sont les couples qui peuplent les fables immortelles."

La legende evoquée en ces termes par Verhaeren fut pour nous, les enfants d'Albert et d'Élisabeth, réalité. Cette réalité, nous aimerions la faire mieux connaître. Tant d'écrivains de talent ont consacré des pages admirables à la vie et à l'oeuvre de mes parents. Mais le témoignage de leur fille et la transmission directe de leur exemple peuvent ajouter un éclairage nouveau aux ouvrages qui leur sont consacrés.

L'atmosphère familiale de notre enfance, le climat épique des quatres années de guerre, l'ambiance plus "officielle" de l'après-guerre, tout cela reste illuminé dans ma mémoire par l'aura qui émane de ce couple exceptionnel. 

Emile Verhaeren wrote:

"Legend transfigures. It is more human than history, which takes the form of a fixed text; it spreads by the spoken word, develops, spreads indefinitely. It continues to live...

"Legend is rare. To attain it, there must be a special atmosphere which envelops the heroes. Poetry must take hold of them, there must be material not only for exaltation, but also for tenderness. In a word, there must be love.

"These are the couples which people immortal tales." 

The legend evoked in these terms by Verhaeren, was, for us, the children of Albert and Elisabeth, reality. This reality, we would like to make better known. Many talented writers have described admirably the life and work of my parents. But the testimony of their daughter and the direct transmission of their example may shed new light on the works which are devoted to them.

The familial atmosphere of our childhood, the epic climate of the four years of war, the more "official" ambiance of the post-war period, all this remains in my mind, illumined by the aura of this exceptional couple.

Marie-José's introduction reveals not only her deep love and admiration for her parents, but also her interesting combination of realism and idealism; it shows that truth and legend do not, necessarily, have to be in conflict. 

A Tender Father

After the tragic loss of his wife, Queen Astrid, King Leopold III of the Belgians had to try to be both father and mother to his children... despite his many public obligations. 

His eldest daughter, Princess Josephine-Charlotte, also attempted, courageously, to take care of her younger siblings, Baudouin and Albert. But she was only a child herself.

Queen Elisabeth did her best, lavishing affection on her grand-children, but it would take Leopold's remarriage with Lilian Baels, who proved to be a devoted step-mother to the royal children, to restore the family circle. 

Yet, Leopold is reproached for marrying during the war, when the Belgians were suffering. He is accused of selfishly valuing his own happiness more than that of his people. Were there no other wartime weddings in Belgium? How did the marriage harm the people? Leopold and Lilian were married with great discretion, as befitted the somber and tragic times. It is not as though they indulged in feasting and revelry. 

There is no doubt that the royal children would have suffered profound psychological damage, in the atmosphere of anxiety and insecurity during the Nazi occupation, and, particularly, in the traumatic period of captivity in Germany, without maternal care and affection. Lilian's vigilance, in fact, protected the family from many dangers, during their deportation by the SS and subsequent imprisonment under harsh conditions in an insalubrious German fortress. Belgium owes her a great deal, since she played an essential role in safeguarding the lives and mental equilibrium of the King and the heirs to the throne. 

The King's remarriage was not a selfish act, but a necessary one for the good of his family and country. He was a tender father and a responsible ruler. 

Riddles

Elena Maria Vidal has been posting articles on traditional fairy tales, and somehow this has inspired me to share my love of riddles. Here are a few, taken from Monika Beisner's illustrated book of riddles:

As long as I live, I eat,

But when I drink, I die.

***

The beginning of eternity,

The end of time and space,

The beginning of every end,

And the end of every place.

***

What has a mouth and does not eat?

What has a bed and does not sleep?

The Poetry of Emile Verhaeren

Above, we see a painting, by Theo van Rysselberghe, of Emile Verhaeren reciting his poetry. Born in 1855 into a Flemish, but French-speaking family, in Sint Amands, Belgium, Verhaeren trained as a lawyer at the University of Louvain but, after a short period in legal practice, decided to devote his life to literature. One of the founders of Symbolism, Verhaeren became one of the most prominent figures in Belgian literature. Always radical and flamboyant, he was a revolutionary firebrand in his youth, but, nonetheless, developed a close friendship with King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. World War I profoundly shocked Verhaeren's pacifist sensibilities, but his country's brave resistance to German invasion inspired a series of magnificent war poems. Verhaeren had a deep admiration and regard for the Belgian royal couple. When the King and Queen were holding out at La Panne, near the North Sea, in the last strip of Belgian territory free of German occupation, the poet wrote: 

 

Ce n'est qu'un bout de sol étroit

Mais qui renferme et sa Reine et son Roi

Et l'amour condensé d'un peuple qui les aime

Le nord a beau y déchainer le froid qui gerce et qui mord

Il est brûlant ce sol suprême

Sadly, Verhaeren did not live to see the return of peace and his country's liberation. He died tragically, by falling under a train, in 1916. 

A collection of poems by Emile Verhaeren may be found here.

Three Generations

 Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, her daughter Marie-José, and her grand-daughter Maria Pia.

An excellent biography of Marie-José may be found, in limited preview, here.

A biography of her husband, King Umberto II of Italy, may be found, in limited preview, here.

Queen Marie-José to the Women of Italy

Marie-José, daughter of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, was briefly Queen Consort of Italy as the wife of King Umberto II. Marie-José's short reign, from May 9, 1946, (the date of the abdication of her father-in-law, King Victor III Emmanuel), to June 2, 1946, (the date of the abolition by plebiscite of the Italian monarchy), earned her the affectionate nickname "The May Queen." Marie-José was rather touched by this title; as she said: "I was called the 'May Queen.' It is a name which does not displease me... For May is certainly a beautiful season, in our Italy." 

During World War II, despite her father-in-law's compliance with Mussolini's regime, Princess Marie-José, an opponent of fascism, maintained secret contacts with the Allies. Through connections at the Vatican, she attempted to prepare the way for Italy to detach itself from Hitler's Germany and conclude a separate peace with the Allies. Italy did, of course, following the fall of Mussolini, eventually join the Allies, and suffered severely from Hitler's vengeance.

Marie-José was a woman of great intelligence, courage, vivacity, and patriotism; she deeply loved both her native country, Belgium, and her adopted country, Italy. Upon becoming Queen Consort of Italy, Marie-José and her husband, Umberto, prepared an address to the Italian women, who were emerging, like the rest of the nation, from the terrible sufferings and devastation of World War II. The Queen hoped to deliver the address, but, for political reasons, was prevented from doing so. Only weeks later, the monarchy would be abolished, and Marie-José and her family would be on the road to exile...

The address, however, is very touching. Here it is: 

Nelle difficili e tragiche circonstanze nelle quali la corona d'Italia viene a cingere il mio capo, l'animo mio si volge a voi tutte, donne e madri italiane, nel sentimento di solidarietà coi vostri destini, partecipe di tutti i vostri lutti e di tutte le vostre più acute sofferenze. Commossa, sento crescere nel mio cuore le fierezza e l'amore per questa mia seconda Patria, così ammirevole e forte nella sventura. 

Alle donne di ogni regione d'Italia voglio che giunga l'espressione della mia passione di donna italiana e dell'augurio perché i sacrifici, le ferite dei vostri cuori straziati, le durezze della vita vostra e dei vostri figli siano garanzia e pegno di un domani migliore per la nostra Italia. A voi, donne italiane, simbolo di bontà et di gentilezza, spetta una parte nobilissima nell'opera di ricostruzione morale, di pacificazione degli animi, nella salvezza della civiltà cristiana. 

Per questa carissima patria, che è la terra benedetta nella quale sono nati ed educati i miei dilettissimi figli, io innalzo la mia preghiera fervida alla Vergine et Madre divina, preghiera che si fonde con la vostra, perché tutti Iddio ci benedica et perché salvi l'Italia.

Some of the rhetorical style of the period does not, perhaps, fit easily into English, but here is a translation; I have tried to convey Marie-José's sincere and tender devotion to her people: 

In the difficult and tragic circumstances, in which the Crown of Italy has come to be placed on my brow, my spirit turns to you all, women and mothers of Italy, in solidarity with your destinies, participating in all your struggles and your most acute sufferings. Deeply moved, I feel growing in my heart pride and love of this country, my second homeland, so admirable and courageous in misfortune. 

To the women of every region of Italy, I wish to join the expression of my passion as an Italian woman, and of my wish that the sacrifices, the wounds of your anguished hearts, the hardships of your lives and of those of your children, will be the guarantee and the pledge of a better future for our Italy. To you, Italian women, symbol of goodness and kindness, there remains a very noble part in the work of moral reconstruction, of the pacification of spirits, in the salvation of Christian civilization. 

For this beloved country, which is the blessed land in which my dearest children were born and educated, I make an ardent prayer, to the Virgin Mother of God, a prayer which mingles with yours, so that God may bless us all and so that He may save Italy.

The Annunciation

A lovely painting of the Annunciation by Rogier van der Weyden. Via WebMuseum.