To this day, Catholic Belgians remember King Baudouin as a saint. Baudouin’s refusal to legalize abortion, which led him to temporarily abdicate the throne, continues to be topic of conversation today. As its last colonial king, Baudouin was also actively involved in Belgium’s foreign affairs. A portrait of a king that struck a remarkable balance between his principles and the often-dirty exercise of power. ...
Baudouin’s clearly integrated his faith into the exercise of his public duties. His tenure was marked by tensions between the Walloons and Flemings, putting the Belgian state under serious strain. Through a volatile process, Belgium was transformed from a unitary to a federal state through a series of state reforms between 1970 and 1993. The monarchy proved important as one of the few institutions holding the country together.
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