Comte Charles de Broqueville | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 22 October 1932 – 20 November 1934 | |
| Monarchs | Albert I Leopold III |
| Preceded by | Jules Renkin |
| Succeeded by | Georges Theunis |
| In office 17 June 1911 – 1 June 1918 | |
| Monarch | Albert I |
| Preceded by | Frans Schollaert |
| Succeeded by | Gérard Cooreman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Marie Pierre Albert de Broqueville (1860-12-04)4 December 1860 |
| Died | 5 September 1940(1940-09-05) (aged 79) |
| Political party | Catholic Party |
Comte Charles de Broqueville (French pronunciation:[ʃaʁldəbʁɔkvil]; 4 December 1860 – 5 September 1940) was theprime minister of Belgium from 1911 to 1918 and again from 1932 to 1934, serving during the majority ofWorld War I.
Charles de Broqueville was born into an old noble family with its roots inFrench Gascony. He was the son of CountStanislas de Broqueville (1830–1919) and Claire de Briey (1832–1876). He received a private education from Catholic priestCharles Simon, from which he also learned Dutch. He married Berthe d'Huart (1864–1937), a granddaughter of Catholic statesmanJules Malou, through whom he gained further connections to politics.
First elected to theChamber of Representatives inthe 1892 election, he represented thearrondissement of Turnhout until June 1919. He was seen as part ofde jonge rechterzijde (the young right-wing), and was politically a midway betweenChristian democracy and more traditional forms ofconservatism.
The leader of Belgium'sCatholic Party, he served as prime minister between 1911 and 1918 and headed thede Broqueville government.
Once it became clear thatGermany intended to violate Belgian neutrality in August 1914, he oversaw Belgium's mobilization for war. Despite the mobilization, de Broqueville opposedKing Albert I's proposal to deploy theBelgian Army along the German frontier in 1914 but strategically placed them throughout the country. He recognized that wartime support for Belgium depended upon its continued status as a nonprovocative neutral power.
During the war, de Broqueville was more willing to make concessions to theFlemish Movement than King Albert, in order to secure Belgian unity in the long term. He made several promises to the movements after the war, such as the Dutchification ofGhent University and better conditions for the Dutch language in standard education.
The German invasion of 1914 forced theBelgian government into exile atLe Havre. De Broqueville fought the King on the neutrality issue and so denied Belgium a full alliance with theAllied forces.
The opposition of the King critically weakened de Broqueville's stance among members of his cabinet. Consequently, he resigned as Foreign Secretary in January 1918 and as Prime Minister in May when he lost the support of his own party.
De Broqueville also served as minister in various departments:
Later, Charles de Broqueville became Prime Minister a second time, serving from 22 October 1932 to 20 November 1934. He died on 5 September 1940, during thesecond German occupation of Belgium.
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Date |
|---|---|---|
 | Croix de Guerre | |
 | Grand Cordon of theOrder of Leopold | 1919[1] |
| Minister of State |
| Ribbon bar | Country | Honour | Date | Post-nominals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  Baden | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Zähringer Lion | ||
 |  Denmark | Knight of theOrder of the Dannebrog | ||
 |  France | Grand Croix of theLégion d'honneur | ||
 | France | Croix de Guerre | ||
 |  Greece | Grand Cross of theOrder of the Redeemer | ||
 |  Holy See | Knight with the Collar of theOrder of Pius IX | ||
 |  Kingdom of Italy | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of Saints Maurice and Lazarus | ||
 |  Japan | 1st class in theOrder of the Rising Sun | ||
 |  Luxembourg | Grand Cross of theOrder of the Oak Crown | ||
 |  Netherlands | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Netherlands Lion | ||
 |  Portugal | Knight Grand Cross of thePortuguese Order of Christ (Portugal) | GCC | |
 |  Romania | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Crown of Romania | ||
 |  Russian Empire | Knight of theOrder of the White Eagle | ||
 |  UK | Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St Michael and St George | GCMG |
  |
|
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1911–1918 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1932–1934 | Succeeded by |
