Editing Albert I of Belgium (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Albertine - 01.jpg|thumb|[[Equestrian statue of Albert I, Brussels|Equestrian statue of King Albert I]] (Courtens, 1951) in front of the [[Royal Library of Belgium]] in Brussels]]
[[File:King Albert on one of the first trains of the Belgian Congo.jpg|thumb|King Albert touring the [[Belgian Congo]] during his visit in 1909|left]]
{{House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Belgium)}}
Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad was born 8 April 1875 in [[Brussels]], the fifth child and second son of [[Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders]], and his wife, [[Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]]. Prince Philippe was the third (second surviving) son of [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]] ({{reign|1831|1865}}), the first [[King of the Belgians]], and his wife, [[Louise-Marie of France]], and the younger brother of [[Leopold II of Belgium|King Leopold II of Belgium]] ({{reign|1865|1909}}). Princess Marie was a relative of Kaiser [[Wilhelm II of Germany]] ({{reign|1888|1918}}), and a member of the non-reigning, Catholic branch of the [[Hohenzollern]] family. Albert grew up in the [[Palace of the Count of Flanders]], initially as third in the line of succession to the Belgian throne as his reigning uncle Leopold II's son had already died. When, however, Albert's older brother, [[Prince Baudouin of Belgium]], who had been subsequently prepared for the throne, also died young, Albert, at the age of 16, unexpectedly became second in line (after his father) to the Belgian Crown.

Retiring and studious, Albert prepared himself strenuously for the task of kingship. In his youth, Albert was seriously concerned with the situation of the working classes in Belgium, and personally travelled around working-class districts incognito, to observe the living conditions of the people.<ref name="Bronne">Carlo Bronne. ''Albert 1er: le roi sans terre''.</ref> Shortly before his accession to the throne in 1909, Albert undertook an extensive tour of the [[Belgian Congo]], which had been annexed by Belgium in 1908, finding the country in poor condition. Upon his return to Belgium, he recommended reforms to protect the native population and further technological progress in the colony.<ref name="Graham">Evelyn Graham. ''Albert, King of the Belgians''.</ref>