Baudouin I of Belgium was the Belgian monarch who reigned from 1951 until his death in 1993. Born in Laeken in 1930, he was the eldest son of King Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden. He assumed the throne following his father's abdication, becoming the last Belgian sovereign to rule over the Congo before its independence in 1960. Throughout his long reign, he remained a significant figure in Belgian history, eventually being recognized by the Catholic Church as a servant of God.