The Berlin Conference and the Madagascar Protectorate

The Berlin Conference: The Court of King Leopold's Propaganda

After the Berlin Conference, King Leopold II of Belgium needed a positive image for his Congo Free State. He hired journalists, planted stories in European newspapers, staged royal tours, and even commissioned a lavish illustrated book to counter the growing atrocity reports. This episode explores how Leopold's well-funded propaganda machine worked — the bribes, the carefully managed exhibitions, and the tragic irony that his slick PR campaign bought him decades before the world finally saw the truth about the Congo. We follow figures like Henry Morton Stanley, who acted as both explorer and promoter, and examine a Belgian royal commission sent to investigate — which predictably whitewashed everything. A story of image versus reality that echoes through the history of empire. #BerlinConference #KingLeopoldII #CongoFreeState #Propaganda #HenryMortonStanley #CongoAtrocities #EuropeanImperialism #ScrambleForAfrica #BelgianColonialHistory #ImageManagement #JournalismHistory #WorldsFair #19thCentury #ColonialPropaganda #CongoReform #EdmundDeneMorel #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Berlin Conference and the Bombardment of Algiers 1682: Louis XIV's Bomb Vessels

In 1682, Louis XIV launched a punitive expedition against Algiers using a revolutionary naval weapon: the bomb vessel, or galiote à bombes. This episode explores how the Sun King's admiral Abraham Duquesne deployed these specialized ships to lob explosive shells over the city's fortifications, forcing Dey Mezzo-Morto to negotiate. We discuss the technical innovations of the bomb vessels, the brutal effectiveness of the bombardment, and how this early French intervention in North Africa foreshadowed the colonial dynamics of the Berlin Conference era. The conversation touches on the broader context of Barbary corsair activity, the Treaty of 1662, and the shifting balance of power in the Mediterranean. We also consider the legacy of this bombardment in French imperial memory and its connections to later colonial ventures in Algeria. #LouisXIV #Algiers #BombVessels #AbrahamDuquesne #BarbaryCorsairs #GaliotesABombes #DeyMezzoMorto #SunKing #FrenchEmpire #NorthAfrica #MediterraneanHistory #NavalWarfare #17thCentury #TreatyOf1662 #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory #Bombardment Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Berlin Conference and the Bombardment of Algiers 1827: Fly Whisk to Invasion

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1827 Fly Whisk Incident that set the stage for the French invasion of Algiers three years later. They delve into the complex figure of Dey Hussein, the financial grievances that sparked the conflict, and the diplomatic standoff that led to a three-year naval blockade. The conversation covers the role of the Ottoman Regency, the Barbary corsairs, and the French domestic political pressures under Charles X that made a military victory essential. They also discuss the controversial 'Bourmont legend' and the conflicting historical narratives surrounding General de Bourmont's royalist loyalties. This episode provides a fresh perspective on a pivotal moment in North African colonial history, connecting the dots between a diplomatic insult and the beginning of French rule in Algeria. #FlyWhiskIncident #DeyHussein #Algiers1827 #FrenchInvasion #BarbaryCorsairs #OttomanRegency #CharlesX #GeneraldeBourmont #AdmiralDuperré #NavalBlockade #SidiFerruch #Casbah #Janissaries #AlgerianHistory #ColonialHistory #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Berlin Conference and King Leopold's Jesuit Allies in the Congo

In Episode 141, Lucas and Luna explore a surprising and often overlooked dimension of the Scramble for Africa: the role of Catholic missionaries, particularly the Jesuits, in King Leopold II's Congo Free State. While episodes 138 and 139 focused on Leopold's lobbying and the Force Publique atrocities, this episode zooms in on figures like Father Émile Laveille and the White Fathers who established mission stations along the Congo River in the 1880s and 1890s. Lucas explains how missionaries provided intelligence, negotiated treaties with local chiefs, and acted as intermediaries between Leopold's agents and African populations. But the relationship was fraught: some missionaries protested forced labor and the chicotte, while others became complicit. Luna asks whether the missions were a 'civilizing' cover for exploitation, and Lucas discusses the divided legacy of figures like Bishop Léon Livinhac and the 'missionary–state' alliance. A nuanced look at faith, power, and complicity on the colonial frontier. #CongoFreeState #Jesuits #KingLeopoldII #ScrambleForAfrica #BerlinConference #BelgianColonialism #WhiteFathers #CatholicMissions #ÉmileLaveille #LéonLivinhac #ForcePublique #Chicotte #CongoRiver #19thCenturyHistory #AfricanHistory #ColonialHistory #Missionaries #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Berlin Conference: The Tippu Tip and Zanzibar Deal

In episode 140, Lucas and Luna explore the role of Tippu Tip, the notorious Zanzibari slave and ivory trader, in the Berlin Conference era. They discuss how European powers, especially King Leopold II, negotiated with and ultimately outmaneuvered Tippu Tip to secure control over the Congo. The episode covers his rise as a powerful merchant in the Congo Basin, his appointment as governor of Stanley Falls, and his eventual downfall as the Scramble for Africa closed in. Lucas explains the clash between Tippu Tip's trading empire and Leopold's colonial ambitions, leading to the 1890 Brussels Conference and the anti-slavery campaign that was used to justify further annexation. The conversation highlights the complex interactions between African traders and European colonizers, revealing a story of cooperation, betrayal, and tragic transformation. #TippuTip #Zanzibar #CongoFreeState #SlaveTrade #IvoryTrade #StanleyFalls #KingLeopoldII #BrusselsConference1890 #ScrambleForAfrica #BerlinConference #HenryMortonStanley #CongoBasin #AfricanHistory #EuropeanImperialism #AntiSlaveryCampaigns #History #FexingoHistory #19thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]