Belgium
Albert I of the Belgians
1875–1934 King of the Belgians and commander of the Belgian army
A shy, thoughtful man who had come to the throne in 1909, Albert refused the German ultimatum of 2 August 1914, took command of his small army in person and stayed with it for four years in the last strip of free Belgium behind the Yser. He insisted that the Belgian army remain independent of the French and British commands and resisted pressure to risk it in costly offensives. His headquarters stood at De Panne, a few miles from the guns. Together with his wife, Queen Elisabeth, he became the symbol of Belgian resistance, known as the Soldier King. He died in 1934, in a climbing accident near Namur.