Léon Auguste Théophile Rom (2 April 1859 – 30 January 1924) was a Belgian military officer and colonial administrator. His role in
atrocities in the Congo Free State
From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. These atrocities were particularly associated with the labour polici ...
have led some to speculate that Rom served as an inspiration for the character of Kurtz in
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...
's 1899 novella ''
Heart of Darkness
''Heart of Darkness'' is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgium, Belgian company in the African interior. Th ...
''.
Life
Léon Auguste Théophile Rom was born on 2 April 1859 to a poor family in
Mons, Belgium
Mons (; German and , ; Walloon language, Walloon and ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Mons was made into a fortifi ...
, and joined the
Belgian Army
The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
at the age of 16. He subsequently worked as a
customs officer
A customs officer is a law enforcement official who enforces customs laws.
Canada
Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (1999-20 ...
before leaving Belgium for the
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...
in 1886 as one of the few hundred whites working in the colony's administration.
Receiving a series of rapid promotions, Rom commanded the
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
at Stanley Falls and was eventually promoted District Commissioner of
Matadi
Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...
. He later transferred to the colonial military, the ''
Force Publique
The ''Force Publique'' (, "Public Force"; ) was the military of the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo from 1885 to 1960. It was established after Belgian Army officers travelled to the Free State to found an armed force in the colony on L ...
'', where he served as a captain. He was praised for his conduct during the Congo Arab War (1892–94) in which he personally negotiated the surrender of an Arab stronghold. After retiring from the ''Force Publique'', he worked as an official for the
Compagnie du Kasai
The Compagnie du Kasai (Kasai Company) was a Belgian company established to exploit the resources of the Kasai River basin in the Congo Free State.
At first it was mainly involved in harvesting wild rubber, but later moved into palm oil and mining ...
in central Congo.
Rom became most infamous for his role in
atrocities in the Congo Free State
From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. These atrocities were particularly associated with the labour polici ...
in the Stanley Falls area. According to contemporary reports from the travel-writer and journalist Edward James Glave written on February 21st 1895, Rom had used the severed heads of 21 Congolese, who resisted having their family members stolen, to decorate the flower beds of his house at Stanley Falls.Morel, E. D. (Edmund Dene), 1873-1924, Robert E Park, and Congo Reform Association. The Treatment of Women And Children In the Congo State 1895-1904: an Appeal to the Women of the United States of America. Boston, Mass.: ongo Reform Association 1904. pg. 8 - 9 He is also said to have kept a
gallows
A gallows (or less precisely scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sa ...
permanently in place at his station.
Still working for the Compagnie du Kasai, Rom died in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
in 1924.
In popular culture
It has been argued that Rom served as the inspiration for the character of Mr. Kurtz, an ivory trader who features prominently in
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...
's 1899 novella ''
Heart of Darkness
''Heart of Darkness'' is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgium, Belgian company in the African interior. Th ...
''. Among those who have made this argument are
Adam Hochschild
Adam Hochschild ( ; born October 5, 1942) is an American author, journalist, historian and lecturer. His best-known works include ''King Leopold's Ghost'' (1998), ''To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914–1918'' (2011), '' Bur ...
who argued in ''
King Leopold's Ghost
''King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa'' (1998) is a best-selling popular history book by Adam Hochschild that explores the exploitation of the Congo Free State by King Leopold II of the Belgians betw ...
'' that Rom and Conrad may have met in 1890. Other scholars have rejected this.
Rom notably features as the main
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.The Legend of Tarzan'', in which he is portrayed by the Austrian actor
Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian and German actor. Primarily active in the United States, he gained international recognition for his portrayal of villainous and supporting roles in English-language films. His accolades i ...
.
See also
*
Atrocities in the Congo Free State
From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. These atrocities were particularly associated with the labour polici ...