born Sept. 7, 1930, Stuyvenberg Castle, near Brussels, Belg.
died July 31, 1993, Motril, Spain
King of the Belgians (195193).
The son of King Leopold III , Baudouin lived with his family under house arrest in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. After postwar exile in Switzerland, Baudouin became king on his father's abdication (1951). He helped restore confidence in the monarchy after the stormy reign of his father and became a unifying force in a country divided between Flemish-(Dutch-) and French-speaking factions. Because Baudouin and his wife, Fabiola, were childless, he was succeeded by his brother, Albert II.