Albert Bruno Amédée Lantonnois van Rode (19 June 1852 - 2 April 1934) was a Belgian aristocrat and soldier who was Vice-Governor of the Congo Free State

Congo Free State

The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...

 and later commanded a division during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

Early years

Lantonnois van Rode was born in Mons

Mons

Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...

 on 19 June 1852, son of Lambert Lantonnois and Emilie Hubertine Ghislaine van Rode de Schellebrouck.
He entered the Military Academy in April 1870, and was appointed second lieutenant on 8 April 1872.
On 10 December 1877 he was appointed to the first regiment of guides.
He was commander of the 8th Line Regiment (1903-1905) and of the 1st Regiment of Grenadiers (1905-1908).
Lantonnois was commander of the West Flanders Province from 1908 to 1909.

Congo

In November 1905 Lantonnois was stationed as Vice-Governor of the Congo at Boma, the main port and capital of the colony.
In July 1906 he sent a troop of 20 soldier to Kingoye on the border with the French Congo

French Congo

The French Congo was a French colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and the Central African Republic...

 to establish Belgian authority.
The Baptist Missionary Society

Baptist Missionary Society

rightBMS World Mission is a Christian missionary society founded by Baptists from England in 1792. It was originally called the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen, but for most of its life was known as the Baptist Missionary Society...

 (BMS) mission at Yakusu

Yakusu

Yakusu was a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the Congo River just west and downstream of Kisangani.-History:The BMS Mission was established between 1895 and 1896 at the highest navigable point of the Congo, just below the Stanley Falls....

, just below the Stanley Falls, was at first on good terms with the authorities.
However, as their influence grew there were rumours that the British planned to take over the region.
In January 1907 the Lantonnois ordered the district commissioner of the Orientale Province to take vigorous measures to counter the influence of the protestants.

In June 1908 Lantonnois received a request from Colonel Jan Oomen for permission to be allowed to build a mission at Basankusu

Basankusu

Basankusu is a town in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the main town and administrative centre of the Territory of Basankusu. It boasts an airport, covered and open markets, a hospital and two recently installed cellphone networks....

. Lantonnois forwarded Oomen's request to the Colonial Ministry in Brussels, where there was a long delay before permission was obtained.
In November 1909 Lantonnois had to deal with a crisis when a British force from Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

 moved into the Mfumbiro region to the north of Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika...

. He moved troops into the region and asked permission to attack, which was refused by the Belgian authorities, who correctly considered that arbitration would be a more profitable approach.

Later career

Lantonnois was Inspector-General of the Infantry from 1913 to 1914.
He was Commander of the 6th Army Division from 1914 until January 1915.
He was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Infantry.
Lantonnois van Rode married Marie Thérèse Joséphine Goethals, and they had three children.
He died at Ixelles on 2 April 1934.

Sources

|url=http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Albert_Lantonnois_Van_Rode_(1)
|title=Albert Bruno Amédée Lantonnois van Rode
|accessdate=2011-10-26}}
|url=http://aworldgonecrazy.wordpress.com/
|title=Belgian Military Leaders
|date=December 19, 2009
|accessdate=2011-10-26}}
|title=Bulletin |volume=31
|author=Société royale de géographie d'Anvers
|year=1907}}
|url=http://www.ars-moriendi.be/LANTONNOIS_VAN_RODE_FR.HTM
|title=LANTONNOIS van RODE, Albert, B.-A.
|work=Ars Moriendi
|accessdate=2011-10-26}}
|url=http://www.nieuwsbronnen.com/tenbunderen/voorgeschiedenis3.html
|title=Mill Hill - stichting van Basankusu (1908-1915)
|work=Nieuwsbronnen
|accessdate=2011-1026}}
|url=http://www.codesria.org/IMG/pdf/3-4.pdf
|chapter=Colonial Invasion of Kigezi
|title=Politics, Religion and Power in the Great Lakes Region
|publisher=Codesria
|accessdate=2011-10-26}}