Historical landmarks of Romania (part 2)

History buffs and not only, here we come with some highlights of Romanian history (made easy) from beginnings to present, embellished with some legends and interesting facts. This time we focus on the monarchy in Romania.

This is part 2, an exercise from the small Unification from 1859 until the rise of communism. In fact, it comprises monarchy in Romania (1881-1947).

Content:

King Carol I of Hohenzollern
King Ferdinand I
World War I
King Carol II of Romania
King Michael I
World War II

Monarchy in Romania. Altogether, Romania had 4 kings of German descent.

Carol I of Hohenzollern

• Carol I (Karl) of Hohenzollern is crowned first king of Romania in 1881, after he had previously been prince of Romania right after the abdication of Cuza.  In such harsh moments, it seemed that the only salvation would be the election of a foreign prince, as the former ruler suggested himself.

• Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was the second child of a German family. He was an experienced officer who had already fought many wars and was eager to fulfil the task of leading a country, although it wasn’t his native country. A miracle happened and Romania found in him the king it has always wanted. Carol I had the longest reign in our history (48 years).

• The name of the king is linked to the War of Independence from 1877-1878. He made a promise that he would help Romania get rid of the Ottoman invasion, and the opportunity appeared. The Convention signed between Romania and Russia offered mutual support for the two countries, so the Russians helped Romanians get free from the Ottomans, while we helped them fight against the Turks. After the victory, Carol proclaimed himself king.

• At his death in 1914, Carol left a European country with a modern railway system, the longest bridge in Europe (Cernavoda), Constanta port, a contemporary education system, many amazing buildings and a spectacular summer residence at Sinaia, the Peles Castle. Unfortunately, he died with one huge regret, in World War 1 he couldn’t align Romania to Germany.

• King Carol learned Romanian in just one year as he had become Prince of the country.
• Was an excellent horseman and rode around the country on horseback to discover every piece of land.
• Took his job very seriously and was a king ‘even in his sleep’
• Could speak 4 languages.
• Used only his index finger from his right hand to greet or gesticulate;
• Was married to Princess Elisabeth of Wied

• Peles Castle‘s construction lasted from 1873-1914, until the death of Carol 1. Through this architectural jewellery, Carol achieved his dream of building a summer residence where he and his family spent six months a year. It cost USD 198 million and the king provided all the money from personal funds. The castle looks like a Swiss chalet with two storeys and on the outside, it is decorated in German style. On the inside it is a masterpiece of sumptuosity and good taste. It was ahead of its time boasting an elevator, the mobile glass ceiling of the Hall of Honour or with the title of the first electrified castle in Europe. The castle has 160 rooms, out of which 30 bathrooms. Later, Pelisor Castle (a smaller version) was added for Ferdinand and Maria, his nephew and heir.

King Ferdinand I

• Ferdinand I becomes next in line (due to the renunciation of his father and elder brother) to the Romanian throne. He was king of Romania from 1914 until his death in 1927. From the moment of settling in Romania, Ferdinand continued his military career, obtaining a senior rank in the army. Under his reign, Romania enters WWI on the side of the Entente and at the end of the war, thanks to the reorganization of political events, he manages to unify Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina to Mother Romania. Greater Romania thus formed (1 December 1918) will last until 1940. He married Marie of Edinburgh, later known as Marie of Romania. In 1922, they are crowned in Alba Iulia.

• The supreme devotion of a German king-soldier and an English queen-nurse to the country that adopted them.

• Both of them were trained to lead the country; Ferdinand graduated from Political and Legal Sciences studies, while Maria got excellent education for this purpose.

• Ferdinand was used to working hard because the education he inherited; he stated that being a prince is never enough, one had to do something spectacular to raise to the expectations.

• Still in Germany, Ferdinand learned Romanian and everything about the history and geography of the country.

• The couple had 6 children.

• Maria was an outstanding ambassador of Romania abroad; she was very preoccupied to learn everything that involved her new country and increase the standards.

• During WWI, Queen Maria fully understood the task of a queen. She dedicated time and energy to the soldiers wounded, as well as suffering from cholera and typhus. She organized campaign beds and raised funds.

• Maria was charismatic, liberal, and at a young age had a series of affairs with young Romanian men with whom she could obtain more emotional and sexual satisfaction than from Ferdinand, a cold and calculated person.

• Becomes the most loved member of the Romanian royal family.

• In 2019 as a tribute to her involvement as a human being and queen, a film about her life was released.

World War I

• World War I was a difficult moment in our history that resulted in many deaths. At the time, Romania was led by King Ferdinand I, Carol’s nephew. Romania places itself next to the Allies of WWI having as main aim the liberation of Transylvania from under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although this dream seemed close, a dramatic situation was created as the enemy moved forward on several plans and two thirds of the country ended under foreign occupation. The state is finally saved when fights continued, and the Romanians backed by Russian troops rejected the German attacks. At the end of 1918, Romania re-entered the war on the side of the Allies once again and is on the victorious side.

• Between 1917-1918, the Romanian collective mentality undergoes different changes, that prepare Romania for the big union. On 1 December 1918, the small town of Alba Iulia (Transylvania) seems insufficient for the crowd of over 100,000 Romanians gathered to celebrate the union. That day, the unconditional union of Transylvania, Banat, Crisana, and Maramures with Romania is voted unanimously. This fact was preceded by the union of Bessarabia and Bukovina with Romania. The revolution of 1917 that culminated with the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the seizing of the power by the Bolsheviks created an opportunity for Bessarabia, being thus the first land to unify with Romania.  Bukovina, a Romanian province under Austro-Hungarian occupation, took advantage of the collapse of the empire and organized their own political structures. Transylvania came last also as a consequence of the empire’s fall. Romania became Greater Romania back then. The merit of Ferdinand was obvious, he and his wife being crowned king and queen in Alba Iulia in 1922. The dream of many Romanians lasted until 1940 when large parts of Romania were occupied during the Second World War.

• Romania between the two world wars suffered changes: some good, some bad. It was a predominantly rural country, so the agrarian laws that gave the land back to the peasants had a positive impact. However, they lacked modern tools, which was reflected in low agricultural productivity. The world crisis had harsh effects in Romania as well, where many banks went bankrupt and the clients lost all their savings. In opposition to countrylife, city life was flourishing. Romanian culture lived one of its best moments. Cities, such as Cluj, Timisoara or Cernauti, that had been under the Austro-Hungarian Empire were bearing the fingerprint of central European lifestyle in terms of architecture and administration. In Bucharest, the downtown had made much progress, while the outskirts kept the remains of the countryside. Ethnic minorities were 28% of the population, and shaped the development of culture and civilization.

King Carol II of Romania

• Carol II of Romania was the first son of King Ferdinand I and acceded to throne in 1930. During his 10 years of ruling, Carol is mostly remembered for his sexual wandering and lust rather than historical deeds. He was the first member of the Hohenzollern born in Romania and raised Orthodox.  When he came to power, he took over a weakened country because of the crisis. However, he only made the situation worse by weakening the party system, allowing the formation of a corrupt chamber and creating a royal dictatorship by removing the Constitution and establishing one single party. He abdicated in 1940, after Romania lost several regions including North Transylvania and Bessarabia.

• Carol II suffered from a very rare condition, called priapism, which means that the penis was erect for a long time in the absence of stimulation.
• Women meant much more than the country’s interests; thus he married Zizi Lambrino and deserted the Army, causing an enormous outrage at the time.
• The marriage with Zizi was cancelled. Carol II married Princess Helen of Denmark and Greece instead, later known as Princess Elena (Helen) of Romania.
• Out of their marriage, Michael was born, the last Romanian king. Carol II had several extramarital affairs. It is acknowledged that Elena ‘Magda’ Lupescu was the only woman who could satisfy his sexual needs.
• He preferred common girls to royal women as he believed they possessed the passion and humour he searched and lacked the stiffness of aristocratic women.

King Michael I

• King Michael I was the last representative of monarchy in Romania. He had two reigns, adding up to ten years. The first one only lasted for three years.

• He became king for the first time at the age of 6, assisted by a regency council. From 1940 on , he reigned being helped by his mother, queen Elena, called back to Romania by Ion Antonescu. The latter was Romania’s prime minister between 1940-1944 and the most important person in the country who overtook complete power.

• King Michael led the coup d’état during WW II, on August 23, 1944 with the help of the army. It led to the removal of Ion Antonescu’s government which aligned Romania with Nazi Germany, but also Antonescu’s arrest.

• Had 5 daughters;
• He was married to queen Anne for 68 years;
• Was a very good driver and was passionate about cars from a very early age;
• Was related to many royal families, including England, Germany, Russia, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, etc., He was Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin.
• Spent almost 5 decades in exile.

World War II

• In 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. As a consequence, in 1940, Romania ceded Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the USSR, South Dobruja to Bulgaria and Northern Transylvania to Hungary. So, Great Romania was short-lived, only 22 years of existence.

• It was then that King Carol II brought to power Ion Antonescu, an antisemitic character and a soldier who had established himself earlier. He founded the National Legionary State, an organization that led the country by terror, especially by pogroms against the Jews and Romani population. He had also been Minister of War and Foreign Affairs among many others, and he eventually became Marshal of Romania. He was executed in 1946.

• Hoping that he would be able to gain back the lost territories, Antonescu made Romania join the Axis (alliance formed by Germany, Italy and Japan). Doing this, he didn’t consult neither any of the parties, nor King Michael. The king and his mother were sent over to Peles Castle and every political meeting was carefully scrutinized. However, between 1942-1944, secret diplomatic negotiations take place to get Romania out of the war. They prove finally successful in 1944, when King Michael’s coup removes Antonescu from power and gets him arrested. Romania gets out of the Alliance with Germany and joins the Allies. By the end of the war, Romania gets Transylvania back. In 1947, King Michael is forced to abdicate by the communists.

• It is still unclear today whether Antonescu’s regime was a fascist regime or merely a right-wing military dictatorship. There are many opinions pro and con.

to be continued…