King of Romania

History

The state had been internationally recognized as a principality since 1862, after the creation of the United Principalities, a personal union between Moldavia and Wallachia, at that time vassal states of the Ottoman Empire. Alexander I became domnitor (ruling prince) after the official unification of the two formerly separate states, being elected prince of both states in 1859. He was deposed in 1866 by a broad coalition of the main political parties, after which parliament offered the throne to Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who subsequently became the new "Domnitor of Romania" (as Carol I).

Romania's independence from the Ottoman Empire was recognized in 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin. In an expression of full sovereignty, the principality was elevated to a kingdom in 1881, with Carol I becoming King of Romania. Carol I died in 1914, and was succeeded by his nephew, Ferdinand I.

In 1927, Ferdinand I died, and the country was left in the care of a regency headed by Prince Nicholas of Romania, during the reign of Ferdinand's young grandson, Michael I (who was only six years old at the time), his father (Carol II) having renounced his rights to the throne in 1925. Carol II, unlike Carol I, in the beginning had no desire to rule Romania, and was frequently out of the country exploring the rest of Europe with his mistress. Michael's first reign would be short lived at only three years, until his father Carol II came back to contest the title at the behest of a dissatisfied political faction that staged a sudden 'coup d'état' (in spite of the fact that only a few years earlier he had renounced in official documents, written and signed in front of his own father, all his future claims to the throne of Romania).

After a ten-year rule, Carol II was forced to give up his crown in the wake of an outcry over the Second Vienna Award, which forced Romania to surrender northern Transylvania to Hungary. After the war, he married his longtime mistress, Elena Lupescu. The couple ultimately settled in Portugal, and the "playboy king" never returned to Romania.

The kingdom of Romania was a constitutional monarchy for most of its existence with the exception of 1938–1944, during the dictatorships of Carol II (1938–1940) and Ion Antonescu (1940–1944). On 23 August 1944, Michael I restored the last democratic royal Constitution of 1923. However, during his second reign (1940–1947), Michael I reigned mostly as an extraconstitutional king, without a parliamentary vote. Parliament was initially suspended and reinstated only later, in 1946. Michael I was crowned and anointed by the Orthodox Patriarch, Nicodim Munteanu, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest, on the day of his second accession, 6 September 1940. However, legally, Michael I could not exercise much authority besides some prerogatives such as being the Supreme Head of the Army and designating a plenipotentiary prime minister Conducător ("Leader").

On 23 August 1944, with the Soviet Army already deep inside Romania's territory, Michael I deposed the German-allied dictator Ion Antonescu at the urging of the opposition parties and aligned the country with the Allies. Helped by the presence of Soviet forces, communists gradually took control of the administration. On 30 December 1947, King Michael I was forced to sign his abdication. The same day, Parliament proclaimed the country a people's republic. The young former king and former queen mother Elena were forced to leave Romania on January 3, 1948, in the royal train, at the request of the communist-dominated government. Royal properties were nationalized later that year.

Return from exile

After the Revolution of 1989, the former king visited Romania to an enthusiastic reception in the streets of Bucharest; the royal estates and properties in Romania were restored. However, the country preserved its republican character.

The former king was respected and recognized by the Parliament. His grandson regularly visits different organisations in Romania. Princess Margareta and her husband bestow royal orders in the name of the former king for selected Romanians.

The royal house is still popular and in 2014 Prime Minister Victor Ponta promised a referendum on whether or not to reinstate the monarchy if he were re-elected. A square was named in honour of the ex-king in 2012. Following the death of the former king in 2017, and the largely positive reaction of the crowds to the royal family at his funeral, Romanian politicians have discussed whether to hold a referendum to restore the monarchy, with around half the population (in early 2018) believing monarchy to be a better organisational form than a republic.

Kings of Romania (1881–1947)

(1st reign)

(2nd reign)

Queen consorts of Romania

Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of Kings, Heirs and Claimants to the Romanian throne. The kings, the heirs and the claimants are listed in chronological order.

Define $width = 1100 Define $warning = 1290 # $width - 110 Define $height = 470 # 43x20 + 160

Define $start = 1818 Define $end = 2030 Define $now =

ImageSize = width:$width height:$height PlotArea = right:10 left:1 bottom:80 top:60 Period = from:$start till:$end TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1

Colors = id:bg value:white id:lightline value:rgb(0.9, 0.9, 0.9) id:lighttext value:rgb(0.5, 0.5, 0.5) id:LIFESPAN value:rgb(0.88, 0.90, 0.70) Legend: Lifespan id:PRINCIP value:yellow Legend: Prince_(or_"Domnitor") id:KING value:rgb(0.31, 0.39, 0.81) Legend: King id:CLAIM value:rgb(0.81, 0.01, 0.01) Legend: Pretending id:HEIR value:green Legend: Heir/Heiress_(apparent_or_presumptive) id:REPUBLIC value:rgb(0.80, 0.80, 0.80) Legend: Republic id:NAME value:rgb(0.15, 0.13, 0.05) id:ACTINGNAME value:rgb(0.99, 0.00, 0.00) id:TODAY value:green

BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightline unit:year increment:1 start:$start ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lighttext unit:year increment:10 start:1820

Define $dy = -5 # shift text to button side of bar

LineData= at:$now color:TODAY width:0.1

PlotData= bar:1 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1820.2 till:1859.1 shift:(-100,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Alexandru Ioan Cuza color:PRINCIP from:1859.1 till:1866.2 color:CLAIM from:1866.2 till:1873.5

bar:2 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1863 till:1865 shift:(-140,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Alexandru Al. Ioan Cuza color:HEIR from:1865 till:1866.2 color:LIFESPAN from:1866.2 till:1873.5 color:CLAIM from:1873.5 till:1889 color:LIFESPAN from:1889 till:1890.5

bar:3 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1837.4 till:1866.2 shift:(-125,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders color:HEIR from:1866.2 till:1866.4 color:LIFESPAN from:1866.4 till:1905.8

bar:4 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1839.3 till:1866.4 shift:(-70,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Carol I of Romania color:PRINCIP from:1866.4 till:1881.3 color:KING from:1881.3 till:1914.7

bar:5 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1835.6 till:1866.4 shift:(-105,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern color:HEIR from:1866.4 till:1880.8 color:LIFESPAN from:1880.8 till:1906

bar:6 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1864.3 till:1880.8 shift:(-167,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:William, Prince of Hohenzollern color:HEIR from:1880.8 till:1887 color:LIFESPAN from:1887 till:1927.8

bar:7 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1865.6 till:1887 shift:(-80,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Ferdinand I of Romania color:HEIR from:1887 till:1914.7 color:KING from:1914.7 till:1927.5

bar:8 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1893.5 till:1914.7 shift:(-55,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Carol II of Romania color:HEIR from:1914.7 till:1918.5 color:LIFESPAN from:1918.5 till:1919 color:HEIR from:1919 till:1919.6 color:LIFESPAN from:1919.6 till:1920.7 color:HEIR from:1920.7 till:1926.9 color:LIFESPAN from:1926.9 till:1930.5 color:KING from:1930.5 till:1940.5 color:LIFESPAN from:1940.5 till:1948 color:CLAIM from:1948 till:1953.5

bar:9 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1903.5 till:1918.5 shift:(-125,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Prince Nicholas of Romania color:HEIR from:1918.5 till:1919 color:LIFESPAN from:1919 till:1919.6 color:HEIR from:1919.6 till:1920.7 color:LIFESPAN from:1920.7 till:1927.5 color:HEIR from:1927.5 till:1930.5 color:LIFESPAN from:1930.5 till:1942 color:HEIR from:1942 till:1978.5

bar:10 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1921.7 till:1926.9 shift:(-115,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Michael I of Romania color:HEIR from:1926.9 till:1927.5 color:KING from:1927.5 till:1930.5 color:HEIR from:1930.5 till:1940.5 color:KING from:1940.5 till:1948 color:CLAIM from:1948 till:2018

bar:11 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1891.6 till:1940.5 shift:(-127,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Friedrich, Prince of Hohenzollern color:HEIR from:1940.5 till:1942 color:LIFESPAN from:1942 till:1965.2

bar:12 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1924.2 till:1978.5 shift:(-140,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Friedrich Wilhelm Prinz von Hohenzollern color:HEIR from:1978.5 till:2008 color:LIFESPAN from:2008 till:2010.7

bar:13 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1948.6 till:1991.5 shift:(-110,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Paul Philippe of Romania color:CLAIM from:1991.5 till:$now

bar:14 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1949.3 till:2008 shift:(-150,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Margareta of Romania color:HEIR from:2008 till:2018 color:CLAIM from:2018 till:$now

bar:15 width:18 color:LIFESPAN align:left fontsize:M from:1950.8 till:2018 shift:(-170,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Princess Elena of Romania color:HEIR from:2018 till:$now

bar:16 width:19 color:REPUBLIC align:center fontsize:M from:1948 till:$now shift:(-0,$dy) textcolor:NAME text:Republic

TextData = pos:(0,$height) fontsize:L textcolor:black text:"Lifespan of each king, heir and claimant to the Romanian throne"

Royal Standards

File:Royal standard of Romania (King, 1881 model).svg|Royal Standard (1881–1922) File:Royal standard of Romania (King, 1922 model).svg|Royal Standard (1922–1947)

References

et:Rumeenia riigipeade loend he:מלך הרומנים hu:Románia uralkodóinak listája

References

1. "Gold set 1939". Romanian Coins.
2. (1899). "Reminiscences of the King of Roumania". Harper& Brothers.
3. "Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania". The Romanian Royal Family website.
4. [http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/bejan2-7.htm "The Joys of Suffering," Volume 2, "Dialogue with a few intellectuals"], by Rev. Fr. Dimitrie Bejan – [http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/en/index.htm "Orthodox Advices"] website as of June 9, 2007 {{in lang. ro
5. Ioan Scurtu, Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu, [http://ebooks.unibuc.ro/istorie/istorie1918-1940/13-15.htm ''The History of the Romanians between 1918–1940 (Istoria românilor între anii 1918–1940)''] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-10-02 , p. 280. {{in lang). ro
6. (3 October 2012). "Romania: The discreet tonic of monarchy". EurActiv | EU News & policy debates, across languages.
7. "Long live the ex-king". The Economist.
8. Patran, Iona. (25 October 2012). "Romania government honours ex-king on 91st birthday". Reuters.
9. Lazar, Valeriu. (18 December 2017). "PSD Executive Chairman says referendum on monarchy is an option. Tariceanu: debates are needed". The Romania Journal.
10. Lazar, Valeriu. (1 February 2018). "46pc of Romanians say monarchy is better than the republic". The Romania Journal.
11. [[Prince Nicholas of Romania. Nicholas]] ruling as [[prince regent]].
12. With [[Ion Antonescu]] as ''[[Conducător]]'', from 6 September 1940 to 23 August 1944.