Carol II of Romania
| Carol II | |
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| Carol II of Romania | |
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| Reign | 8 Jun 1930 – 6 Sept 1940 |
| Coronation | None |
| Predecessor | Michael I |
| Successor | Michael I |
| Prime Minister | |
| Spouse | Zizi Lambrino, Helen of Greece and Denmark, Magda Lupescu |
| Issue | |
| Carol Lambrino, Michael I of Romania |
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| Full name | |
| Carol Caraiman | |
| House | Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen |
| Father | Ferdinand I of Romania |
| Mother | Marie of Edinburgh |
| Born | 15 October 1893 Sinaia, Romania |
| Died | 4 April 1953 (aged 59) Estoril, Portugal |
| Burial | Royal Pantheon, Portugal (1953) Curtea de Argeş, Romania (2003) |
| Religion | Romanian Orthodox |
| Monarchical styles of Carol II of Romania |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
Carol II (15 October 1893 – 4 April 1953) reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria. He was the first of the Romanian royal family who was baptized in the Orthodox rite.[1]
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Early life [edit]
Carol was born in Peleş Castle. In November 1914, Carol joined the Romanian Senate, as the 1866 Constitution guaranteed him a seat there upon reaching maturity.[2] Known more for his romantic misadventures than for any leadership skills, Carol (Romanian for "Charles") was first married in the Cathedral Church of Odessa, Ukraine, 31 August 1918, in contravention of royal law, to Joanna Marie Valentina Lambrino (1898–1953), known as "Zizi", the daughter of a Romanian general. They had one son, Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino, but the marriage was annulled by decision of the Ilfov Tribunal in 1919.
He next married, in Athens, Greece, on 10 March 1921, Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark (who was known in Romania as Crown Princess Elena). They were second cousins as both were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. The marriage soon collapsed in the wake of Carol's affair with Elena "Magda" Lupescu (1895?–1977), the Roman Catholic daughter of a Jewish pharmacist and his Roman Catholic wife. Magda Lupescu had formerly been the wife of Army officer Ion Tâmpeanu.
As a result of the scandal, he renounced his right to the throne on 28 December 1925 in favour of his son by Crown Princess Helen, Michael (Mihai), who became King in July 1927. Helen divorced Carol in 1928.
Rule [edit]
Returning to the country unexpectedly on 7 June 1930, Carol reneged on the renunciation and was proclaimed King the following day, replacing his son Michael on the throne. For the next decade he sought to influence the course of Romanian political life, first through manipulation of the rival Peasant and Liberal parties and anti-Semitic factions, and subsequently (January 1938) through a ministry of his own choosing (the National Renaissance Front), with a constitution (27 February) reserving ultimate power to the Crown. In 1938, he banned the Iron Guard, which he had supported in the 1930s.
Carol also sought to build up his own personality cult against the growing influence of the Iron Guard, for instance by setting up a paramilitary youth organization known as Straja Ţării in 1935.
He was made the 892nd Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1938 by his second cousin, King George VI of the United Kingdom.
In 1938, Carol overthrew the democratic system and proclaimed his own authoritarian regime (see 1938 Constitution of Romania, National Renaissance Front). Carol yielded and, on September 5, 1940, Antonescu became Prime Minister, and Carol transferred most of his dictatorial powers to him.[3][4]
Exile [edit]
Forced under first Soviet and subsequently Hungarian, Bulgarian, and German pressure to surrender parts of his kingdom to foreign rule, he was outmaneuvered at last by the pro-German administration of Marshal Ion Antonescu, and abdicated in favour of Michael. He was exiled to Mexico,[5] and he leased Upton House from Poole Corporation later in the 1950s,[6] but ultimately settled in Portugal.
Carol and Magda Lupescu were married in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3 June 1947, Magda taking the title of Princess Elena von Hohenzollern. Carol remained in exile for the rest of his life. He was never going to see his son, King Michael, after his 1940 departure from Romania. Michael refused to meet his father ever again.[7]
Remains returned to Romania [edit]
Carol died and was buried in Estoril, Portugal, in 1953; his remains were returned to Romania in 2003, at the Curtea de Argeş monastery. They lie outside the cathedral that is the burial place of most Romanian kings. Neither of his sons participated in either ceremony. His younger son, Michael, was represented by his daughter, Princess Margarita, and her husband, Prince Radu of Romania. His eldest son, Carol Lambrino was forbidden (since 1940) to enter Romanian territory.
Ancestry [edit]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ King Carol II
- ^ "Ce citeau românii acum 68 de ani?", Ziua, 29 November 2007.
- ^ (Romanian) Delia Radu, "Serialul 'Ion Antonescu şi asumarea istoriei' (1)", BBC Romanian edition, August 1, 2008
- ^ Final Report, p.320; Morgan, p.85; Ornea, p.326
- ^ http://www.tkinter.smig.net/Romania/References/CarolHitlerLupescu/index.htm
- ^ "Brownsea Islander" by Jack Battrick, as told by Gail Lawson, published by Poole Historical Trust, 1978, ISBN 0-7137-0990-1, Page 80
- ^ (Romanian) Monique Urdareanu on Elena Lupescu and Carol II, Ziua, 14 January 2006
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carol II of Romania |
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Carol II of Romania
Cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern
Born: 15 October 1893 Died: 4 April 1953 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Michael I |
King of the Romanians 8 June 1930 – 6 September 1940 |
Succeeded by Michael I |
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- Kings of Romania
- Orthodox monarchs
- House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- Honorary members of the Romanian Academy
- Romanian people of World War II
- World War II political leaders
- Knights of the Garter
- Eastern Orthodox Christians from Romania
- Romanian Orthodox Christians
- Monarchs who abdicated
- Burials at Curtea de Argeş Cathedral
- Knights of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
- Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
- Romanian expatriates in Portugal
- Burials at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
- 1893 births
- 1953 deaths
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
