Maria of Yugoslavia
Maria of Romania | |
---|---|
Queen consort of Yugoslavia | |
Tenure | 8 June 1922 – 9 October 1934 |
Born | Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, German Empire | 6 January 1900
Died | 22 June 1961 London, England, United Kingdom | (aged 61)
Burial | |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen |
Father | Ferdinand I of Romania |
Mother | Marie of Edinburgh |
Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Styles of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia | |
---|---|
Reference style | Her Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Majesty |
Alternative style | Ma'am |
Maria of Romania (6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961), known in Serbian as Marija Karađorđević (Serbian Cyrillic: Марија Карађорђевић), was Queen of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later Queen of Yugoslavia, as the wife of King Alexander from 1922 until his assassination in 1934. She was the mother of Peter II, the last reigning Yugoslav king. Her citizenship was revoked and her property confiscated by the Yugoslavian Communist regime in 1947, but she was "rehabilitated" in 2014.[1]
Early life
Maria was born on January 6, 1900, in Gotha, a town in Thuringia, in the German Empire.[2] She was named after her maternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, and was known as Mignon in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her parents were Marie of Edinburgh and Ferdinand of Romania. She had three brothers and two sisters: Carol, future King of Romania (Carol II); Nicholas, Prince of Romania; Elisabetha, Princess of Romania and future Queen of Greece; Ileana, Princess of Romania and future Archduchess of Austria (Tuscan line); and another brother, Mircea, who died at age three. Although plump, Maria was a noted beauty in her youth and resembled her sister Elisabeth.
During World War I, she worked as a nurse with her mother, along with her two sisters.
Marriage and children
Maria married Alexander I, second King of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in Belgrade on 8 June 1922, and had three sons:
- King Peter II (1923–1970)
- Prince Tomislav (1928–2000)
- Prince Andrej (1929–1990)
Following the assassination of her husband, King Alexander I, in Marseille in 1934, her oldest son became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last reigning Yugoslav king. She was given the title Queen Mother of Yugoslavia in 1941. She moved to a farm in England and lived a relatively normal life without royal extravagance. Maria was well educated. She spoke several languages fluently and enjoyed painting and sculpting under the guidance of artist Iva Despić-Simonović. She also drove a car by herself, which was very unusual for royalty at the time.[3]
She died in exile in London on 22 June 1961 and was interred at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, which adjoins Windsor Castle, before her remains were transferred to Serbia in April 2013 and re-interred on 26 May 2013 in Oplenac, Serbia.[2][4]
Humanitarian work
Queen Maria was popular and respected by the Serbian public, and is still well thought of in the region. She was regarded as an ideal wife and mother according to the contemporary Serbian ideal and described as a humble person. She was engaged in several social projects. In the eyes of the Serbian people, she remains one of the greatest patrons of charities in Serbia. [citation needed]
Streets are named in her memory, such as “Ulica kraljice Marije” or “Queen Maria Street”, and numerous schools and other organizations still carry her name.[citation needed]
Titles and styles
- 6 January 1900 – 8 June 1922: Her Royal Highness Princess Maria of Romania, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- 8 June 1922 – 6 January 1929: Her Majesty The Queen of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- 6 January 1929 – 9 October 1934: Her Majesty The Queen of Yugoslavia
- 9 October 1934 – 22 June 1961: Her Majesty Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, The Queen Mother
Honours
- Kingdom of Romania: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I
- Kingdom of Romania: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania
- Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Karađorđe (8 June 1922)
- Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown
- France: Dame Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (1959)[5]
Ancestry
Sources
- ^ Crnjanski Spasojević, V. "Rehabilitovana kraljica Marija Karađorđević". Večernje novosti. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ a b "HM Queen Maria of Yugoslavia". Royal Family of Serbia. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Yugoslavia's exiled queen". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Yugoslavia's exiled Queen returns home at long last
- ^ Fifty fifth memorial anniversary of HM Queen Maria at St. George Church in Oplenac
External links
- Use dmy dates from May 2012
- 1900 births
- 1961 deaths
- People from Gotha (town)
- Romanian princesses
- Queen mothers
- Yugoslav queens consort
- Karađorđević dynasty
- Princesses of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- Burials at the Mausoleum of the Royal House of Karađorđević, Oplenac
- Burials at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Carol I
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
- Recipients of the Order of Karađorđe's Star