Michael I of Romania
Michael I | |
---|---|
![]() King Michael in 2007 | |
King of Romania | |
1st reign | 20 July 1927 – 8 June 1930 |
Predecessor | Ferdinand I |
Successor | Carol II |
Regents | See
|
2nd reign | 6 September 1940 – 30 December 1947 |
Coronation | 6 September 1940 |
Predecessor | Carol II |
Successor | Monarchy abolished |
Born | Peleș Castle, Sinaia, Romania | 25 October 1921
Spouse | |
Issue | Crown Princess Margareta Princess Elena Princess Irina Princess Sophie Princess Maria |
House | Romania |
Father | Carol II of Romania |
Mother | Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark |
Religion | Romanian Orthodox |
Signature | ![]() |
Michael I (Romanian: Mihai I [miˈhaj]; born 25 October 1921) reigned as King of Romania from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his abdication on 30 December 1947.
Shortly after his birth, Michael's father Prince Carol had become involved in a controversial relationship with Magda Lupescu. In 1925, Carol was eventually pressured to renounce his rights to the throne and moved to Paris in exile with Lupescu. In 1927, Michael ascended the throne following the death of his grandfather, Ferdinand I. As he was still a minor, a regency council was instituted which composed of his uncle, Prince Nicholas; the Patriarch Miron Cristea; and the president of the Supreme Court, Gheorghe Buzdugan. The council proved to be ineffective and in 1930, Carol returned to Romania and replaced his son as king. As a result, Michael returned to being heir apparent to the throne and was given the additional title of Grand Voievod of Alba-Iulia.
Carol II was deposed in 1940, and Michael once again became king. Under the government led by the military dictator Ion Antonescu, Romania became aligned with Nazi Germany. In 1944, Michael participated in a coup against Antonescu, appointed Constantin Sănătescu as his replacement, and subsequently declared an alliance with the Allies. In March 1945, political pressures forced Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by Petru Groza. From August 1945 to January 1946, Michael went on a "royal strike" and unsuccessfully tried to oppose Groza's Communist-controlled government by refusing to sign and endorse its decrees. In November, Michael attended the wedding of his cousins, the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip of Greece in London. Shortly thereafter, on the morning of 30 December 1947, Groza requested a meeting with Michael where he was forced to abdicate. Michael was forced into exile, confiscated of his properties, and stripped of his citizenship. He married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948 with whom he had five daughters and eventually settled in Switzerland.
Nicolae Ceaușescu's communist dictatorship collapsed in 1989 and the following year Michael attempted to return to Romania only to be arrested and forced to leave upon arrival. In 1992, Michael was allowed to visit Romania for Easter where he was greeted by huge crowds; a speech he gave from his hotel window drew an estimated one million people to Bucharest. Alarmed by Michael's popularity, the government refused to allow Michael further visits. In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by Emil Constantinescu, Michael's citizenship was restored and Michael was allowed to visit Romania again. Several confiscated properties, such as Elisabeta Palace, were eventually returned to his family.
He is the last surviving monarch or other head of state from the Interwar period. Although often called the last surviving head of state from World War II,[1][2][3][4] this ignores the childhood reigns of King Simeon II of Bulgaria and the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Early life
![]() | This section needs expansion with: more information on his childhood and education. You can help by adding to it. (December 2016) |
Michael was born at Foișor Castle, Sinaia, Romania, the son of Carol II of Romania (then Crown Prince of Romania) and Princess Elena of Greece.[5] He was born as the grandson of then-reigning King Ferdinand I of Romania. When Carol eloped with his mistress Elena "Magda" Lupescu and renounced his rights to the throne in December 1925, Michael was declared heir apparent. Michael succeeded to the throne of Romania upon Ferdinand's death in July 1927.[6]
Rule
1930s and the Antonescu era
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Signal_16-1941..jpg/220px-Signal_16-1941..jpg)
A regency, which included his uncle, Prince Nicolae, Patriarch Miron Cristea, and the country's Chief Justice (Gheorghe Buzdugan, from October 1929 Constantin Sărățeanu) functioned on behalf of the 5-year-old Michael, when he succeeded Ferdinand in 1927.[7] In 1930, Carol II returned to the country at the invitation of politicians dissatisfied with the Regency, and was proclaimed king by the Parliament, designating Michael as Crown Prince with the title "Grand Voievod of Alba-Iulia".[8] In November 1939, Michael joined the Romanian Senate, as the 1938 Constitution guaranteed him a seat there upon reaching the age of eighteen.[9]
In September 1940, the pro-German anti-Bolshevik régime of Prime Minister Marshal Ion Antonescu staged a coup d'état against Carol II, whom the Marshal claimed to be 'anti-German'. Antonescu suspended the Constitution, dissolved the Parliament, and re-installed the 18-year-old Michael as king, by popular acclaim. (Although the Constitution was restored in 1944, and the Romanian Parliament in 1946, Michael did not either subsequently take a formal oath or have his reign approved retroactively by Parliament.) Michael was crowned[10] with the Steel Crown and anointed King of Romania by the Orthodox Patriarch of Romania, Nicodim Munteanu, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest, on the day of his accession, 6 September 1940.[11] Although King Michael was formally the Supreme Head of the Army, and entitled to appoint the Prime Minister with full powers named 'Leader of the people' ("Conducător"), in reality he was forced to remain only a figurehead until August 1944.[12] Michael had lunch with Adolf Hitler twice, once with his father in Bavaria in 1937, and with his mother in Berlin in 1941.[13] He also met Benito Mussolini in 1941, in Italy.[14]
Turning against Nazi Germany
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Cetatea_Tighina_18%2B32.jpg)
In 1944, World War II was going badly for the Axis powers, but the military dictator Prime Minister Marshal Ion Antonescu was still in control of Romania. By August 1944, the Soviet conquest of Romania had become inevitable, being expected in a few months.[15] On 23 August 1944, Michael joined the pro-Allied politicians, a number of army officers, and armed communist-led civilians[16] in staging a coup against Antonescu. King Michael ordered his arrest by the Royal Palace Guard. On the same night, the new Prime Minister, Lt. General Constantin Sănătescu—who was appointed by King Michael—gave custody of Antonescu to the communists (in spite of alleged instructions to the contrary by the King), who delivered him to the Soviets on 1 September.[17][18] In a radio broadcast to the Romanian nation and army, Michael issued a cease-fire just as the Red Army was penetrating the Moldavian front,[16] proclaimed Romania's loyalty to the Allies, announced the acceptance of the armistice offered by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the USSR, and declared war on Germany.[19] However, this did not avert a rapid Soviet occupation and capture of about 130,000 Romanian soldiers, who were transported to the Soviet Union where many perished in prison camps.[16] Although the country's alliance with the Nazis was ended, the coup sped the Red Army's advance into Romania.[16] The armistice was signed three weeks later on 12 September 1944, on terms the Soviets virtually dictated.[16] Under the terms of the armistice, Romania recognized its defeat by the USSR and was placed under occupation of the Allied forces, with the Soviets, as their representative, in control of media, communication, post, and civil administration behind the front. The coup effectively amounted to a "capitulation",[20][21] an "unconditional"[22] "surrender".[15][16] It has been suggested that the coup may have shortened World War II by six months, thus saving hundreds of thousands of lives.[23]
At the end of the war, King Michael was awarded the highest degree (Chief Commander) of the Legion of Merit by U.S. President Harry S. Truman.[24] He was also decorated with the Soviet Order of Victory by Joseph Stalin "for the courageous act of the radical change in Romania's politics towards a break-up from Hitler's Germany and an alliance with the United Nations, at the moment when there was no clear sign yet of Germany's defeat", according to the official description of the decoration. With the death of Michał Rola-Żymierski in 1989, Michael became the sole surviving recipient of the Order of Victory.[25]
Reign under communism
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Mihai.jpg/220px-Mihai.jpg)
In March 1945, political pressures forced King Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government headed by Petru Groza. For the next two-plus years Michael functioned again as little more than a figurehead. Between August 1945 and January 1946, during what was later known as the "royal strike," King Michael tried unsuccessfully to oppose the Groza government by refusing to sign its decrees. In response to Soviet, British, and American pressures,[26] King Michael eventually gave up his opposition to the communist government and stopped demanding its resignation.
He did not pardon former Marshal Antonescu, who was sentenced to death "for betrayal of the Romanian people for the benefit of Nazi Germany, for the economic and political subjugation of Romania to Germany, for cooperation with the Iron Guard, for murdering his political opponents, for the mass murder of civilians and crimes against peace". Nor did King Michael manage to save such leaders of the opposition as Iuliu Maniu and the Bratianus,[27] victims of communist political trials, as the Constitution prevented him from doing so without the counter-signature of communist Justice Minister Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu (who himself was later eliminated by Gheorghiu-Dej's opposing communist faction). The memoirs of King Michael's aunt Princess Ileana[28] quoted Emil Bodnăraș — her alleged lover,[29] Romania's communist minister of defence, and a Soviet spy[30]—as saying: "Well, if the King decides not to sign the death warrant, I promise that we will uphold his point of view." Princess Ileana was sceptical: "You know quite well (...) that the King will never of his free will sign such an unconstitutional document. If he does, it will be laid at your door, and before the whole nation your government will bear the blame. Surely you do not wish this additional handicap at this moment!"
Forced abdication
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Actul_de_Abdicare_Mihai_I.png/220px-Actul_de_Abdicare_Mihai_I.png)
In November 1947, King Michael travelled to London for the wedding of his cousins, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, an occasion during which he met Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma (his second cousin once removed), who was to become his wife. According to his own account,[31] King Michael rejected any offers of asylum and decided to return to Romania, contrary to the confidential, strong advice of the British Ambassador to Romania.
Early on the morning of 30 December 1947, Michael was preparing for a New Year's party at Peleș Castle in Sinaia, when Groza summoned him back to Bucharest. Michael returned to Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, to find it surrounded by troops from the Tudor Vladimirescu Division, an army unit completely loyal to the Communists. Groza and Communist Party boss Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej were waiting for him, and demanded that he sign a pre-typed instrument of abdication. Unable to call in loyal troops, due to his telephone lines allegedly being cut, and with either Groza or Gheorghiu-Dej (depending on the source) holding a gun on him, Michael signed the document.[32][33][34][35] Later the same day, the Communist-dominated government announced the 'permanent' abolition of the monarchy, and its replacement by a People's Republic, broadcasting the King's pre-recorded radio proclamation[36] of his own abdication. On 3 January 1948, Michael was forced to leave the country, followed[37] over a week later by Princesses Elisabeth and Ileana, who collaborated so closely with the Soviets that they became known as the King's "Red Aunts".[38] He was the last monarch behind the Iron Curtain to lose his throne.
According to Michael's own account, Groza had threatened him at gun point[39][40][41][42] and warned that the government would shoot 1,000 arrested students, if the king did not abdicate.[43] In an interview with The New York Times from 2007, Michael recalls the events: "It was blackmail. They said, 'If you don't sign this immediately we are obliged' — why obliged I don't know — 'to kill more than 1,000 students' that they had in prison."[4] According to Time, Groza threatened to arrest thousands of people and order a bloodbath unless Michael abdicated.[34]
However, according to the autobiography of the former head of the Soviet intelligence agency NKVD, Major General Pavel Sudoplatov, the Deputy Soviet Foreign Commissar Andrey Vyshinsky personally conducted negotiations with King Michael for his abdication, guaranteeing part of a pension to be paid to Michael in Mexico.[44] According to a few articles in Jurnalul Naţional,[45][46] Michael's abdication was negotiated with the Communist government, which allowed him to leave the country with the goods he requested, and by some of the royal retinue.[46]
According to Albanian Communist leader Enver Hoxha's account of his conversations with the Romanian Communist leaders on the monarch's abdication, it was Gheorghiu-Dej, not Groza, who forced Michael's abdication at gunpoint. He was allowed to leave the country accompanied by some of his entourage and, as confirmed also by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev recounting Gheorghiu-Dej's confessions,[47] with whatever properties he desired, including gold and rubies.[48] Hoxha also wrote that pro-Communist troops surrounded the palace, to counter army units who were still loyal to the king.
In March 1948, Michael denounced his abdication as illegal, and contended he was still the rightful king of Romania. According to Time magazine,[49] he would have done so sooner, but for much of early 1948, he had been negotiating with the Communists over properties he had left in Romania.
There are reports[50][51][52][53][54] that Romanian communist authorities allowed King Michael to depart with 42 valuable Crown-owned paintings in November 1947, so that he would leave Romania faster.[52] Some of these paintings[55] were reportedly sold through the famed art dealer Daniel Wildenstein. One of the paintings belonging to the Romanian Crown, which was supposedly taken out of the country by King Michael in November 1947, returned to Romania in 2004 as a donation[50][56][57] made by John Kreuger, the former husband of King Michael's daughter Princess Irina.
In 2005, Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu[58] denied these accusations about King Michael, stating that the Romanian government has no proof of any such action by King Michael and that, prior to 1949, the government had no official records of any artwork taken over from the former royal residences. However, according to some historians, such records existed as early as April 1948, having been, in fact, officially published in June 1948.[59]
According to Ivor Porter's authorized biography,[60] Michael of Romania: The King and The Country (2005), which quotes Queen-Mother Helen's daily diary, the Romanian royal family took out paintings belonging to the Romanian Royal Crown, on their November 1947 trip to London to the wedding of the future Queen Elizabeth II; two of these paintings, signed by El Greco, were sold in 1976.
According to recently declassified Foreign Office documents, when he left Romania, the exiled King Michael's only assets amounted to 500,000 Swiss francs.[61] Recently declassified Soviet transcripts of talks between Joseph Stalin and the Romanian Prime-Minister Petru Groza[62][63] show that shortly before his abdication, King Michael received from the communist government assets amounting to 500,000 Swiss francs. King Michael, however, repeatedly denied[64][65][66] that the communist government had allowed him to take into exile any financial assets or valuable goods besides four personal automobiles loaded on two train cars.
Life in exile
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Royal_standard_of_Romania_%28King%2C_1922_model%29.svg/220px-Royal_standard_of_Romania_%28King%2C_1922_model%29.svg.png)
Michael never met his father, Carol, after the 1940 abdication. Michael could see no point in meeting his father who had humiliated his mother so many times via his open affairs and did not attend his father's funeral in 1953.[67]
In January 1948,[34] Michael began using one of his family's ancestral titles, "Prince of Hohenzollern",[68][69] instead of using the title of "King of Romania". After denouncing his abdication as forced and illegal in March 1948, Michael resumed use of the kingly title.
On 10 June 1948 in Athens, Greece, he married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma (born Paris, 18 September 1923), his second cousin once removed. As Princess Anne was Roman Catholic, the couple asked for a dispensation from Pope Pius XII for the marriage. Negotiations with the Vatican broke down when Michael refused to promise to raise any future children Catholic, as it would have been deemed illegal under the Romanian Constitution of 1923. The dispensation was not given by the Pope and their marriage was not deemed valid by the Roman Catholic Church until 1966.[70]
The couple lived near Florence, Italy, until 1948, near Lausanne, Switzerland, until 1950, and then in Hampshire, England, until 1956.[71][72] After that, the couple settled near Versoix, Switzerland, where they would live for the next 45 years. The Communist Romanian authorities stripped Michael of his Romanian citizenship in 1948.[73] During exile, Michael worked as farmer, pilot, entrepreneur and broker.[71][5] With his wife, he has five daughters born between 1949 and 1964.
Return and rehabilitation
On 25 December 1990—a year after the revolution which overthrew the Communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu—Michael, accompanied by several members of the royal family, landed at Otopeni airport and entered Romania for the first time in 43 years. Using a Danish diplomatic passport, Michael was able to obtain a 24-hour visa. He intended to reach Curtea de Argeș Cathedral, pray at the tombs of his royal ancestors and attend the Christmas religious service. However, on their way to Curtea de Argeș, the King and his companions were stopped by a police filter, taken to the airport and forced to leave the country.[74]
In 1992, the Romanian government allowed Michael to return to Romania for Easter celebrations, where he drew large crowds. Even though the Romanian government denied his request to give a speech from the Royal Palace (now the National Museum of Art of Romania),[75] his speech from a hotel room drew over a million people to Bucharest to see him.[76] Michael refused the offer of the president of the National Liberal Party, Radu Câmpeanu, to run for elections as president of Romania. Michael's popularity alarmed the government of President Ion Iliescu, and he was forbidden to visit Romania, being denied entry twice in 1994 and 1995.[75]
In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by Emil Constantinescu, the Romanian government restored Michael's citizenship and again allowed him to visit the country.[75] He now lives partly in Switzerland at Aubonne and partly in Romania, either at Săvârșin Castle in Arad County or in an official residence in Bucharest—the Elisabeta Palace—voted by the Romanian Parliament by a law concerning arrangements for former heads of state. Besides Săvârșin Castle, the former private residences Peleș Castle and Pelișor were also restituted. While Peleș and Pelișor are open to the public, Elisabeta Palace and Săvârșin are used as private residences.
-
Pelișor Castle
Later years
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_S%C3%A2mb%C4%83ta_King_Mihai_I.jpg/220px-M%C4%83n%C4%83stirea_S%C3%A2mb%C4%83ta_King_Mihai_I.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Michael_I_2014_Romanian_stamp_2.jpg/220px-Michael_I_2014_Romanian_stamp_2.jpg)
Michael has neither encouraged nor opposed monarchist agitation in Romania and royalist parties have made little impact in post-communist Romanian politics. He takes the view that the restoration of the monarchy in Romania can only result from a decision by the Romanian people. "If the people want me to come back, of course, I will come back," he said in 1990. "Romanians have had enough suffering imposed on them to have the right to be consulted on their future." King Michael's belief is that there is still a role for, and value in, the monarchy today: "We are trying to make people understand what the Romanian monarchy was, and what it can still do" (for them).[77] According to a 2007 opinion poll conducted at the request of the Romanian royal family, only 14% of Romanians were in favour of the restoration of the monarchy.[78] Another 2008 poll found that only 16% of Romanians are monarchists.[79]
Michael has undertaken some quasi-diplomatic roles on behalf of post-communist Romania. In 1997 and 2002 he toured Western Europe, lobbying for Romania's admission into NATO and the European Union, and was received by heads of state and government officials.
In December 2003, allegedly to the "stupefaction of the public opinion in Romania",[80][81] Michael awarded the "Man of The Year 2003"[82] prize to Prime Minister Adrian Năstase, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), on behalf of the tabloid[83] VIP. The daily Evenimentul Zilei subsequently complained that 'such an activity was unsuited to a king and that Michael was wasting away his prestige', with the majority of the political analysts 'considering his gesture as a fresh abdication'.[80]
On 10 May 2007, King Michael received the Prague Society for International Cooperation and Global Panel Foundation's 6th Annual Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award, previously awarded to Vladimir Ashkenazy, Madeleine Albright, Václav Havel, Lord Robertson, and Miloš Forman.[84] On 8 April 2008, King Michael and Patriarch Daniel were elected as honorary members of the Romanian Academy.[85][86]
Michael participated in the Victory Parade in Moscow in 2010 as the only living Supreme Commander-in-Chief of a European State in the Second World War.[87] The name of Michael I is listed on the memorial in the Grand Kremlin Palace as one of only 20 recipients of the Order of Victory.
In old age, Michael has enjoyed a strong revival in popularity. On 25 October 2011, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, he delivered a speech before the assembled chambers of the Romanian Parliament. An opinion poll in January 2012 placed him as the most trusted public figure in Romania, far ahead of the political leaders.[88] Later, in October 2012, celebrating Michael's 91st birthday, a square in Bucharest was renamed after him.[89]
In a July 2013 survey, 45% of Romanians had a good or very good opinion of Michael, with 6.5% thinking the opposite. The royal family also enjoyed similar numbers, with 41% having a good or very good opinion of it, and just 6.5% having a poor or very poor one.[90]
Health issues
In March 2016, the Royal Council announced King Michael's retirement from public life;[91] tasks are assumed by Princess Margareta, his daughter. After a surgery earlier this year, King Michael was diagnosed with chronic leukemia and metastatic epidermoid carcinoma and will face a complex and lengthy treatment.[92]
On 1 August 2016, he became a widower when Queen Anne died at the age of 92.[93]
Political inheritance
According to the succession provisions of the Romanian kingdom's last democratically approved monarchical constitution of 1923, upon the death of King Michael without sons, the claim to the Crown devolves once again upon the Hohenzollern family.
However, on 30 December 2007, on the 60th anniversary of his abdication, King Michael signed the Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, by which he designated Princess Margarita as his heir.[10][94]
The document has no legal standing, as it regulates an institution that is not extant anymore.[95][96] On the same occasion, Michael also asked the Romanian Parliament that, should it consider restoring the monarchy, it should also abolish the salic law of succession.
On 10 May 2011, on a background of lawsuits in Germany brought against his family by his German relatives regarding the former name Hohenzollern-Veringen of his son-in-law, Radu, and of fears[97] expressed by some that the German Hohenzollerns may claim succession to the headship of the Romanian royal house, Michael severed all of the dynastic and historical ties with the princely house of Hohenzollern, changed the name of his family to "of Romania", and gave up all princely titles conferred upon him and his family by the German Hohenzollerns.[98][99]
On 1 August 2015, Michael signed a document removing the title Prince of Romania and the qualification of Royal Highness from his grandson, Nicholas Medforth-Mills, who was also removed from the line of succession. The former king took the decision "with an eye on Romania's future after the reign and life of his eldest daughter, Margarita". The former king hopes that "Nicholas will find in future years a suitable way to serve the ideals and use the qualities that God gave him". Nicholas's mother, Princess Helen, received notification of the former king's decision in a personal letter.[100]
Personality and personal interests
At age 16, Michael, at that time crown prince, hit a cyclist while driving a car according to the official Censorship Records, confirmed by the memoirs of the former prime minister Constantin Argetoianu, an accident that apparently resulted in the death of the bicyclist, censored in the press.[101][102]
Michael was head of the Romanian Boy Scouts in the 1930s.[103] He is passionate about cars,[104] especially military jeeps.[105][106] He is also interested in aircraft,[107] having worked as a test pilot during his exile.
Family
Romanian royal family |
---|
![]() |
‡Status disputed |
Michael and Queen Anne had five daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren:
- Princess Margareta (b. 26 March 1949) she married Radu Duda on 21 September 1996.
- Princess Elena of Romania (b. 15 November 1950) she married Robin Medforth-Mills on 20 July 1983 and divorced on 28 November 1991. They have two children. She married secondly Alexander McAteer on 14 August 1998.
- Nicholas de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 1 April 1985)
- Elisabeta-Karina de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 4 January 1989)
- Irina Walker (b. 28 February 1953); born Princess Irina of Romania. She married John Kreuger on 4 October 1983 and divorced on 24 November 2003. They have two children and three grandchildren. She married secondly John Wesley Walker on 10 November 2007.
- Michael Torsten de Roumanie Kreuger (b. 25 February 1984) married Tara Littlefield in February 2011.
- Kohen Kreuger (b. March 2012)
- Angelica-Margaretta Bianca de Roumanie Kreuger (b. 29 December 1986) married Richard Robert Knight in 2009.
- Courtney Bianca Knight (b. 2007)
- Diana Knight (b. 2011)
- Michael Torsten de Roumanie Kreuger (b. 25 February 1984) married Tara Littlefield in February 2011.
- Princess Sophie of Romania (b. 29 October 1957) she married Alain Biarneix on 29 August 1998 and divorced in 2002.
- Elisabeth-Maria de Roumanie Biarneix (b. 15 August 1998)
- Princess Maria of Romania (b. 13 July 1964) she married Casimir Mystkowski on 16 September 1995 and divorced in 2003.
Titles and styles
- 25 October 1921 – 4 January 1926: His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Romania, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- 4 January 1926 – 20 July 1927: His Royal Highness Crown Prince Michael of Romania, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
- 20 July 1927 – 8 June 1930: His Majesty Michael I, King of Romania
- 8 June 1930 – 6 September 1940: His Royal Highness Michael, Great Voivode of Alba Julia, Crown Prince of Romania
- 6 September 1940 – Present: His Majesty King Michael I of Romania
In addition to being the current claimant to the defunct throne of Romania, he was also a Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen until 10 May 2011, when he renounced this title.[34][68][108][98]
Honours and awards
National dynastic honours
House of Romania: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Carol I[109][110][111]
House of Romania: Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown[112][113]
National state honours
Romania: Former Sovereign Knight with Collar of the Order of Michael the Brave, Special Class[114][115]
Romania: Former Sovereign Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania[116]
Romania: Former Sovereign Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Faithful Service[117]
Romania: Recipient of the Military Virtue Medal[118]
Romania: Former 1st Sovereign Recipient of the Crusade against Communism Medal[119]
Romania: Recipient of the Eagle of Romania[120]
Romania: Emblem of Honour of the Romanian Armed Forces[121][122]
Romania: Commander badge of the Romanian Land Forces[123]
Romania: Commander badge of the Romanian Naval Forces[124]
Romania: Commander badge of the Romanian Air Force[125]
Romanian Jewish community: Recipient of the Romanian Dedication Medal[126]
Romanian Jewish community: Recipient of the Alexandru Şafran Medal[127]
Foreign honours
Belgium: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold[128]
Czech Republic: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Lion
Czech Republic: Recipient of the Medal of Merit of the Ministry of Defence, 1st Class[129]
Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose
- France
France: Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour[130]
House of Orléans: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Lazarus[131][132][133]
Germany: Grand Officer of the Iron Cross
Greek Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Redeemer[134]
Greek Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Order of Saints George and Constantine[135]
Greek Royal Family: Knight of the Royal Decoration of the Greek Royal House, 1st Class[136]
Italian Royal Family: Knight Grand Collar of the Supreme Royal Order of the Most Holy Annunciation[citation needed]
Italian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cordon of the Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Italian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cordon the Royal Order of the Crown
Poland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Eagle[137][138]
- Russia
Russia: Recipient of the Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
Soviet Union: Grand Officer of the Order of Victory[139][140][141]
Sweden: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf[142][143]
United Kingdom: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order[144][145]
United Kingdom: Recipient of the King George VI Coronation Medal[146]
United States: Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit[130][147]
Awards
National awards
Romania: Honorary Citizen of the Călărași County[148]
Romania: Honorary Citizen of the City of Techirghiol[149]
Romania: Honorary Citizen of the City of Craiova[150]
Romania: Honorary Citizen of the Village of Stremț[151]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies[152]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine[153]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University[154]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Politehnica University of Bucharest[155]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the University of Pitești[156]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the University of Bucharest[157]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timișoara[158]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Polytechnic University of Timișoara[159]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca[160]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Carol I National Defence University[161]
Romania: Honorary Degree of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University[162]
Foreign awards
Czech Republic: Honorary Citizen of the City of Kromeriz[163]
United Kingdom: Freeman of the City of London[164]
United Kingdom: Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers[165]
Ancestry
As a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, through both of his parents, Michael is a third cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and Queen Elizabeth II.
See also
References
- ^ "World War II – 60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Looking for Leadership". Human Events. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Peter Kurth. MICHAEL OF ROMANIA. peterkurth.com
- ^ a b Craig S. Smith (27 January 2007). "Romania's King Without a Throne Outlives Foes and Setbacks". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ a b "MS Regele Mihai I". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Bucur, Marie "Carol II" pages 87-118 from Balkan Strongmen: Dictators and Authoritarian Rulers of South Eastern Europe edited by Bernd Jürgen Fischer, West Lafayette: Purdue University Press, 2007 page 97.
- ^ "Rulers of Romania". Rulers. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ "FOTODOCUMENT. Mihai, Mare Voievod de Alba Iulia - Romania Libera". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "Ce citeau românii acum 68 de ani?", Ziua, 29 November 2007.
- ^ a b Fundamental Rules of the Royal Family of Romania, The Romanian Royal Family website as. Retrieved 8 January 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The Joys of Suffering," Volume 2, "Dialogue with a few intellectuals", by Rev. Fr. Dimitrie Bejan – "Orthodox Advices" website as of 9 June 2007
- ^ Template:Ro icon Ioan Scurtu, Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu, The History of the Romanians between 1918–1940 ("Istoria românilor între anii 1918–1940"), page 280.
- ^ Thorpe, Nick (25 October 2011). "Romania's ex-King Michael I defends his wartime record". BBC. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Template:Es icon "Comí con Hitler, era estirado y frío. Mussolini parecía más humano"
- ^ a b "Bulgaria". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ a b c d e f "Romania – Armistice Negotiations and Soviet Occupation". countrystudies.us.
- ^ "Marshal "WorldWar2.ro – Romanian Army in the Second World War". Worldwar2.org. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "23 August – radiografia unei lovituri de Palat", paragraph "Predaţi comuniştilor", Dosare Ultrasecrete, Ziua, 19 August 2006
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Dictatura+a+luat+sfarsit+si+cu+ea+inceteaza+toate+asupririle" ("The Dictatorship Has Ended and along with It All Oppression") – From The Proclamation to The Nation of King Michael I on The Night of 23 August 1944, Curierul Naţional, 7 August 2004
- ^ Secret CIA report - RUMANIA, 10/5/1949
- ^ "Hitler Resorts To 'Puppets' In Romania", The Washington Post, 25 August 1944
- ^ "King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies", The New York Times, 24 August 1944
- ^ Template:Ro icon Constantiniu, Florin, O istorie sinceră a poporului român ("An Honest History of the Romanian People"), Ed. Univers Enciclopedic, Bucureşti, 1997, ISBN 973-9243-07-X
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Cuvintele lui Harry S. Truman", Romanian, Prince Radu's blog, includes scan of citation, 23 June 2011
- ^ Template:Ro icon Armata Română în Al Doilea Război Mondial. Romanian Army in World War II. Bucharest: "Meridiane" publishing house, 1995, page 196
- ^ Template:Ro icon "What was done in Romania between 1945 and 1947 it has also been done since 1989", Ziua, 24 August 2000
- ^ Template:Ro icon Brief history of Sighet prison, BBC, 18 April 2007
- ^ ""I Live Again" by Ileana, Princess of Romania, Chapter 21". Tkinter.smig.net. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Template:Ro icon"History as a Soap Opera – The Gossips of a Secret Report (III)", Jurnalul Naţional, 18 June 2006
- ^ ""Development of the Romanian Armed Forces after World War II", Library of Congress Country Studies". Lcweb2.loc.gov. 20 August 1968. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Speech By His Majesty Michael I, King of Romania to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, London, 26 March 1997
- ^ Template:Ro icon "King Michael between the ascension to the throne and abdication – VII", Ziarul financiar, 24 June 2001
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The Republic was installed by way of the gun". Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help), undated interview with H.M. King Michael in Ziua, as of 15 October 2008 - ^ a b c d "Compression", Time, 12 January 1948
- ^ Template:Ro icon Mircea Ionnitiu : "30 December 1947", site dedicated to HM King Mihai I of Romania and to the Romanian Monarchy as of 15 October 2008
- ^ Friends & Enemies, Presidents & Kings by Tammy Lee McClure, Accendo Publishing, page 99. Another account comes from the Romanian anti-communist dissident Paul Goma's Template:Ro icon "Skipped Diary" ("Jurnal pe sarite"), page 57.
- ^ "2 Princesses Exiled By Romanian Regime", The New York Times, 13 January 1948
- ^ W. H. Lawrence,"Aunts of Michael May Be Exiled Too", The New York Times, 7 January 1948
- ^ "The Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews" Archived 7 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine, as. Retrieved 21 January 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon"The Republic was installed with a pistol". Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help), Ziua, May 1996 - ^ Template:Ro icon Timeline, semi-official site dedicated to HM King Michael I, as. Retrieved 21 January 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon"Princess Margareta, designated dynastic successor", Antena 3, 30 December 2007
- ^ "A king and his coup", The Daily Telegraph, 12 June 2005
- ^ Pavel Sudoplatov, Anatoli Sudoplatov, Jerrold L. Schecter, Leona P. Schecter, Special Tasks: The Memoirs of an Unwanted Witness—A Soviet Spymaster. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1994, page 232. ISBN 0-316-77352-2 : "Vyshinsky personally conducted negotiations with King Michael of Romania for his abdication, guaranteeing part of his pension in Mexico."
- ^ Template:Ro icon"The return from London and the abdication," Jurnalul Naţional, 17 November 2005
- ^ a b Template:Ro icon "Communism – King Michael I's Abdication", Jurnalul Naţional, 11 December 2006
- ^ Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Sergeĭ Khrushchev.Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev: Statesman, 1953–1964, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2007, page 701, ISBN 0-271-02935-8 : "As Dej reminisced, 'We told him he could take everything with him that he considered necessary, but he had to leave his kingdom.'"
- ^ Enver Hoxha.The Titoites. The "Naim Frasheri" publishing house, Tirana, 1982, pages 519–522, 572
- ^ "Anne & I", Time, 15 March 1948
- ^ a b Miscellaneous, Evenimentul Zilei, 24 March 2005
- ^ Miscellaneous, Evenimentul Zilei, 14 March 2005
- ^ a b The Lia Roberts hope, Evenimentul Zilei, 19 January 2004
- ^ George Radulescu (29 December 2007) Monarchy, the only bastion against the communists, Adevărul
- ^ Template:Ro icon Mihai Pelin has died, Romania libera, 17 December 2007
- ^ Michel van Rijn, ""Hot Art, Cold Cash"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help), pages 177, 184, Little Brown & Co., October 1994. For more on the credentials of the UK police expert in art smuggling Michel van Rijn, see 1 and 2. - ^ Template:Ro icon "Raibolini's Madonna at the National Museum of Art of Romania", Ziua, 20 November 2004
- ^ Template:Ro icon "A Prestigious Donation: Madonna with the Infant by Francesco Raibolini, named "Il Francia"", Online Gallery site as of 8 December 2006
- ^ Template:Ro icon "There Are No Proofs That King Michael Took Paintings out of Romania", Adevărul, 19 April 2005
- ^ Radu Bogdan (October 1998) "Testimonials of contemporary history – Peles, January–April 1948. The inventorying of the former royal art works (III)", Magazin istoric
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The King and The Country", "Revista 22", 8 March 2006.
- ^ "Exiled king 'should become pilot'", BBC News, 2 January 2005
- ^ Template:Ro icon "King Michael in exile – from poultry grower to test pilot and broker", ROMPRES, 13 April 2005
- ^ Template:Ro icon "King Michael in exile – from poultry grower to test pilot and broker", Jurnalul de Botosani si Dorohoi, 13 April 2005
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Romania under King Michael I", the Royal Family website, as of 12 April 2008
- ^ "Translation of King Michael's interview to Ziua daily, undated". Web.archive.org. 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Template:Ro icon ""NATO was more important militarily, but Europe is politically more than we realize now", states H.M. King Michael", Adevărul, 3 May 2005
- ^ "Monique Urdareanu on Elena Lupescu and Carol II". Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help), Ziua, 14 January 2006 - ^ a b "Milestones", Time, 21 June 1948
- ^ Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, Sergeĭ Khrushchev. Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev: Statesman, 1953–1964, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2007, page 947, ISBN 0-271-02935-8
- ^ Eilers-Koenig, Marlene (2008). "The Marriage of King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania". European Royal History Journal. 11.3 (LXIII). Arturo E. Beeche: 3–10.
- ^ a b "Viaţa Regelui Mihai în exil: fermier, pilot, şomer, broker. „Care a fost sentimentul la plecarea din România? Am plecat cu moartea în suflet"". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "EX-KING MICHAEL OF RUMANIA BECOMES MARKET GARDENER, 1953", British Pathe, as. Retrieved 17 October 2009
- ^ "Cum i-a fost retrasă cetăţenia regelui Mihai". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Sudetic, Chuck (27 December 1990). "Expelling Former King, Romanians Cite 'Stunt'". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Regele Mihai, de la interzicerea intrării în România la discursul istoric din Parlament". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Kings Without Crowns Michael of Romania, Danish Norsk Television
- ^ "King Mihai I Turns 85", Ziua, 25 October 2006
- ^ Template:Ro icon "NLP: Monarchy saves Basescu-mania" ("PNL: Monarhia salvează Băsescu-mania"), Cotidianul, 31 August 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Monarchy: desired by only 16% of the population" ("Monarhia, dorită de doar 16% din populaţie"), Cotidianul, 21 September 2008
- ^ a b "The Watchtower: The king and the jester". Evenimentul Zilei, 18 December 2003
- ^ Template:Ro icon ?"Adrian Nastase received his prize from King Michael's hand, Adevarul, 17 December 2003
- ^ "100 %". Talk Show on Realitatea TV, Prince Radu's website, 12 April 2004
- ^ Template:Ro icon VIP – Advertising, The "VIP" website as of 22 July 2008
- ^ "Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award", www.globalpanel.org
- ^ Template:Ro icon Communique, The Royal Family website, 8 April 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon Patriarch Daniel and King Michael have become members of the Romanian Academy, Antena 3, 19 December 2007
- ^ "Regele Mihai la Moscova". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Romanians Have the Highest Confidence in King Mihai I. nineoclock.ro.
- ^ Bucharest square to be named after Romania's King Michael on his 91st birthday. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ 41% dintre romani ar vota pentru mentinerea republicii, 27,2% ar alege monarhia – INSCOP. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "Declarația Consiliului Regal, 2 martie 2016". Romanian Royal Family. 2 March 2016.
- ^ Andrei Luca Popescu (2 March 2016). "Grav bolnav, Regele Mihai SE RETRAGE din viaţa publică". Gândul.
- ^ "Queen Anne of Romania – obituary". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Template:Ro icon "Princess Margarita, heiress to the throne of Romania," Evenimentul Zilei, 30 December 2007
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The King and Margareta – On The 'Day of the Republic' The King Designated His Successor", Jurnalul National, 2 January 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The Actor Duda in The Role of A Lifetime: Prince Consort of Romania," Cotidianul, 3 January 2008
- ^ Template:Ro icon Filip-Lucian Iorga : "The Royal House of Romania does not have to remain tied to the shady side of the Hohenzollern family", Hotnews.ro. Retrieved 14 May 2011
- ^ a b Template:Ro icon King Michael I announces the severance of all historical and dynastic ties to the House of Hohenzollern, Adevarul, 11 May 2011
- ^ Template:Ro icon "The history of the conflicts between the Royal House of Romania and the Princely House of Hohenzollern", Adevarul, 11 May 2011
- ^ Template:Ro icon Comunicatul Biroului de Presă al Majestății Sale, 10 August 2015
- ^ Vlad Teodorescu (25 March 2013) "Secrets of the car crashes caused by King Michael and Nicu Ceausescu," Evenimentul Zilei
- ^ Sorin Semeniuc (14 January 2013) "King Michael's accident, the secret buried for 75 years", "7 Est" daily
- ^ "Nog een foto van Kroonprins Michael van Roemenië, die onlangs aan boord van de torpedohoot "Principessa Maria" tijdens een zwaren storm in de Zwarte Zee in levensgevaar heeft verkeerd. Men ziet den Prins als leider der Roemeensche padvinders, in welke functie hij zijn vader, Koning Carol, op 2en Kerstdag de gelukwenschen namens de padvindersbeweging overbracht". Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië (in Dutch). 11 January 1938. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
- ^ Template:Ro icon Andrei Săvulescu. King Michael – Car Driver, Mechanic, Professional Pilot, Humanitas publishing house, Bucharest, 1996
- ^ "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace," Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1 April 1946
- ^ "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace," Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1 April 1946
- ^ Template:Ro icon "King Michael air pilot", http://www.aviatori.ro/ website. Retrieved 27 March 2013
- ^ "Genealogy of the Royal Family of Romania". Archived from the original on 23 December 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2006.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help). Retrieved 2 October 2006 - ^ Ordine si medalii – officials website of the Romanian Royal Family
- ^ JPG image. istorie-pe-scurt.ro. August 2014
- ^ JPG image. rathbonemuseum.com
- ^ "Familia Regala – Ordine si medalii". Familiaregeala.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ JPG image. blogspot.com
- ^ "King Mihai of Romania and his family". Forum.alexanderpalace.org. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ JPG image. radu-tudor.ro
- ^ JPG image. pinimg.com
- ^ JPG image. wordpress.com. APril 2011
- ^ JPG image. ziuaveche.ro. December 2014
- ^ JPG image. wordpress.com. October 2012
- ^ JPG Image. politicaromaneasca.ro
- ^ "Regele Mihai a primit Emblema de Onoare a Armatei Romaniei/ Regele a decorat mai multe personalitati romanesti; intre acestea se numara Cornel Nistorescu". M.hotnews.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Stiri de ultima ora, stiri online". Stirileprotv.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ Kevin. "Dr. Caligari's Cabinet". Dcaligari.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Romanian and German Troops in Bessarabia, Ukraine and Crimea, 1941–42. Part III". Allworldwars.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Romanian Air Force Photos Page 2". Rathbonemuseum.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Stiri". familiaregala.ro.
- ^ "King Michael receives Alexandru Safran Medal - Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "A Parade of Magnificent Jewels". Angelfire.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Președintele Republicii Cehe, oaspetele Familiei Regale - Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje". Familiaregeala.ro. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Connaissance des Religions". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ Staf, Christophe. "L'Ordre Militaire et Hospitalier de Saint-Lazare de Jérusalem - L'Ordre de Saint-Lazare". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ La Vie Chevaleresque, December 1938, 21/22:p.73-74
- ^ "Part 4: An Album of Romanian Images from the Hoover Archives". Hoover Institution. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ B. "The Royal Calendar". Goddessaintnoblewomannun.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/eb/43/a1/eb43a1579437294e97ac66dcaeca78af.jpg
- ^ "King Carol II of Romania". alexanderpalace.org.
- ^ "Order of the White Eagle (Poland) | World War II". desertwar.net.
- ^ (Soviet Union, 6 July 1945) "For the courageous act of decisive turning in the direction of the Romanian policy against Germany and the alliance with the Allies in a time when it was not yet set a clear defeat of Germany"
- ^ "Armata română şi frontul de est văzute din perspectivă rusă". Bucurestiivechisinoi.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ JPG image. art-emis.ro
- ^ "THE ROYAL FAMILY OF ROMANIA". Tkinter.smig.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Stockholm. 30 April 1996
- ^ "H.M. King Michael of Romania celebrated in London 7–8 November 2012: Photographs". Diana Mandache's Weblog.
- ^ "H.M. King Michael of Romania celebrated in London 7–8 November 2012: Photographs". Diana Mandache's Weblog. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Activitati curente". familiaregala.ro.
- ^ "Legion of Merit - Familia Regală a României / Royal Family of Romania". Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ http://www.familiaregala.ro/assets/images/2011/05/Nine-O-Clock-King-Mihai-severs-dynastic-historical-ties-with-House-of-Hohenzollern-11-May-2011-B.jpg
- ^ "Regele Mihai a devenit Cetățean de Onoare al orașului Techirghiol". Reporterntv.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Craiova: Regele Mihai, cetăţean de onoare". GAZETA de SUD. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Alba: Regele Mihai, Cetățean de Onoare al comunei Stremț". Agerpres.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje". Familiaregeala.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Comunicate si mesaje". Familiaregeala.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Universitatea Crestina DIMITRIE CANTEMIR". Ucdc.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Majestatea Sa Regele Mihai I distins cu titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa la UPB". Upb.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Principesa Margareta, Doctor Honoris Causa la Pitesti". Ziare.com. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Doctor Honoris Causa". Aniversare 150 de ani. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Regele Mihai, "Doctor Honoris Causa" al UMF Timisoara – Romania Libera". RomaniaLibera.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Regele Mihai a primit titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa al Universităţii Politehnica din Timişoara, la Săvârşin". adevarul.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Activitati curente". Familiaregalia.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Regele Mihai I, Doctor Honoris Causa al Universității Naționale de Apărare Carol I". Romaniaregala.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Regele Mihai, distins cu titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa al Universității din Iași". Romaniaregala.ro. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ King Mihai I jubilee – Evening dedicated to the Czech Republic. Embassy of the Czech Republic in Budapest. 23 October 2011
- ^ Caterina Carola. "News from the Guild". Guild-freemen-london.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ "Familia Regala – Stiri". familiaregala.ro.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- The Official Website of The Romanian Royal Family
- The Official Blog of The Romanian Royal Family
- "Bonny King Michael" (Michael at age 5), on the cover of Time, 1 August 1927
- "We reigned in darkness"[permanent dead link], The Spectator, 14 June 1997
- "World War II – 60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides", Radio Free Europe, 6 May 2005
- Oliver North, "A Lesson in Leadership", The Washington Times, 17 April 2006
- Template:Ro icon Costel Oprea, "Regele Mihai, retrocedare de un miliard de euro", România Liberă, 27 April 2007
- Template:Ro icon Costel Oprea, "Harta marilor retrocedări (II)", România Liberă, 18 April 2007
- 1921 births
- Living people
- Romanian monarchs
- Kings of Romania
- Romanian princes
- Romanian people of World War II
- World War II political leaders
- Field marshals of Romania
- Romanian military leaders
- Romanian Land Forces personnel
- Romanian military personnel of World War II
- Military leaders of World War II
- House of Romania
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Carol I
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
- Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 1st class
- First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Faithful Service
- Recipients of the Military Virtue Medal
- Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion
- Recipients of the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic
- Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
- Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class
- Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
- Collars of the Order of Saints George and Constantine
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saints George and Constantine
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- Knights of Malta
- Recipients of the Order of Victory
- Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Chief Commanders of the Legion of Merit
- Orthodox monarchs
- Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church
- People from Sinaia
- Pretenders to the Romanian throne
- Members of the Senate of Romania
- Honorary members of the Romanian Academy
- Modern child rulers
- Rulers deposed as children
- Romanian anti-communists