Michael I of Romania
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King Michael I of the Romanians (born October 25, 1921), reigned as King of the Romanians (in Romanian Majestatea Sa Mihai I Regele Românilor) from July 20, 1927 to June 8, 1930, and again from September 6, 1940 until deposed on December 30, 1947: he has since lived in exile. A great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria and a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, he is one of the last three living heads of state from the World War II era (the others being Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan and Simeon II of Bulgaria, who was only a child - whereas King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia reigned over a territory that, at the time, was not independent).
Early life
Michael was born in the Foishor Castle, Sinaia, Romania, the son of then Crown Prince Carol and Princess Elena, and grandson of the then reigning King Ferdinand I of the Romanians. When Carol eloped with his mistress of Jewish descent Elena "Magda" Lupescu and renounced his rights to the throne in December 1925, Michael was pronounced the heir apparent, and he succeeded to the throne on Ferdinand's death in July 1927.
Rule
A regency functioned on behalf of the 5-year-old Michael, but in 1930 Carol II suddenly returned to the country at the invitation of politicians dissatisfied with the regency, and had himself proclaimed King, designating Michael as Crown Prince. In September 1940 the pro-German régime of Marshal Ion Antonescu staged a coup against Carol, whom it considered anti-German. Antonescu had the 18 year old Michael proclaimed King to popular acclaim, but legally Michael could not exercise much authority besides that of being supreme Head of the Army and of designating a plenipotentiary Prime-Minister ("Conducator")[1]. He already had a reputation for taciturnity. He once said to his grandmother, "I have learned not to say what I feel, and to smile at those I most hate."
In August 1944, however, as the Soviet armed forces approached Romania's eastern border, Michael joined with pro-Allied politicians which included the Communists in staging a coup d'état against Antonescu, whom he placed under arrest and who was immediately delivered to the Soviets. Michael proclaimed Romania's loyalty to the Allies and declared war on Germany, but this did not avert a rapid Soviet occupation, facilitated by the cease-fire order given before any armistice was reached. The armistice was signed three weeks later on September 12 1944, on terms the Soviets virtually dictated [2]. The coup amounted to a capitulation[3], an unconditional surrender[4] to the Soviets. King Michael was spared the fate of another former German ally, Prince Kyril, Regent of Bulgaria, executed by the Soviets in 1945, and was also the last monarch behind the Iron Curtain to lose his throne. By some accounts, the coup may have shortened World War II by six months. 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.
In March 1945, political pressures forced Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government dominated by the Communist Party of Romania. Under the Communist-dominated régime Michael functioned as little more than a figurehead. Stalin decorated him with the Soviet Order of Victory, for his personal courage in overthrowing Antonescu, for putting an end to Romania's war against the Allies, and as a sign of gratitude for the King's cease-fire order[5] given during the coup, which had speeded the Red Army's advance[6] and, thus, rendered the Soviets masters of Romania. Moreover, there are several reports [7][8][9][10] that the Romanian Communist authorities obedient to Stalin presented King Michael with 42 valuable Crown owned paintings shortly before the King's abdication, some of which[11] were reportedly sold through the famed art dealer Daniel Wildenstein.
In November 1947 on the occasion of his trip to the wedding of future Queen Elizabeth II, King Michael met Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, who was to become his wife. In light of the increasing Communist pressures back home and the bleak prospect for the monarchy, King Michael did not want to return from London according to royalist circles quoted by Washington Post[12]; he did so only at the express advice of the British PM Winston Churchill and at that of other American and British personalities present at the royal wedding. According to his own account[13], King Michael had no such intentions of not returning. After his return to Romania, Michael was forced to abdicate, on 30th December 1947. The Communists announced the abolition of the monarchy and instauration of a People's Republic and broadcasted the King's pre-recorded radio proclamation[14] of his own abdication. On January 3rd 1948 Michael was forced to leave the country, followed [15][16] over a week later by his so called "Red aunts," Princesses Elisabeth of Romania and Ileana of Habsburg. When he left Romania, Michael's financial assets amounted to 500,000 Swiss francs[17], allegedly received from the Communist Government (see recently declassified Soviet transcripts[18] of talks between Stalin and the Romanian PM Petru Groza). In the past, King Michael repeatedly denied[19] 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 after the throne
| Styles of King Michael I of Romania |
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|---|---|
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
In June 1948 he married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, with whom he has five daughters. They lived first in Britain and later settled in Switzerland. The Romanian authorities stripped him of his Romanian citizenship in 1948. He became a commercial pilot and worked for an aircraft equipment company.
In 1992, three years after the revolution which overthrew the Communist régime, the new Romanian government allowed Michael to return to his country for Easter celebrations, where he drew large crowds. In Bucharest over a million people turned out to see him. Michael's popularity alarmed the government of President Ion Iliescu, and Michael could not visit Romania again for five years. In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by President Emil Constantinescu, Romania restored Michael's citizenship and again allowed him to visit. He now lives partly in Switzerland and partly in Romania, in an official residence voted him, as former head of state, by the Romanian Parliament.
Political positions
Michael has not encouraged 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. But, he said, "Romanians have had enough suffering imposed on them to have a right to be consulted on their future." Romanian monarchists, however, presumably disillusioned with Princess Margarita's choice of a prince consort, are said[20] to have offered the vacant Romanian throne to HRH Prince Charles of Wales, offer which he declined.
Michael has undertaken some quasi-diplomatic roles on behalf of post-Communist Romania. In 1997 he toured western Europe lobbying for Romania's admission to NATO and to the European Union, and was received by Heads of State and government officials.
Michael has the following children:
- Margarita (Mme Margarita de Roumanie-Duda) (born 1949)
- Elena (Mrs. Helen Nixon McAteer) (born 1950)
- Irina (born 1953)
- Sophia (born 1957)
- Maria (born 1964).
Both Helen and Irina have sons as well as daughters. Sophie, whose marriage was not accepted by her father, has a daughter.
| House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Born: October 25 1921; Died: |
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| Regnal Titles:Titles of Nobility | ||
| Preceded by: Ferdinand |
King of Romania 1927-1930 |
Succeeded by: Carol II |
| Preceded by: Carol II |
King of Romania 1940-1947 |
Republic declared |
| Titles in Pretence | ||
| New Title | * NOT REIGNING * King of Romania (1947-) |
Incumbent Designated heir: Margarita |
Footnotes
- ^ "The History of the Romanians between 1918-1940" ("ISTORIA ROMÂNILOR ÎNTRE ANII 1918–1940") (in Romanian), page 280, by Ioan Scurtu,Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu
- ^ Country Studies: Romania. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
- ^ "Hitler Resorts To 'Puppets' In Romania", Washington Post, Aug 25, 1944
- ^ "King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies", The New York Times, Aug 24, 1944
- ^ "King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies", The New York Times, Aug 24, 1944
- ^ Country Studies: Romania. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
- ^ Miscellaneous, Evenimentul Zilei daily, March 24, 2005
- ^ Miscellaneous, Evenimentul Zilei daily, March 14, 2005
- ^ "The Lia Roberts hope", Evenimentul Zilei daily, January 19, 2004
- ^ "Hot Art, Cold Cash", pages 177,184, by Michel van Rijn, Little Brown & Co., October 1994. Also the report "DEVASTATING ART NEWS", October 29, 2001, by the same UK police expert in art smuggling. For more on Michel van Rijn's credentials, please, see 1 and 2.
- ^ "Hot Art, Cold Cash", pages 177,184, by Michel van Rijn, Little Brown & Co., October 1994. Also the report "DEVASTATING ART NEWS", October 29, 2001, by the same UK police expert in art smuggling. For more on Michel van Rijn's credentials, please, see 1 and 2.
- ^ "Churchill Advised Mihai to Return", Washington Post, December 31, 1947
- ^ SPEECH By His Majesty Michael I, King of Romania to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, London, March 26, 1997
- ^ "My Enemy My Friend: Kadish for a Wehrmacht Officer" by Tammy L McClure, iUniverse Inc., 2005, page 76. Another account comes from the Romanian anti-communist disident Paul Goma's "Skipped Diary" ("Jurnal pe sarite"), (in Romanian) page 57.
- ^ "Aunts of Michael May Be Exiled Too", New York Times, January 7, 1948
- ^ "2 Princesses Exiled By Rumanian Regime", New York Times, January 12, 1948
- ^ "Exiled king 'should become pilot'", BBC News, January 2, 2005
- ^ "King Michael in exile - from poultry grower to test pilot and broker" ("Regele Mihai in exil - de la crescator de pui la pilot de incercare si broker") (in Romanian), ROMPRES news agency, April 13, 2005
- ^ Translation of King Michael's interview to Ziua daily, undated. For the original Romanian version. Adevarul daily, May 3, 2005
- ^ "The European Scapegoat" (in Romanian), by Tom Gallagher, Romania Libera, June 30, 2006
