'Michael I, King of the Romanians', 'Prince of
Hohenzollern'
[1][2][3] (born
October 25,
1921), reigned as
King of the Romanians (, literally "His Majesty Michael I King of the Romaninans") from
July 20,
1927 to
June 8,
1930, and again from
September 6,
1940 until forced to abdicate by the
Communists on
December 30,
1947. A great-great-grandson of
Queen Victoria and a third cousin of
Queen Elizabeth II, he is one of the last surviving heads of state from
World War II, the other being
Simeon II of
Bulgaria.
[4][5][6]
Early life
Michael was born in the Foişor Castle,
Sinaia,
Romania, the son of the 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
Elena "Magda" Lupescu and renounced his rights to the throne in December 1925, Michael was pronounced the
heir apparent. He succeeded to the throne upon Ferdinand's death in July 1927.
Rule
1930s and the Antonescu Era
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 was proclaimed King by the
Parliament, designating Michael as
crown prince with the title "Grand
Voievod of
Alba-Iulia". In September 1940, the pro-
German régime of Prime-Minister Marshal
Ion Antonescu staged a coup against Carol, who it considered anti-German. Antonescu had the 18-year-old Michael proclaimed King by popular acclaim, without an oath on the Constitution and without a vote of Parliament, initially suspended and reinstated only later, in 1946. Michael was instead crowned and annointed King by the
Orthodox Patriarch of Romania,
Nicodim Munteanu, in the
Patriarchal Cathedral of
Bucharest, on the very day of his second accession,
September 6,
1940[7]. Michael, thus, reigned the second time as an
absolute, unconstitutional king, solely by
divine right. However, legally Michael could not exercise much else authority besides the prerogatives of being supreme Head of the Army and of designating a plenipotentiary Prime-Minister ("
Conducător")
[8].
Turning against Nazi Germany
In 1944,
World War II was going badly for the
Axis, but military dictator Ion Antonescu was still in control of Romania. On
August 23,
1944, Michael joined with pro-Allied politicians which included the Communists, in staging a
''coup d'état'' against Antonescu, and placed him under arrest. On the same night, the new Prime Minister, Lt. General
Constantin Sănătescu, gave custody of Antonescu to the Communists, who delivered him to the Soviets on
September 1.
[9][10] In a radio broadcast to the nation and army, Michael proclaimed Romania's loyalty to the Allies, announced the acceptance of the armistice offered by the
USSR,
Great Britain, and the
U.S., and declared war on Germany,
[11] but this did not avert a rapid Soviet occupation, and capture of about 130,000 Romanian soldiers transported to the Soviet Union, where many perished in prison camps.
[12] The coup speeded the Red Army's advance into Romania
[12]. The armistice was signed three weeks later on
September 12,
1944, on terms the Soviets virtually dictated.
[12] The coup effectively amounted to a "capitulation"
[15], an "unconditional surrender"
[16] 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, thus saving hundreds of thousands of lives. 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. He was also decorated with the Soviet
Order of Victory by
Joseph Stalin for his personal courage in overthrowing Antonescu, and for putting an end to Romania's war against the Allies.
However, some claim
[17] that Michael's coup afforded Stalin's troops a faster advance
[12] into Romania and Europe, to the detriment of that of the Western Allies. Some others
[19] even see in Michael's failure to be invited, with a few exceptions, to most of the
V.E. Day celebrations in the West throughout the years, a tacit condemnation by the Western Allies of the consequences of his coup. Michael was not invited to the 60th anniversary of the V.E. Day by any Western Ally. He was invited only to the celebrations in Russia and to some
Czech and
Slovak commemorations on the same occasion.
[20]
The Reign under Communism
In March 1945, political pressures forced Michael to appoint a pro-Soviet government dominated by the
Romanian Communist Party. Under the Communist régime Michael functioned as little more than a figurehead. Between August 1945 and January 1946, during what was later known as the "royal strike," Michael tried unsuccessfully to oppose the first Communist government led by Prime Minister
Petru Groza, by refusing to sign its decrees. In response to Soviet, British, and American pressures
[21], King Michael eventually gave up his opposition to the Communist government and stopped demanding its resignation.
He did not amnesty Ion Antonescu, later condemned as a war criminal
[22][23][24]or the leaders of the opposition, victims of Communist political trials, as, some argue, the Constitution prevented him from doing so without the counter signature of the Communist justice minister. The memoirs of the King's aunt
Princess Ileana[25]quote the high-ranking Communist Party
politburo member, Soviet spy, and minister of Defense
[26] Emil Bodnăraş, 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 skeptical that the King would have willingly signed an unconstitutional document such as a death warrant decided by unconstitutional political courts: "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!" The last cellmate of the most prominent Communist victim,
Iuliu Maniu (the leader of the anti-Communist opposition and president of the
National Peasants' Party (PNŢ), deprived of its victory in the
general elections of 1946, which were falsified by the Communist government), seemingly confessed under Communist interrogation, that Maniu "cursed Michael from behind the bars of the political prison where he died, for not having done anything in the defense of the PNŢ members, despite their many services rendered to the monarchy".
[27]
Abdication
In November 1947 Michael traveled to
London for the wedding of the future
Queen Elizabeth II, occasion during which he met
Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, who was to become his wife. King Michael "did not want to go back, but American and British personalities [present at the wedding] encouraged him to do so," according to "Romanian royalist circles" quoted by ''
The Washington Post''.
[28] He returned "at the express advice of
Winston Churchill," who "is said to have counseled Michael, ‘above all things, a king must be courageous.’" According to his own account,
[29] King Michael had no such intentions of not returning back to his country. After his return to Romania, Michael was forced to abdicate, on
December 30,
1947. The Communists announced the abolition of the monarchy and its replacement by a
people's republic and broadcasted the King's pre-recorded radio proclamation
[30] of his own abdication. On
January 3,
1948 Michael was forced to leave the country, followed
[31] over a week later by Princesses
Elisabeth and Ileana, who "collaborated so closely with the Russians that they became known as the King's ‘Red aunts.’"
[32]
King Michael was awarded the
Order of Victory (the highest Soviet order) for his personal courage in overthrowing
Antonescu in the
August 23 coup and for putting an end to Romania's war against the Allies.
As of 2007 he is the only recipient alive
There are several reports
[33][34][35] 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
[36] 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 the national patrimony in 2004 as a donation
[37][38][39] made by John Kreuger, the former husband of King Michael's daughter
Princess Irina. Prime Minister
Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, in response to a query of the parliamentarian and former
Securitate officer Ilie Merce,
[40] stated that the accusations about Michael having taken out of Romania Crown paintings were "more than dubious" and that the Romanian government had no proofs of any such action by King Michael, claiming that, prior to 1949, the government had no official records of the artwork taken over from the former royal residences. Romanian editorialist Dan Cristian Turturica
[41] claims that "the King did not steal the paintings as they had been offered to him by the communist rulers so that he would leave Romania more quickly.
[35] According to Ivor Porter's authorized biography
[43] "Michael of Romania: The King and The Country" (2005), which quotes
Queen-Mother Helen's daily diary, the Romanian royals 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. However, many other editorialists deny any such Communist gift to the King, and call such accusations anti-monarchist Communist propaganda.
When he left Romania, Michael's financial assets amounted to 500,000
Swiss francs,
[44] allegedly received from the Communist Government according to recently declassified Soviet transcripts
[45] of talks between Stalin and the Romanian Prime-Minister Petru Groza. In the past, King Michael repeatedly denied
[46] 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. However, during a visit to
New York City in March 1948, the 26-year-old Michael shopped on what has been described as the most expensive
boulevard in the world,
[47][48] Fifth Avenue, and enjoyed so much the plane in which he had just flown over the
Statue of Liberty, that he thought he might buy it.
[49]
In January 1948
[1], Michael started styling himself "Prince of Hohenzollern"
[2] instead of using the title of "King of Romania." In March 1948 he denounced his abdication as forced and illegal. ''
Time'' magazine alleged that it took Michael over two months to denounce his abdication because "he had been negotiating with the Communists for the salvage of some of his Romanian properties,"
[52] in spite of earlier reports that "$3,000 in cash, four automobiles, and a
diamond-and-ruby medal given to him by Stalin were all that Bucharest let him take out."
[53] He has since styled himself mostly as "Michael of Romania."
Life after the Throne
In June 1948 he married
Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in
Athens,
Greece. They lived first in
Britain and later settled in
Switzerland. The Communist Romanian authorities stripped him of his Romanian citizenship in 1948. He became a commercial pilot and worked for an aircraft equipment company. He and his wife have five daughters.
In
1992, three years after the
revolution which overthrew the Communist dictatorship, the 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 so Michael was forbidden to visit Romania again for five years. In
1997, after Iliescu's defeat by
Emil Constantinescu, the Romanian Government restored Michael's citizenship and again allowed him to visit the country. He now lives partly in
Switzerland and partly in
Romania, in an official residence - the Elisabeta Palace - voted by the Romanian Parliament by a law concerning arrangements for former heads of state.
Michael has the following children:
★
Margarita (born
1949)
★
Elena (born
1950)
★
Irina (born
1953)
★
Sophia (born
1957)
★
Maria (born
1964).
Both Elena and Irina have sons as well as daughters. Sophia, whose marriage was not accepted by her father, has a daughter.
For further details, see the genealogical listing
[54].
Because of the Romanian succession law incorporated in the kingdom's last democratic
Constitution of
1923, upon the death of King Michael (assuming he dies without any male children, as it is likely now), in absence of its necessary change along with the Constitution, which would first require the restoration of the monarchy, the succession will devolve back into the main
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, with its head
Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern, currently first in line.
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. He said that "Romanians have had enough suffering imposed on them to have a right to be consulted on their future." In spite of this, King Michael has not given up the hope for himself or his family of returning back on the throne: "We are trying to make people understand what Romanian monarchy was and what it can still do
[55]."
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, Michael awarded the "Man of The Year 2003"
[56] prize to the then-prime minister
Adrian Năstase, leader of the
PSD party, on behalf of a minor tabloid. Some monarchists regarded
[57] Michael's gesture as a break with the traditional political neutrality of the monarchy and a financially motivated compromise with his former Communist enemies.
Personality and Personal Interests
Michael has 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."
Michael is passionate about cars
[58], especially military jeeps
[59][60]. He is also interested in airplanes
[61], having worked as a commercial flight pilot
[62] during his exile. In 1998 Michael gave his honorary patronage
[63], together with that of King
Juan Carlos of Spain, to the publication of a new version of the renowned
Almanach de Gotha.
On May 10th 2007, King Michael was awarded the
Prague Society and
Global Panel's 6th Annual
Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award previously awarded to
Vladimir Ashkenazy,
Madeleine Albright,
Vaclav Havel,
Lord Robertson and
Milos Forman.
Ancestors
|-
|-
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|-
|-
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See also
★
Kings of Romania
★
Communist Romania
★
Line of succession to the Romanian throne
External links
★
Semi-official Michael of Romania website
★
Royal Family events - Official website of Radu, Prince of Hohenzollern-Veringen
★
"Bonny King Michael" - Michael at age 5, on the cover of ''
Time''
★
"Michael of Romania" - 1990 interview with Peter Kurth
★
"King of Romania recalls sacrifices", ''
The Prague Post'', May 2005
★
"We reigned in darkness",
The Spectator,
June 14,
1997
★
"World War II -- 60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides",
Radio Free Europe,
May 6,
2005
★
"A king and his coup," Telegraph, 12/06/2005
★
"The King’s Revenge", ''
Evenimentul Zilei'',
April 20,
2006
★
"The King and The Jester", Evenimentul Zilei,
December 18,
2003
★
Oliver North,
"A Lesson in Leadership", ''
The Washington Times,
April 17,
2006
★ Costel Oprea,
"Regele Mihai, retrocedare de un miliard de euro", ''
România Liberă'',
April 27,
2007
★ Costel Oprea,
"Harta marilor retrocedări (II)", ''România Liberă'',
April 18,
2007
References
1. "Compression," Time, January 12, 1948
2. "Milestones," Time, June 21, 1948
3. Genealogy of the Royal Family of Romania, web site as of October 2, 2006
4. World War II -- "60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides", RFE/RL May 6 2005
5. “Looking for Leadership”, by Oliver North, Human Events, April 14 2006
6. "Michael of Romania" by Peter Kurth
7. Rev. Fr. Dimitrie Bejan - Dialogue with a few intellectuals, "Orthodox Advices" website as of June 9, 2007
8. ''"The History of the Romanians between 1918-1940" ("Istoria românilor între anii 1918–1940")'', page 280, by Ioan Scurtu, Theodora Stănescu-Stanciu, Georgiana Margareta Scurtu
9. Ion Antonescu",WorldWar2.ro, Romanian Armed Forces in the Second World War
10. “23 august - radiografia unei lovituri de Palat”, paragraph” Predaţi comuniştilor”, Dosare Ultrasecrete, ''Ziua'', August 19, 2006
11. ''"The Dictatorship Has Ended and along with It All Opression" - From The Proclamation to The Nation of King Michael I on The Night of August 23 1944'', ''Curierul Naţional'', August 7, 2004
12. ''Country Studies: Romania''. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
13. ''Country Studies: Romania''. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
14. ''Country Studies: Romania''. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
15. ''"Hitler Resorts To 'Puppets' In Romania"'', ''Washington Post'', August 25, 1944
16. ''"King Proclaims Nation's Surrender and Wish to Help Allies"'', ''The New York Times'', August 24, 1944
17. "Pamfil Seicaru about August 23: "More shame, fewer victims", ''Ziua'', August 16, 2004
18. ''Country Studies: Romania''. Chap. 23. US Library of Congress
19. "A Day of August in Mourning", ''Lumea'', August 2004
20. World War II -- "60 Years After: Former Romanian Monarch Remembers Decision To Switch Sides", RFE/RL, May 6, 2005
21. "What was done in Romania between 1945 and 1947 it has also been done since 1989", ''Ziua'', August 24, 2000
22. [1]
23. [2]
24. [3]
25. "I Live Again" by Ileana, Princess of Romania, Chapter 21
26. "Development of the Romanian Armed Forces after World War II", Library of Congress Country Studies
27. "The Maniu Trial", ''Jurnalul National'', November 28, 2006
28. ''"Churchill Advised Mihai to Return"'', ''The Washington Post'', December 31, 1947
29. ''Speech By His Majesty Michael I, King of Romania to the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies'', London, March 26, 1997
30. ''"Friends & Enemies, Presidents & Kings"'' by Tammy Lee McClure, Accendo Publishing, page 99. Another account comes from the Romanian anti-communist disident Paul Goma's ''"Skipped Diary" ("Jurnal pe sarite")'', page 57.
31. ''"2 Princesses Exiled By Rumanian Regime"'', New York Times, January 12, 1948
32. ''"Aunts of Michael May Be Exiled Too"'', ''The New York Times'', January 7, 1948
33. ''Miscellaneous'', Evenimentul Zilei daily, March 24, 2005
34. ''Miscellaneous'', Evenimentul Zilei daily, March 14, 2005
35. ''"The Lia Roberts hope"'', ''Evenimentul Zilei'', January 19, 2004
36. Michel van Rijn, ''"Hot Art, Cold Cash"'', pages 177, 184, 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 van Rijn's credentials, see 1 and 2.
37. "Raibolini's ''Madonna'' at the National Museum of Art of Romania", ''Ziua'', November 20, 2004
38. ''Miscellaneous'', ''Evenimentul Zilei'', March 24, 2005
39. "A Prestigious Donation: ''Madonna with the Infant'' by Francesco Raibolini, named "Il Francia"", Online Gallery site as of December 8, 2006
40. "There Are No Proofs That King Michael Took Paintings out of Romania", Adevărul, April 19, 2005
41. "Articles by Dan Cristian Turturica", Hotnews.ro site as of December 6, 2006
42. ''"The Lia Roberts hope"'', ''Evenimentul Zilei'', January 19, 2004
43. Andrei Pippidi, "The King and The Country", "22" Magazine, March 8, 2006
44. ''"Exiled king 'should become pilot'"'', ''BBC News'', January 2, 2005
45. ''"King Michael in exile - from poultry grower to test pilot and broker"'', ROMPRES, April 13, 2005
46. Translation of King Michael's interview to Ziua daily, undated. For the original Romanian version, please, see this article. Another similar interview, Adevarul daily, May 3, 2005
47. "New York’s Fifth Avenue Tops the Most Expensive List," Cushman & Wakefield - Global Real Estate Solutions, October 25, 2006
48. "Magheru, Amongst The Most Expensive Boulevards In The World", Bloombiz, October 30, 2006
49. "People", ''Time, March 22, 1948
50. "Compression," Time, January 12, 1948
51. "Milestones," Time, June 21, 1948
52. "Anne & I", ''Time'', March 15, 1948
53. "Reunion In Davos", ''Time'', February 2, 1948
54. Genealogy of the Romanian Royal Family, web site as of October 2, 2006
55. ""King Mihai I Turns 85", ''Ziua'', October 25, 2006
56. "100 %" Talk Show on Realitatea TV, Prince Radu's website, April 12, 2004
57. "The King and The Jester," Evenimentul Zilei, December 18, 2003
58. "King Michael - Car Driver, Mechanic, Professional Pilot", by Andrei Savulescu. Humanitas, Bucharest, 1996
59. "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace," Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, April 1, 1946
60. "King Michael of Rumania driving down steps leading out of Sinaia palace," Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, April 1, 1946
61. "King Mihai in an airplane", Site dedicated to HM King Mihai I of Romania, as of November 26, 2006
62. "Ex-King Michael, in Switzerland where he works for an American aircraft company," Time Life Pictures/Getty Images, January 1, 1957
63. "The Renaissance of The Gotha" (in French), Le Figaro, May 14, 1998
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