Maria of Romania
Encyclopedia
Maria of Yugoslavia was the Queen consort
of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
. She was originally a princess of Romania.
, Thuringia
, in Germany
, during the reigns of her maternal grandfather Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, and her grand-uncle King Carol I of Romania
. She was known as Mignon in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her mother was Queen Marie of Romania
, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, a son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
. Her maternal great-grandfather was Emperor Alexander II of Russia
. Maria's father was King Ferdinand I of Romania
. Through her paternal side she was also a great-granddaughter of Maria II of Portugal.She had 3 brothers and 2 sisters:Carol,future King of Romania(Carol IInd);Nicholas,prince of Romania;Elisabeta,princess of Romania and then future Queen of Greece;Ileana,princess of Romania and then Arhiduchess of Austria and Habsburg-Toscana;and other brother Mircea who died at 3 years old.
During the World War I
, she worked as a nurse with her mother.
She married Alexander I of Yugoslavia
, King of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Belgrade
on 8 June 1922, and had three sons:
Following the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
in Marseille
in 1934, her oldest son became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last 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. She also drove a car by herself, which was very unusual for royalty at the time.
She died in exile in London
on 22 June 1961 and is interred at the Royal Burial Ground
at Frogmore
, which adjoins Windsor Castle
.
n 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 remain one of the greatest humanitarian patrons of the Balkan
region.
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.
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Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
. She was originally a princess of Romania.
Early life
She was born in GothaGotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, during the reigns of her maternal grandfather Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, and her grand-uncle King Carol I of Romania
Carol I of Romania
Carol I , born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was reigning prince and then King of Romania from 1866 to 1914. He was elected prince of Romania on 20 April 1866 following the overthrow of Alexandru Ioan Cuza by a palace coup...
. She was known as Mignon in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her mother was Queen Marie of Romania
Marie of Romania
Marie of Romania was Queen consort of Romania from 1914 to 1927, as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.-Early life:...
, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, a son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. Her maternal great-grandfather was Emperor Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
. Maria's father was King Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania
Ferdinand was the King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death.-Early life:Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, was a son of Leopold, Prince of...
. Through her paternal side she was also a great-granddaughter of Maria II of Portugal.She had 3 brothers and 2 sisters:Carol,future King of Romania(Carol IInd);Nicholas,prince of Romania;Elisabeta,princess of Romania and then future Queen of Greece;Ileana,princess of Romania and then Arhiduchess of Austria and Habsburg-Toscana;and other brother Mircea who died at 3 years old.
During the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, she worked as a nurse with her mother.
Marriage and children
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
, King of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
on 8 June 1922, and had three sons:
- King Peter IIPeter II of YugoslaviaPeter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
(1923–1970) - Prince TomislavPrince Tomislav of YugoslaviaPrince Tomislav of Yugoslavia was a member of the House of Karađorđević.-Early life and education:...
(1928–2000) - Prince AndrejPrince Andrej of YugoslaviaPrince Andrej of Yugoslavia was the third son of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and Maria of Romania , the second daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Marie of Edinburgh .-Exile:After the fall of monarchy in Yugoslavia...
(1929–1990)
Following the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
in 1934, her oldest son became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last Yugoslav king. She was given the title Queen Mother
Queen mother
Queen Mother is a title or position reserved for a widowed queen consort whose son or daughter from that marriage is the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since at least 1577...
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. She also drove a car by herself, which was very unusual for royalty at the time.
She died in exile in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 22 June 1961 and is interred at the Royal Burial Ground
Royal Burial Ground
The Royal Burial Ground is a cemetery used by the British Royal Family. It surrounds the Royal Mausoleum on the Frogmore Estate in the Home Park at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It was consecrated on 23 October 1928....
at Frogmore
Frogmore
The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.It is the location of Frogmore...
, which adjoins Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
Humanitarian work
Queen Maria was popular and respected, by the people of YugoslaviaYugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n 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
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
people, she remain one of the greatest humanitarian patrons of the Balkan
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
region.
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.
Ancestors
External links
Succession
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