Belgium - 1937
Photo size: 8 x 11,40 cm.
Michael I (Romanian: Mihai I [miˈhaj]; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his abdication on 30 December 1947.
Shortly after Michael's birth, his 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 comprised 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, reigning as Carol II. 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, his properties confiscated, and his citizenship stripped. 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 was overthrown 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 post-communist government of Ion Iliescu refused to allow him any further visits. In 1997, after Iliescu's defeat by Emil Constantinescu in the presidential elections of the previous year, Michael's citizenship was restored and he was allowed to visit Romania again. Several confiscated properties, such as Peleş Castle and Săvârşin Castle, were eventually returned to his family.
Helen of Greece and Denmark (Greek: Ελένη, Eleni; Romanian: Elena; 2 May 1896 – 28 November 1982), was a queen mother of Romania during the reign of her son King Michael (1940–1947). She was noted for her humanitarian efforts to save Romanian Jews during World War II, which led to her being awarded with the honorary title of Righteous Among the Nations in 1993.
Daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife Sophia of Prussia, Princess Helen spent her childhood in Greece, Great Britain and Germany. The outbreak of World War I and the overthrow of her father by the Allies in 1917 permanently marked her and also separated her from her favorite brother, the young Alexander I of Greece. Exiled in Switzerland along with most members of the royal family, Helen then spent several months caring for her father, plagued by disease and depression. In 1920, the princess met Carol, crown prince of Romania, who quickly asked her hand in marriage. Despite the bad reputation of the prince, Helen accepted and moved to Romania, where she soon gave birth to their only son, Prince Michael, in 1921.
The situation of her family, however, continued to worry Helen, who made several trips abroad to visit her parents when they did not simply reside with her in Bucharest. In doing this, she distanced herself from her husband, whose multiple affairs ended when he fell in love with Magda Lupescu in 1924. Finally, in 1925, Prince Carol abandoned his wife and renounced the throne in order to live openly with his mistress. Distraught, Helen tried to persuade her husband to return to her but eventually she accepted the divorce in 1928. In the meanwhile, Helen was proclaimed "Queen Mother of Romania" in 1927, as her son Michael ascended to the throne under the regency of his uncle Prince Nicholas. However, the political situation in Romania was complicated and Carol took advantage of the increased instability to return to Bucharest in 1930 and be acclaimed as king. Soon, the new ruler forced his ex-wife into exile and only authorized her to see their son two months per year.
In these circumstances, Helen moved to Villa Sparta at Fiesole, Tuscany. Always close to her family, she hosted her sisters Irene and Katherine and brother Paul, who stayed with her intermittently until the restoration of the Greek monarchy in 1935. The outbreak of World War II, the deposition of Carol II and the subsequent dismemberment of Greater Romania in 1940, however, brought Helen back to be with her son in Bucharest. Subject to the dictatorship of General Antonescu and vigilance of Nazi Germany, the king and his mother were cautious in their dealings with the fascist regime. They did not show their opposition to the participation of Romania in the invasion of the Soviet Union and the deportation of Jews. Finally, King Michael organized a coup against Antonescu on 23 August 1944 and Romania turned against the Axis powers; however, the country was, in the end, occupied by the Red Army.
For Helen and her son, the post-war period was marked by the interference of the Soviet Union in the Romanian political life. In March 1945, the king was forced to accept a communist government headed by Petru Groza while the following year, the general elections confirmed the hegemony of the PCR in the country. Finally, Michael I was forced to abdicate on 30 December 1947 and the royal family took the path of exile. Helen then returned to the Villa Sparta, where she divided her time among her family, gardening and the study of Italian art. Increasingly concerned about her finances, Helen finally left Italy for Switzerland in 1979 and died three years later with her son at her side.
Michel Ier (en roumain : Mihai Ier), né le 25 octobre 1921 à Sinaia (Roumanie) et mort le 5 décembre 2017 à Aubonne (Suisse), est le roi de Roumanie du 20 juillet 1927 au 8 juin 1930 puis du 6 septembre 1940 jusqu'à sa déposition le 30 décembre 1947.
Hélène de Grèce (en grec moderne : Ελένη της Ελλάδας et en roumain : Elena a Greciei), princesse de Grèce et de Danemark puis reine mère de Roumanie, est née le 20 avril 1896 (2 mai dans le calendrier grégorien)N 1 à Athènes, en Grèce, et morte le 28 novembre 1982 à Lausanne, en Suisse. Épouse malheureuse du futur Carol II de Roumanie, Hélène joue un certain rôle durant le second règne de son fils, le roi Michel Ier, entre 1940 et 1947. Son action en faveur des Juifs roumains durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale lui vaut le titre posthume de Juste parmi les nations en 1993.
Fille du roi Constantin Ier de Grèce et de son épouse la reine Sophie de Prusse, la princesse Hélène partage son enfance entre la Grèce, le Royaume-Uni et l'Allemagne. Le déclenchement de la Première Guerre mondiale et le renversement de son père par les Alliés en 1917 marquent durablement la jeune fille, par ailleurs séparée de son frère préféré, le jeune Alexandre Ier de Grèce. Exilée en Suisse avec la plupart des membres de la famille royale, Hélène passe alors plusieurs mois à s'occuper de son père, sujet à la maladie et à la dépression. En 1920, la princesse fait la connaissance de l'héritier du trône de Roumanie, qui ne tarde pas à lui demander sa main. Malgré la réputation sulfureuse du jeune homme, Hélène accepte et s'installe en Roumanie, où elle donne bientôt naissance à un fils unique, prénommé Michel (1921).
La situation de sa famille continue toutefois à préoccuper Hélène, qui se rend plusieurs fois à l'étranger pour y retrouver ses parents, quand elle n'invite pas simplement ses proches à séjourner auprès d'elle à Bucarest. Ce faisant, elle s'éloigne de son mari, qui multiplie les liaisons avant de tomber sous le charme, en 1924, d'une certaine Hélène Lupescu. Finalement, en 1925, le prince Carol abandonne son épouse et renonce au trône pour vivre sa liaison au grand jour. Désemparée, Hélène tente de persuader son mari de revenir vers elle mais finit par accepter le divorce en 1928. Entre-temps, la jeune femme a été proclamée « princesse mère de Roumanie » (1926) et le petit Michel est monté sur le trône sous la régence de son oncle (1927). Cependant, au fil des années, la situation politique de la Roumanie se complique et Carol profite de l'instabilité qui s'accroît pour rentrer à Bucarest en 1930 et s'y faire acclamer roi. Bientôt, le nouveau souverain contraint son ex-femme à s'exiler et ne l'autorise à voir leur fils que deux mois par an à l'étranger.
Dans ces conditions, Hélène s'installe à la villa Sparta de Fiesole, en Toscane. Toujours aussi proche de sa famille, la princesse héberge ses sœurs Irène et Catherine ainsi que son frère Paul, qui séjourne chez elle par intermittence jusqu'à la restauration de la monarchie grecque, en 1935. Le déclenchement de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et la déposition de Carol II, subséquente au dépeçage de la « Grande Roumanie » en 1940, ramènent toutefois Hélène auprès de son fils, à Bucarest. Soumis à la dictature du général Antonescu et à la vigilance de l'Allemagne nazie, le roi et sa mère servent alors de caution au régime fascisant qui se met en place. Ils n'en montrent pas moins leur opposition à la participation de la Roumanie à l'invasion de l'URSS et à la déportation des Juifs. Finalement, le roi Michel organise un coup d'État contre Antonescu le 23 août 1944 et la Roumanie se retourne contre les forces de l'Axe. Le pays est, malgré tout, occupé par l'Armée rouge et traité en vaincu.
Pour Hélène et son fils, l'après-guerre est marqué par l’ingérence des Soviétiques dans la vie politique roumaine. En mars 1945, le roi doit ainsi accepter un gouvernement communiste sous l'égide de Petru Groza tandis que, l'année suivante, des élections législatives truquées confirment l'hégémonie du PCR sur le pays. Finalement, Michel Ier est contraint d'abdiquer le 30 décembre 1947 et la famille royale prend le chemin de l'exil. Hélène retourne alors vivre à la villa Sparta, où elle partage son temps entre sa famille, le jardinage et la découverte de l'art italien. De plus en plus préoccupée par ses finances, Hélène quitte finalement l'Italie pour la Suisse en 1979 et meurt auprès de son fils trois ans plus tard.
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