Marie of Romania: Difference between revisions

As queen, Marie was very popular, both in Romania and abroad. In 1926, she undertook a diplomatic tour of the United States, alongside her children [[Prince Nicholas of Romania|Nicholas]] and [[Princess Ileana of Romania|Ileana]]. They were received enthusiastically by the people and visited several cities before returning to Romania. There, Marie found that Ferdinand was gravely ill and he died a few months later. Now [[queen dowager]], Marie refused to be part of the regency council which reigned over the country under the minority of her grandson, [[Michael of Romania|King Michael]]. In 1930, Marie's eldest son [[Carol II of Romania|Carol]], who had waived his rights to succession, deposed his son and usurped the throne, becoming King Carol II. He removed Marie from the political scene and strivedstrove to crush her popularity. As a result, Marie moved away from Bucharest and spent the rest of her life either in the countryside or at [[Balchik Palace]], her summer residence in [[Southern Dobruja]] by the [[Black Sea]]. In 1937, she became ill with [[cirrhosis]] and died the following year.

Marie and her siblings, [[Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Alfred]] (b. 1874, known as "Young Affie"), and Princesses [[Victoria Melita]] (b. 1876, known as "Ducky"), [[Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Alexandra]] (b. 1878, known as "Sandra") and [[Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Beatrice]] (b. 1884, known as "Baby Bee"), spent much of their early life at Eastwell Park, which their mother preferred instead of [[Clarence House]], their official residence.{{sfn|Gauthier|2010|p=9}} In her memoirs, Marie would rememberremembered Eastwell fondly.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=12}} The Duke of Edinburgh was largely absent from his children's lives, due to his position in the [[British Royal Navy]], and their life was governed by their mother. Marie would later statestated that she did not even know the colour of her father's hair until she looked at later portraits of him, believing it to be much darker than it actually was.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=8}} When he was at home, the Duke would often play with his children, inventing many games for them.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=15}} Of all her siblings, Marie was closest to her sister Victoria Melita, who was one year younger, but whom everyone believed to be the older girl because of her stature, much to the princesses' dismay.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=9}} The Edinburgh children were all baptised and raised in the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] faith; this upset their [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] mother.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=19}}

The Duchess of Edinburgh was a supporter of the idea of separating generations, and Marie deeply regretted the fact that her mother never allowed chatting between the two "as if [they] were equals".{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=21}} Nonetheless, the Duchess was independent-minded, cultured, and "the most important person" in her children's lives.{{sfn|Van der Kiste|1991|p=20}} At the behest of their mother, Marie and her sisters were taught French, which they detested and rarely ever spoke.{{sfn|Marie|1990|pp=31–32}} Overall, the Duchess neglected her daughters' education, considering them not very bright or gifted. They were permitted to read aloud, but in the fields of painting and drawing, areas in which they had inherited Queen Victoria's talent, the girls received only a "pedestrian instruction".{{sfn|Pakula|1984|p=49}} The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh frequently received members of the royal family at Eastwell Park, inviting them for breakfast nearly daily,{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=47}} and in 1885, Marie and Victoria Melita served as [[bridesmaid]]s at the wedding of their aunt [[Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom|Beatrice]] and [[Prince Henry of Battenberg]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg with their bridesmaids and others on their wedding day|url=http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw145863/Prince-and-Princess-Henry-of-Battenberg-with-their-bridesmaids-and-others-on-their-wedding-day|publisher=[[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]], London}}</ref> Among Marie's playmates were her maternal cousins [[Nicholas II of Russia|Grand Dukes Nicholas]] (called "Nicky") and, [[Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia|George]] (called "Georgie"), and [[Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia|Grand Duchess Xenia of Russia]]; their siblings, [[Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia|Michael]] (called "Misha") and [[Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia|Olga]], were too young for the Edinburgh girls. Other playmates included the children of Marie's maternal uncle [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia]].{{sfn|Marie|1990|pp=88–89}}

In 1886, when Marie was eleven years old, the Duke of Edinburgh was named commander-in-chief of the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] and the family took up residence at [[San Anton Palace|San Antonio Palace]] in Malta.<ref name="odnb">{{cite ODNB | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/64674 | title=Marie, Princess (1875–1938) | year=2004 | access-date=3 November 2013 | author=Pakula, Hannah | doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/64674}}</ref> Marie wouldlater rememberremembered her time in Malta as "the happiest memory of my existence".{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=83}} It was in Malta that Marie found her first love, [[Maurice Bourke]], the captain of the Duke's ship, whom Marie called "Captain Dear". Marie was prone to fits of jealousy when Bourke would pay more attention to one of her sisters than to her.{{sfn|Elsberry|1972|pp=17–19}} The Duke and Duchess were greatly loved in Malta, and San Antonio Palace was frequently full of guests.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=105}} Marie and Victoria Melita received white horses from their mother and went to the local hippodrome nearly daily, apart from Saturday.{{sfn|Marie|1990|pp=106–7}} During their first year in Malta, a French governess oversaw the princesses' education, but, due to her failing health, she was replaced the following year by a much younger German woman.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=109}} At San Antonio, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh always maintained a room ready for [[George V|Prince George of Wales]], the second son of the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]], who was in the Royal Navy. George called the three elder Edinburgh girls "the three dearests", but favoured Marie the most.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=136}}

Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh became heir presumptive to his childless paternal uncle, [[Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], upon the Prince of Wales's renunciation of his rights to the duchy. Consequently, the family relocated to [[Coburg]] in 1889.<ref name="odnb" /> Marie later came to view this moment as "truly the end of a life that had been absolute happiness and joy without clouds, of a life with no disappointments or delusions and without any discordant note."{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=146}} The Duchess, who was pro-German, hired a German governess for her daughters, bought them plain clothing and even had them confirmed in the [[Lutheran]] faith.{{sfn|Sullivan|1997|pp=80–82}} The family spent their summers at [[Rosenau Castle]].{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=155}} Duke Ernest was described by Marie as "having his oddities"; his court was less strict than other German courts of the time.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=152}} In Coburg, the princesses' education was broadened: more emphasis was placed on painting and music, which were taught by Anna Messing and Mrs. Helferich, respectively.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=169}} On Thursdays and Sundays, Marie and her sisters went to the Coburg Theatre, an experience which they enjoyed greatly.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=177}} Marie and Victoria Melita often observed their brother's friends and made comments on whom they liked better, an aspect which Marie believed was inevitable in the lives of girls who have brothers.{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=190}} Another activity which the girls enjoyed at Coburg was attending winter parties organised by their mother, during which they would ice-skate and play different games, such as [[ice hockey]].{{sfn|Marie|1990|p=194}}

Marie grew into a "lovely young woman" with "sparkling blue eyes and silky fair hair"; she was courted by several royal bachelors, including Prince George of Wales, who in 1892 became second in line to inherit the throne.{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=31}} Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh all approved, but the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh did not. The Princess of Wales disliked the family's pro-German sentiment and the Duchess of Edinburgh did not wish for her daughter to remain in England, which she disliked. She also disliked the fact that the Princess of Wales, whose father had been a minor German prince before being called to the Danish throne, was higher than her in the [[Order of precedence in England and Wales|order of precedence]].{{sfn|Pope-Hennessy|1959|pp=250–51}} The Duchess of Edinburgh was also against the idea of a marriage between first cousins, which was not allowed by her native Russian Orthodox Church.{{sfn|Mandache|2001|p=334}} Thus, when George proposed to her, Marie informed him that the marriage was impossible and that he must remain her "beloved chum". Queen Victoria would later comment that "Georgie lost Missy by waiting & waiting".{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=32}}

Around this time, King [[Carol I of Romania]] was looking for a suitable bride for his nephew, [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Crown Prince Ferdinand]], in order to secure the succession and assureensure the continuation of the [[House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen]]. Possibly motivated by the prospect of removing tensions between Russia and Romania on the subject of control over [[Bessarabia]], the Duchess of Edinburgh suggested that Marie meet Ferdinand.{{sfn|Mandache|2001|p=334}} Marie and Ferdinand first became acquainted during a [[wikt:gala|gala]] dinner, and the pair conversed in German. She found him shy but amiable, and their second meeting went just as well.{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=33}} Once the pair were formally engaged, Queen Victoria wrote to another granddaughter, [[Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine]], that "[Ferdinand] is nice & the Parents are charming–but the country is very insecure & the immorality of the Society at Bucharest quite awful. Of course the marriage will be delayed some time as Missy won't be 17 till the end of October!"{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=34}} [[Victoria, Princess Royal|German Empress Frederick]], Marie's aunt, wrote to her daughter, [[Sophia of Prussia|Crown Princess Sophia of Greece]], that "Missy is till now quite delighted, but the poor child is so young, how can she guess what is before her?"{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=35}} In late 1892, King Carol visited London in order to meet the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Victoria, who eventually agreed to the marriage and appointed him a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]].{{sfn|Elsberry|1972|p=44}}

On 10 January 1893, Marie and Ferdinand were married at [[Sigmaringen Castle]] in three ceremonies: one civil, one Catholic (Ferdinand's religion) and one Anglican. The civil ceremony was performed in the Red Hall of the castle by Karl von Wendel, the [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|German Emperor]] being the first of the witnesses present to sign the marriage act. At four o'clock, the Catholic ceremony took place at the Town Church, with Marie being led to the altar by her father. The Anglican ceremony was more modest and was conducted in one of the chambers of the castle.<ref>[http://www.tkinter.org/QueenMarie/TheGraphic/index.htm Supplement] to ''The Graphic'', 21 January 1893.</ref>{{sfn|Pakula|1984|p=68}} Although King Carol granted the couple ''"Honigtag"'' (one day of honeymoon), Marie and Ferdinand spent a few days at the Castle of [[Krauchenwies]] in Bavaria. From there, they left for the countryside, their journey being interrupted briefly by a stop at [[Vienna]], where they visited [[Emperor Franz Joseph]]. Due to growing tensions between Austria and Romania (the visit took place during the ongoing movement of the [[Transylvanian Memorandum]]), the couple's visit was brief, and they arrived in the border town of [[Predeal]] following a nighttime crossing of Transylvania by train.{{sfn|Marie 1991, Vol 2|pp=10–14}} Marie was warmly welcomed by the Romanian people, who were longing for a more personal monarchy.{{sfn|Gauthier|2010|p=52}}

On 11 October 1914, Marie and Ferdinand were acclaimed as king and queen in the [[Chamber of Deputies (Romania)|Chamber of Deputies]].{{sfn|Marie 1991, Vol 2|pp=409–12}} Princess Anne Marie Callimachi, a close friend of Marie's, wrote that "as Crown Princess, [Marie] had been popular; as queen, she was more loved".{{sfn|Pakula|1984|p=180}} Marie maintained a certain influence on her husband and the entire court, leading historian A. L. Easterman to write that "it was not [Ferdinand], but Marie who ruled in Romania".{{sfn|Easterman|1942|pp=38–42}} At the time of Ferdinand's accession, the government was led by the [[National Liberal Party (Romania, 1875)|liberal]] prime minister [[Ion I. C. Brătianu]]. Ferdinand and Marie jointly decided to not make many changes in court and let people accept the transition from one regime to another, rather than force them. Thus, many of Carol and Elisabeth's servants were kept in place, even the ones who were not particularly liked.{{sfn|Marie 1991, Vol 3|p=13}} With Brătianu's help, Marie began pressuring Ferdinand into entering the war; concurrently, she contacted various reigning relatives in Europe and bargained for the best terms for Romania, in case the country wouldshould enter the war.<ref name="odnb" /> Marie favoured an alliance with the [[Triple Entente]] (Russia, France and Britain), partly because of her British ancestry. Neutrality was not without perils, and entering the war with the Entente meant that Romania would act as Russia's "buffer" against possible attacks.{{sfn|Elsberry|1972|p=104}}

Because Ferdinand had refused to sign the Treaty of Bucharest and because Romania had been hostile towards the Central Powers until the end of the war, its place among the winning countries during the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] was guaranteed. The official delegation was led by Brătianu, who had just begun his third term as prime minister.{{sfn|Botoran|Moisuc|1983|pp=328–36}} Brătianu's rigidity, combined with French Prime Minister [[Georges Clemenceau]]'s reluctance to overlook Ferdinand's acceptance of the Treaty of Bucharest, led to open conflict and the Romanian delegation left Paris, much to the dismay of the "[[The Big Four (World War I)|Big Four]]". Hoping to resolve the situation, Saint-Aulaire suggested that Marie should be sent to the conference instead. The Queen was delighted at the prospect.{{sfn|Ciubotaru|2011|p=xxiv}}

Marie arrived in Paris on 6 March 1919.<ref name="mtn" /> She was immediately popular with the French people, due to her boldness during the War.<ref>[[Jean Jules Henri Mordacq|General Mordacq]], apud {{harvnb|Gauthier|2010|p=238}}.</ref> Upon meeting Marie, Clemenceau abruptly told her, "I don't like your Prime Minister", to which she replied, "Perhaps then you'll find me more agreeable."{{sfn|Daggett|1926|p=270}} He did, and president [[Raymond Poincaré]] noticed a change in Clemenceau's attitude towards Romania after Marie's arrival. After staying in Paris for a week, Marie accepted King George V and [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]'s invitation and crossed the [[English Channel]], lodging at [[Buckingham Palace]]. Hoping to acquire as much goodwill for Romania as possible, Marie became acquainted with many important political figures of the time, including [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]], [[Winston Churchill]], and [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf]] and [[Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor|Nancy Astor]]. She also frequently visited her son Nicky, who was then in school at [[Eton College]].{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|pp=282–83}} Marie was elated to have returned to England after so much time, writing that "it was a tremendous emotion to arrive in London, and to be greeted at the station by George and May."{{sfn|Pakula|1984|p=280}}

After the end of her visit in England, Marie returned to Paris, where the people were just as excited for her arrival as they had been a few weeks before. Crowds gathered around her frequently, waiting to see the "exotic" Queen of Romania. American President [[Woodrow Wilson]] remained unimpressed by Marie, and her comments on Russian laws dealing with sexual relations, which were considered inappropriate, did not help.{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|pp=282–83}} Marie shocked many officials by waving all her ministers aside and leading negotiations herself. On this, she would later commentcommented, "Never mind, you'll all just have to get used to accepting me with the faults of my virtues."{{sfn|Daggett|1926|p=282}} Marie left Paris with numerous supplies for Romania's relief, and later that year, the conference [[Treaty of Versailles|resulted]] in the international recognition of Greater Romania, thus doubling Ferdinand and Marie's kingdom to {{convert|295000|km2|sqmi}} and increasing the population by ten million.{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|pp=282–83}} This led [[Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890–1958)|Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia]], who briefly lived in Bucharest, to conclude that "by her charm, beauty, and ready wit, [Marie] could obtain anything she desired".{{sfn|Maria Pavlovna|1932|p=16}}

In Romania, Marie is known by the nickname ''Mama Răniților'' ("Mother of the Wounded"),<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.romanialibera.ro/cultura/aldine/cine-este-regina-care-a-devenit-mama-ranitilor-296852.html | title=Cine este regina care a devenit 'mama răniților' | newspaper=România Liberă | date=5 November 2012 | access-date=26 November 2013 | author=Pădurean, Claudiu}}</ref> or simply as "Regina Maria", while in other countries she is remembered as the "Soldier Queen" and "Mamma Regina".<ref>{{cite news | title=Queen thinks Rumania will Battle Again | work=St. Petersburg Daily Times | date=4 October 1918 | page=4}}</ref>{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|pp=273–74}} Marie is also nicknamed "the mother-in-law of the Balkans", due to her children's marriages into the region's ruling houses. By the time of her death, Marie's children had ruled in three Balkan countries,{{sfn|Gelardi|2005|p=308}}{{sfn|Mandache|2011a|p=151}} although her descendants no longer occupy any European throne. Marie was called "one of the greatest figures in Romanian history" by [[Constantin Argetoianu]],<ref>{{cite book | title=Pentru cei de mâine: Amintiri din vremea celor de ieri | publisher=Humanitas | author=Argetoianu, Constantin | author-link=Constantin Argetoianu | language=ro | year=1992 | location=Bucharest | page=109 | isbn=978-973-28-0224-3}}</ref> and in her honour, Romania established the Order of the Cross of Queen Marie in 1917.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mvu.ro/product/ordinul-crucea-regina-maria-clasa-a-iii-a-model-1917/ | title=Ordinul Crucea Regina Maria | date=12 December 2018 | publisher=Virtual Museum of the Union | access-date=17 May 2022}}</ref>

[[Category:QueenRomanian queen mothers]]