Michael I of Romania
Who was Michael I of Romania?
Last monarch of Romania who ruled during two separate periods (1927-1930, 1940-1947) and was forced to abdicate by the communist government.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Michael I of Romania (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Michael I of Romania was born on 25 October 1921 at Foișor Castle in Sinaia, Romania, to Crown Prince Carol and Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark. His early life was marked by family upheaval. His father got involved in a scandalous relationship with Magda Lupescu and, in 1925, was pressured to give up his succession rights in favor of young Michael. When King Ferdinand I died in July 1927, five-year-old Michael became the youngest crowned head of state in Europe. A regency council with his uncle Prince Nicolas, Patriarch Miron Cristea, and Chief Justice Gheorghe Buzdugan governed on his behalf, though it was generally seen as ineffective. In 1930, his father returned from exile and reclaimed the throne as Carol II, reducing Michael to heir apparent and giving him the title of Grand Voievod of Alba-Iulia.
Michael's second reign started on 6 September 1940, after Carol II was forced to abdicate amid territorial losses and political crisis. Romania came under the military dictatorship of Ion Antonescu and aligned with Nazi Germany, which left the young king with limited political power. Despite this, Michael made one of the most significant moves of his reign on 23 August 1944. He led a coup against Antonescu, had him arrested, and appointed General Constantin Sănătescu as prime minister. This move brought Romania to the Allied side in the final year of World War II and earned Michael the Soviet Order of Victory in 1945, one of few given to non-Soviet recipients.
In the postwar years, communist pressure steadily weakened Michael's power. In March 1945, he was forced to appoint a pro-Soviet government under Petru Groza. From August 1945 to January 1946, Michael tried to resist with a so-called royal strike, refusing to sign government decrees in protest against the communist-led administration. This effort failed to change the country's political course. In November 1947, Michael went to London for the wedding of his cousins, the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. On 30 December 1947, Groza forced his abdication, ending the Romanian monarchy. Michael was exiled and his properties seized by the state.
After his exile, Michael settled in Western Europe and started a new professional life from scratch. He worked as a stockbroker and test pilot, distancing himself from his royal roots. He married Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948, and they eventually settled in Switzerland. Over the years, Michael became knowledgeable in art collecting and maintained a strong passion for flying, earning multiple pilot licenses and continuing to fly well into his later years, finding great satisfaction in it.
Michael was allowed to return to Romania only after 1989, following the fall of the communist regime, though his initial visits were blocked by Ion Iliescu's government. He eventually got back some of his confiscated properties through legal processes and was welcomed warmly by the Romanian public. He passed away on 5 December 2017 in Aubonne, Switzerland, at ninety-six, survived by his wife Queen Anne and their five daughters.
Before Fame
Michael's path to becoming king wasn't a traditional one shaped by preparation and grooming; instead, it was caused by family issues and a political crisis. Born at Foișor Castle in 1921, he grew up in a royal family already falling apart due to his father Carol's reckless personal choices. By the time Michael was four, his father had effectively given up his claim to the throne, leaving the young boy as the unexpected heir to the Romanian crown.
When Ferdinand I died in 1927, Michael became king at age five, with no real ability to rule. He spent his early years learning what it meant to be royal while under the care of a regency council, and then his father Carol II, who returned. He got an education fit for a royal heir and developed an early interest in mechanical and technical subjects, interests that later led him to seriously pursue aviation. The unstable politics of Romania in the 1930s and the turmoil of World War II forced him to mature in ways that few people of his generation had to at such a young age.
Key Achievements
- Led the August 1944 coup against Ion Antonescu, switching Romania to the Allied side in World War II and shortening the war in the region
- Became the youngest crowned head of state in Europe upon ascending the Romanian throne at age five in 1927
- Awarded the Soviet Order of Victory, one of the rarest military decorations of World War II, given to only twenty individuals
- Successfully recovered significant portions of the Romanian royal family's confiscated properties through post-communist legal proceedings
- Maintained a distinguished second career as a licensed pilot and stockbroker during his four decades of exile in Western Europe
Did You Know?
- 01.Michael received the Soviet Order of Victory in 1945, making him one of only twenty recipients of this rare decoration and the only one to receive it for actions taken against a former Axis ally.
- 02.During his years in exile, Michael worked as a test pilot and stockbroker in Switzerland, earning his own income rather than relying on royal stipends or inherited wealth.
- 03.He attended the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in London just weeks before being forced to abdicate at gunpoint, making that trip one of his last acts as a reigning monarch.
- 04.Michael was banned from entering Romania multiple times after the fall of communism, including being turned away at the airport in 1994 by the government of Ion Iliescu despite massive public support for his return.
- 05.He held pilot licenses in multiple countries and continued flying aircraft into his eighties, describing aviation as one of his deepest personal passions throughout his long life.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit | — | — |
| Order of the White Eagle | — | — |
| Order of Victory | 1945 | — |
| Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" | — | — |
| Order of the Star of Romania | — | — |
| Order of Michael the Brave, 1st class | — | — |
| National Order of Faithful Service | — | — |
| House Order of Hohenzollern | — | — |
| Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation | — | — |
| Knight grand cross of the order of the crown of Italy | — | — |
| Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland | 1942 | — |
| Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold | — | — |
| Order of the Redeemer | — | — |
| Order of George I | — | — |
| Order of Carol I | — | — |
| Order of Ferdinand I | — | — |
| Order of the Crown of Romania | — | — |
| Royal Victorian Order | — | — |
| Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour | — | — |
| Freedom of the City of London | — | — |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus | — | — |
| Iron Cross | — | — |
| Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-apostles | — | — |
| Order of the Most Holy Annunciation | — | — |
| Order of the Crown of Italy | — | — |
| Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus | — | — |
| Order of the White Rose of Finland | — | — |
| Legion of Merit | — | — |
| Order of Leopold | — | — |
| Order of the Orchid Blossom | — | — |
| Rad kniežaťa Pribinu vojnovej SR 1939-45 | — | — |
| Order of the Nile | — | — |
| Grand cross of the Order of the White Lion | 1936 | — |
| Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic 1st Class | 2006 | — |