Carol II of Romania
Carol was born in Peleș Castle as the son of Crown Prince Ferdinand and Crown Princess Marie. He spent his early years under the thumb of King Carol I, a domineering figure who blocked his parents from raising him. The childless monarch treated young Carol as a surrogate son, indulging every whim while his own father remained shy and weak. Marie, only seventeen when Carol was born, viewed her husband's brother-in-law as a cold tyrant who would crush her son's spirit. This emotional tug-of-war left Carol both spoiled and deprived of genuine love. Romanian historian Marie Bucur described the conflict as one between traditional Prussian conservatism and modernist values. The boy grew up ashamed of his father yet dependent on his grandfather's approval.
During his teenage years, Carol acquired a playboy image that defined his public persona for decades. He spent an inordinate amount of time drinking, partying, and chasing women while collecting stamps. At age nineteen, he fathered at least two illegitimate children with Maria Martini, a teenage schoolgirl. In August 1918, he married Zizi Lambrino in Odesa while technically deserting his army post without permission. The marriage was annulled by the Ilfov County Court on the 29th of March 1919, though they continued living together. Their son Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino was born on the 8th of January 1920. Carol next wed Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark in Athens on the 10th of March 1921. They had a son named Michael seven months after their wedding, sparking rumors of illegitimacy. His affair with Elena Lupescu eventually caused him to renounce succession rights on the 28th of December 1925. He moved to Paris where he lived openly with Madame Lupescu until forced into exile.
Carol returned to Romania on the 7th of June 1930, in a coup engineered by National Peasant Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu. Parliament recognized him as king the following day after he deposed his five-year-old son Michael. The political crisis stemmed from deaths of King Ferdinand and the prime minister alongside an ineffective regency led by Prince Nicholas. Maniu brought Carol back fearing the regency would remain dominated by National Liberals who always won elections. Carol swore an oath to uphold the 1923 constitution but meddled in politics immediately to increase power. He ruled through an informal body called the camarilla comprising courtiers, diplomats, army officers, politicians, and industrialists dependent on royal favor. Madame Lupescu was the most important member whose advice Carol greatly valued despite her unpopularity. When Carol broke his word by continuing to live with Lupescu, Maniu resigned in protest that October. The king then enlisted breakaway factions of the National Liberals against the National Peasants who demanded he banish Lupescu.
To compensate for his negative playboy image, Carol created a lavish personality cult portraying himself as Christ-like. A 1934 book titled The Three Kings described him as godlike and the father of villagers and workers. Author Cezar Petrescu depicted Carol's return via airplane in June 1930 as a descent from heavens marking the start of eternal Romania. Carol supported the Royal Foundation which promoted Romanian culture across sociology, anthropology, ethnography, musicology, medicine, and biology. Sociologist Dimitrie Gusti led teams studying entire communities every summer producing lengthy reports about each village. Despite this cultural patronage, Carol had little understanding or interest in economics. His most influential economic advisor Mihail Manoilescu favored state intervention encouraging growth through statist models. Carol loved luxury expecting nothing less than grand lifestyles seen in other European courts yet spared no expense on hunting cars and Lupescu. He presented an impressive populist persona wearing garish military uniforms adorned with medals while watching parades closely as shows of power rather than sincere popularity.
On the 10th of February 1938, Carol suspended the constitution and seized emergency powers proclaiming martial law. He dissolved all civil liberties claiming violent election campaigns risked plunging the nation into civil war. Goga was sacked as prime minister and Patriarch Elie Cristea appointed his successor to command wide respect among Orthodox majority voters. Carol drafted a new constitution on the 11th of November 1938 that concentrated virtually all governing power in his hands. A plebiscite held under far-from-secret conditions reported 99.87 percent approval against fewer than 5,500 votes against it. The National Renaissance Front formed in December 1938 as the country's only legal party consisting mostly of former members from the National Peasants Party and National Christian Party. Interior Minister Armand Călinescu demanded the Iron Guard be finally destroyed after Codreanu published letters accusing historian Nicolae Iorga of dishonest business dealings. Codreanu was convicted again on the 27th of May 1938 of high treason where he was accused of working in pay of Germany since 1935 and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Romania possessed half a million ethnic German citizens whose community became a target for Nazi takeover attempts starting in 1934. Foreign Minister Baron Konstantin von Neurath instructed Wilhelm Fabricius that Romania was crucial to Germany because of its oil reserves. Germany had almost no oil of its own making control of Romanian resources a key foreign policy goal throughout the Third Reich. In June 1934, finance minister Victor Slăvescu visited Paris asking French officials to inject millions into the treasury but received refusal. Carol wrote in his diary that France behaved less than sisterly toward Romania during economic hardship. By December 1937, a German-Romanian economic treaty placed Romania within the German sphere yet left Germans unsatisfied regarding oil demands. Göring's deputy Helmuth Wohlthat arrived in Bucharest in February 1939 demanding total economic dominance over Romania including nationalizing the entire oil industry. Wohlthat insisted Romania respect German export interests by selling only to Germany effectively converting it into an economic colony. Carol resisted these demands leading to talks going badly while Britain bought up Romanian oil causing real economic pain for Germany.
On the 30th of November 1938, Carol ordered police to arrest Iron Guardsmen without warrant and summarily execute those found with weapons. That same night he had Codreanu and thirteen other leaders murdered with the official story claiming they were shot trying to escape. These killings became known as the Night of the Vampires wiping out much of the Iron Guard leadership. Germans were offended by the murder launching violent propaganda campaigns casting doubt on events calling Codreanu's death a victory for Jews. Economic concerns especially German need for Romanian oil caused Nazis to get over outrage by early 1939 restoring normal relations. Before this violence began in October 1938, Carol agreed to Călinescu's plan drawn up in spring to murder all Iron Guard leaders in custody. Hitler demanded Carol free Codreanu during their summit but Carol believed eliminating Codreanu removed alternative leadership Hitler could back. The German-Romanian economic agreement signed the 10th of December 1938 demonstrated how far Carol would drive hard bargains despite needing concessions from Berlin.
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Common questions
When was Carol II of Romania born and who were his parents?
Carol II of Romania was born in Peleș Castle as the son of Crown Prince Ferdinand and Crown Princess Marie. He spent his early years under the thumb of King Carol I, a domineering figure who blocked his parents from raising him.
Why did Carol II of Romania renounce succession rights on the 28th of December 1925?
Carol II of Romania renounced succession rights on the 28th of December 1925 due to his affair with Elena Lupescu. He moved to Paris where he lived openly with Madame Lupescu until forced into exile.
How did Carol II of Romania return to power in June 1930?
Carol II of Romania returned to Romania on the 7th of June 1930 in a coup engineered by National Peasant Prime Minister Iuliu Maniu. Parliament recognized him as king the following day after he deposed his five-year-old son Michael.
What happened during the Night of the Vampires on the 30th of November 1938?
On the 30th of November 1938, Carol II of Romania ordered police to arrest Iron Guardsmen without warrant and summarily execute those found with weapons. That same night he had Codreanu and thirteen other leaders murdered with the official story claiming they were shot trying to escape.
When did Carol II of Romania suspend the constitution and seize emergency powers?
Carol II of Romania suspended the constitution and seized emergency powers on the 10th of February 1938. He dissolved all civil liberties claiming violent election campaigns risked plunging the nation into civil war.