Elisa Brătianu (2 May 1870 – 13 May 1957) was a
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n aristocrat, political figure and participant in the
Inter-Allied Women's Conference
The Inter-Allied Women's Conference (also known as the Suffragist Conference of the Allied Countries and the United States) opened in Paris on 10 February 1919. It was convened parallel to the Paris Peace Conference to introduce women's issues ...
of 1919. She was born into the Stirbey royal family, the daughter of
Prince Alexandru B. Știrbei and the noblewoman
Maria Ghika-Comănești, inheritor of two noble titles, the Ghika family occupying the title of royal family in the history of Romania. An avid gardener, she designed the gardens at the Albatross Villa in
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
and discussed plans for gardens in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
with the town gardener. Concerned about the loss of traditional Romanian culture, she developed schools to keep stitchery traditions alive and published books of patterns. When her husband, long-serving prime minister
Ion I.C. Brătianu
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electric charge, electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be po ...
died, she spearheaded a foundation to collect his archives and create a library to publish his most important works.
Early life
![2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/2012.05.01_Palatul_Stirbei_Buftea_039-.jpg)
Princess Elisa I. Știrbei was born on 2 May 1870 at Știrbei Palace, in
Buftea
Buftea () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, located north-west of Bucharest. One village, Buciumeni, is administered by the town.
The film studios MediaPro Pictures and the Buftea Palace of the Știrbei family are located in Buftea ...
, located in the
United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ( ro, Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești), commonly called United Principalities, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, f ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
to and Prince
Alexandru B. Știrbei. Her mother was originally from
Comănești
Comănești (; hu, Kománfalva) is a town in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania, with a population of 19,568 as of 2011. It is situated on the river Trotuș, which flows between the Ciuc and the Tarcău mountains; of the course of the ...
in the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...
, while her father's family were from
Muntenia
Muntenia (, also known in English as Greater Wallachia) is a historical region of Romania, part of Wallachia (also, sometimes considered Wallachia proper, as ''Muntenia'', ''Țara Românească'', and the seldom used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in R ...
in the
Principality of Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...
. As the union of the two principalities had occurred only eleven years prior to Știrbei's birth, her mother worked to ensure that the children thought of themselves as
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
. Her mother's
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
included the winery and estate in
Dărmănești
Dărmănești (; hu, Dormánfalva) is a town in eastern Romania, in Bacău County, in the valleys of the Trotuș and Uz rivers. The town is named after one of its leaders, "Dărman" and the earliest reference to the town is from the 16th centu ...
, which would serve as the Știrbei family's summer home. Her father was an industrialist who took a specific interest in preserving and expanding the architectural holdings of his family and was involved in politics. Her grandfather,
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (), also written as ''Stirbey'', (17 August 1799 – April 13, 1869), a member of the Bibescu boyar family, was a hospodar (Prince of Wallachia) on two occasions, between 1848 and 1853, and between 1854 and 1856.I ...
, was a
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...
. Having been born into the Bibescu family and adopted by his uncle the heirless Barbu C. Știrbey, last of the ancient
Oltenia
Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...
n
boyars
A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, and later Romania, Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. Boyars were sec ...
, Barbu D. Știrbei and his brother Prince
Gheorghe Bibescu
Gheorghe Bibescu (;April 26th 1804 – 1 June 1873) was a ''hospodar'' (Prince) of Wallachia between 1843 and 1848. His rule coincided with the revolutionary tide that culminated in the 1848 Wallachian revolution.
Early political career
Born in ...
were both active in Wallachian politics.
The oldest of eight children, Elisa's siblings were Elena (1871–1897),
Barbu A. (1872–1946), Zoe (1874–1896), Maria (1876–1963) Adina (1877–1967), Gheorghe (1883–1917) and Ioana (1885–1914). The children were tutored at home in the Știrbei Palace by a series of tutors, who included
Ioan Slavici
Ioan Slavici (; 18 January 1848 – 17 August 1925) was a Romanian writer and journalist from Hungary, later from Romania.
He made his debut in ''Convorbiri literare'' ("Literary Conversations") (1871), with the comedy ''Fata de birău'' ("The M ...
. Slavici was influential upon Știrbei's life, introducing her to the poet
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...
, beginning her love of literature. She studied language and became fluent in English, French, German, and Romanian. She remembered her childhood as idyllic spending time at the family palaces in Bucharest, Buftea and Dărmăneşti, until her mother's death, which coincided with the birth of her youngest sister, Ioana.
Activism
![Vila albatros 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Vila_albatros_2015.jpg)
At the urging of her father, in 1890, Știrbei married
Alexandru Marghiloman
Alexandru Marghiloman (4 July 1854 – 10 May 1925) was a Romanian conservative Diplomat, statesman who served for a short time in 1918 (March–October) as Prime Minister of Romania, and had a decisive role during World War I.
Early career
Bo ...
, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician sixteen years her senior. In 1897, the couple moved into the Albatross Villa in
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
, where Știrbei, who was an avid gardener, planned and assisted in the creation of the
English landscape park
The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...
which was a favorite of
Queen Marie of Romania
Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I.
Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parent ...
and noted in the queen's memoirs. She was consulted by the Bucharest City gardener for his work on the
Cișmigiu Gardens
The Cișmigiu Gardens or Cișmigiu Park ( ro, Grădinile Cișmigiu or Parcul Cișmigiu, links=) are a public park in the center of Bucharest, Romania, spanning areas on all sides of an artificial lake. The gardens' creation was an important mom ...
and a series of lakes for the neighborhood of
Colentina. Știrbei also supported literary talents like
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga;Iova, p. xxvii. 17 January 1871 – 27 November 1940) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, Albanologist, poet ...
and , financially assisting Iorga in launching ''Floarea Darurilor'' in 1906.
Știrbei and Marghiloman divorced in 1906, and she was returned her dowry property, as well as several thousand hectares of property in Fundeni Village in
Zărneşti Commune of Buzău County. On 3 March 1907, in a dual ceremony held first at the Town Hall of Bucoveni in
Ilfov County
Ilfov () is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of Communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs ...
, and followed by a religious service on 4 March by a priest from
Amzei Church at Știrbei Palace, Știrbei married
Ion I. C. Brătianu
Ion Ionel Constantin Brătianu (, also known as Ionel Brătianu; 20 August 1864 – 24 November 1927) was a Romanian politician, leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Prime Minister of Romania for five terms, and Foreign Minister on seve ...
, a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician and political rival of her previous husband. Her relationship with the
Brătianu family
Brătianu is a family of Romanian politicians, founders of the National Liberal Party (PNL). They are the following:
* Dincă Brătianu (1768–1844), Romanian nobleman
* Ion Brătianu (1821–1891), PNL president, 1875–1891; Interior Minister ...
, and particularly Ion's sister would be difficult, especially after their mother, 's death.
In 1913, during the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
Brătianu established an ambulance service to assist
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
patients who had participated in the Bulgarian campaign. She also converted rooms in Știrbei Palace and their home in the
Amzei suburb of Bucharest into hospital barracks. As
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
began, Brătianu organized a women's workshop, known as "Albina" to encourage the tradition of Romanian stitching handicrafts. She collected various patterns of needlework and published them in an album. She also organized a seamstresses' school in
Ștefănești, compiling another publication of the students' best works. At the school, students learned to make traditional Romanian blouses and sheep skin coats, as well as other traditional clothing. Wanting to be able to read
Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
and
Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
in their original languages, during the war, she decided to learn Russian. In addition to her philanthropic projects to preserve Romanian culture, from the time of her marriage to Ion, Brătianu served as hostess and participant in the center of Romanian politics, entertaining diplomats and dignitaries who were consultants and friends of her husband.
At the end of the war Brătianu accompanied her husband, who was by that time the
Prime Minister of Romania
The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul României), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Guvernului României, link=no), is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was s ...
, to the
Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and participated with the deputation of women from the
Inter-Allied Women's Conference
The Inter-Allied Women's Conference (also known as the Suffragist Conference of the Allied Countries and the United States) opened in Paris on 10 February 1919. It was convened parallel to the Paris Peace Conference to introduce women's issues ...
in their historic presentation on women's concerns to the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. When Ion's mother Caliopia died on 3 February 1920, he and Brătianu used his family's estate "Florica", in
Ștefănești, Argeș County, as a refuge from the city and politics. Ion turned the gardens over to Brătianu which exacerbated conflict with his sister Sabina, who saw the gardens as her mother's legacy. Turning away from the conflict, Brătianu abandoned the gardens, focusing her attention in the
interwar years
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
on organizing materials for the Ion I.C. Brătianu Cultural Foundation.
When Ion died in 1927, Brătianu met with his brothers,
Vintila and
Constantin
Constantin is an Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian male given name. It can also be a surname.
For a list of notable people called Constantin, see Constantine (name).
See also
* Constantine (name)
* Konstantin
The first name Konsta ...
to incorporate the foundation in 1928. The three-fold purpose of the foundation was to establish a library to archive Ion's papers, publish his most important works, and raise a statue in his memory. Brătianu donated a property located at #3 Lascăr Catargiu Boulevard, where the "Albina Society" would continue to operate, as well as the lot at #5 Lascăr Catargiu Blvd. The brothers donated 6,000 volumes from the library at "Florica", which had been Ion's to start the library's collections.
Dimitrie Sturdza
Dimitrie Sturdza (, in full Dimitrie Alexandru Sturdza-Miclăușanu; 10 March 183321 October 1914) was a Romanian statesman and author of the late 19th century, and president of the Romanian Academy between 1882 and 1884.
Biography
Born in Iași, ...
's heirs and other family connections also donated books to the library, bringing the quantity of books to over 20,000 volumes by 1933. Construction began in 1931 to build a separate facility for the library and reading room on lot 5, which was completed around 1938. In 1935, the foundation contracted with
Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's ...
, at Brătianu's request, to sculpt the marble statue of Ion I. C. Brătianu, for the park in front of the new library. The dedication of the completed project was celebrated on 24 November 1938 with attendance by many Romanian dignitaries and the public.
Beginning in 1940, Brătianu dictated her memoirs in French to her secretary. After her sisters proclaimed the memories "boring", she destroyed the first copy. It is believed that she later dictate a second collection of her memoirs to Olga Kogalniceanu-Cogal, which ended up in the archives of the
Securitate
The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, she was encouraged by Liberal Party leaders to maintain communications with Allied diplomats, like
Reginald Hoare
Sir Reginald Hervey Hoare KCMG (19 July 1882 – 12 August 1954) was a British diplomat and banker.
Early life
Hoare was born on 19 July 1882 at Minley Manor in Hampshire. Rex, as he was known, was the fourth son, in a family of four sons and ...
to negotiate how the Romanians could limit Soviet expansion. She was also sent as an emissary to Cairo to explore the possibility of an armistice with the Western Allies. When the Romanian Government began bringing children suffering from the drought and poverty from Moldavia to Bucharest, in 1945, Brătianu began making slippers to shod them. When the
communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
took control of the government in 1945, the Ion I.C. Brătianu Cultural Foundation ceased to exist and the building became nationalized. Many of the books and furniture were removed from the center and the statue was taken down, though it was not destroyed. In 1948, Brătianu was evicted from her home and her property was expropriated by the communists. She managed to remove some of her family heirlooms and was offered rooms with Magdalena Beldiman, daughter of
Radu Rosetti
Radu Rosetti (Francization, Francized ''Rodolphe Rosetti''; September 14, 1853 – February 12, 1926) was a Moldavian, later Romanian, politician, historian, and novelist, father of General Radu R. Rosetti, and a prominent member of the Rosetti fa ...
. She survived her final years by selling off her furnishings and family silver, as well as making slippers for sale.
Death and legacy
Brătianu died on 13 May 1957 and was buried in the Rosetti Family Tomb in the
Bellu Cemetery
Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania.
It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...
. In 1991, after the
Romanian Revolution
The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...
had overturned the communist regime, the statue of Ion I. C. Brătianu was located and restored to its original location. Marian Stefan collected the memoirs of Elisa and Ion Brătianu and published them in ''
Magazin Istoric
''Magazin Istoric'' ( en, The Historical Magazine) is a Romanian monthly magazine.
Overview
''Magazin Istoric'' was started in 1967. The first issue appeared in April 1967. The headquarters is in Bucharest. The monthly magazine contains articles ...
'' in 1992 and 1997. In 1999, these were published by Editura Oscar Print as (Elisa Brătianu, Ion IC Brătianu, Involuntary Memories). In 2015, the Art History Publishing House, released volume two of its series ''Carte de nu-mă-uita'' (Do Not Forget Me), ''Memoriile prințesei Elisa Știrbey Brătianu'' (Memoirs of Princess Elisa Știrbey Brătianu) to mark her 145th birthday.
Selected works
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Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bratianu, Elisa
1870 births
1957 deaths
People from Buftea
Romanian philanthropists
19th-century Romanian women writers
20th-century Romanian women writers
Wallachian nobility
Bibescu family
Elisa
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence ...