Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise of Wied (29 December 18432 March 1916) was the first
queen of Romania
Consorts of Romanian monarchs were persons married to the Romanian monarch during his reign. All monarchs of modern Romania were male with the title of King of the Romanians, but all Romanian consorts were women with the title of Queen of Romania ...
as the wife of
King Carol I from 15 March 1881 to 27 September 1914. She had been the
princess consort of Romania since her marriage to then-Prince Carol on 15 November 1869.
Elisabeth was born into a German noble family. She was briefly considered as a potential bride for the future British king
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
, but Edward rejected her. Elisabeth married Prince Carol of Romania in 1869. Their only child,
Princess Maria, died aged three in 1874, and Elisabeth never fully recovered from the loss of her daughter. When Romania became a
kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
in 1881, Elisabeth became queen, and she was crowned together with Carol that same year.
Elisabeth was a prolific writer under the name Carmen Sylva.
Family and early life
Born at
Castle Monrepos in
Neuwied
Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...
, she was the daughter of
Hermann, Prince of Wied
Hermann, Prince of Wied (german: link=no, Wilhelm Hermann Karl Fürst zu Wied; 22 May 18145 March 1864) was a German nobleman, elder son of Johann August Karl, Prince of Wied. He was the father of Queen Elisabeth of Romania and grandfather of Wil ...
, and his wife
Princess Marie of Nassau
, house =Nassau-Weilburg
, father =William, Duke of Nassau
, mother =Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Biebrich, Duchy of Nassau
, death_date =
, death_place =Neuwied, Duchy of Nassau
P ...
.
Elisabeth had artistic leanings; her childhood featured seances and visits to the local asylum for the mentally ill.
[
]
Marriage
When she was about 16, Elisabeth was considered as a possible bride for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales ("Bertie"), the eldest son and heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
. The Queen strongly favored Elisabeth as a prospective daughter-in-law and urged her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal
Victoria, Princess Royal (Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa; 21 November 1840 – 5 August 1901) was German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of German Emperor Frederick III. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingd ...
, to look further into her.[Pakula, p. 144.] Elisabeth was spending the social season at the Berlin court, where her family hoped she would be tamed into a docile, marriageable princess. Princess Victoria told the Queen, "I do not think her at all distinguée looking—certainly the opposite to Bertie's usual taste", whereas the tall and slender Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
was "just the style Bertie admires".[ The Prince of Wales was also shown photographs of Elisabeth, but professed himself unmoved and declined to give them a second glance. In the end, Alexandra was selected for Albert Edward.
Elisabeth first met Prince Karl of ]Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
( en, Nothing without God)
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = German
, religion = Roman Catholic
, currency =
, title_leader = Prince
, leader1 ...
in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in 1861. In 1869, Karl, who was now Prince Carol of Romania, traveled to Germany in search of a suitable consort. He was reunited with Elisabeth, and the two were married on 15 November 1869 in Neuwied
Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...
. Their only child, a daughter, Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
, died in 1874 at age three — an event from which Elisabeth never recovered. She was crowned Queen of Romania in 1881 after Romania was proclaimed a kingdom.
In the Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
of 1877–1878, also known as the Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...
, she devoted herself to the care of the wounded, and founded the Decoration of the Cross of Queen Elisabeth to reward distinguished service in such work. She fostered the higher education of women in Romania, and established societies for various charitable objects. She was the 835th Dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their s ...
. She died at the Golescu Mansion in Bucharest.
She founded the National Society for the Blind and was the first royal patron of the Romanian Red Cross.
Early distinguished by her excellence as a pianist, organist and singer, she also showed considerable ability in painting and illuminating; but a lively poetic imagination led her to the path of literature, and more especially to poetry, folk-lore and ballads. In addition to numerous original works she put into literary form many of the legends current among the Romanian peasantry.
Literary activity
As "Carmen Sylva", she wrote with facility in German, Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
, French and English. A few of her voluminous writings, which include poems, plays, novels, short stories, essays, collections of aphorisms, etc., may be singled out for special mention:
*Her earliest publications were "Sappho" and "Hammerstein", two poems which appeared at Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
in 1880.
*In 1888 she received the , a prize awarded triennially by the Académie française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
, for her volume of prose aphorisms ''Les Pensees d'une reine'' (Paris
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 ...
, 1882), a German version of which is entitled ''Vom Amboss'' (Bonn, 1890).
*''Cuvinte Sufletesci'', religious meditations in Romanian (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 ...
, 1888), was also translated into German (Bonn, 1890), under the name of ''Seelen-Gespräche''.
Several of the works of "Carmen Sylva" were written in collaboration with Mite Kremnitz
Mite Kremnitz (4 January 1852, Greifswald – 18 July 1916 in Berlin), born Marie von Bardeleben (pen names ''George Allan'', ''Ditto and Idem''), was a German writer.
Biography
Kremnitz was the daughter of the famous surgeon Heinrich Adolf ...
, one of her maids of honor; these were published between 1881 and 1888, in some cases under the pseudonyms Dito et Idem. These include:
* ''Aus zwei Welten'' (Leipzig, 1884), a novel
* ''Anna Boleyn'' (Bonn, 1886), a tragedy
* ''In der Irre'' (Bonn, 1888), a collection of short stories
* ''Edleen Vaughan'', or ''Paths of Peril'' (London, 1894), a novel
* ''Sweet Hours'' (London, 1904), poems, written in English.
Among the translations made by "Carmen Sylva" include:
* German versions of Pierre Loti's romance ''Pecheur d'Islande''
* German versions of Paul de St Victor's dramatic criticisms ''Les Deux Masques'' (Paris, 1881–1884)
* and especially ''The Bard of the Dimbovitza'', an English translation of Elena Văcărescu's collection of Romanian folk-songs, etc., entitled ''Lieder aus dem Dimbovitzathal'' (Bonn, 1889), translated by "Carmen Sylva" and Alma Strettell.
''The Bard of the Dimbovitza'' was first published in 1891, and was soon reissued and expanded. Translations from the original works of "Carmen Sylva" have appeared in all the principal languages of Europe and in Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
.
A book of reminiscences ''From Memory's Shrine'' was published in 1911.
Văcărescu Affair
In 1881, due to the lack of heirs to the Romanian throne, King Carol I adopted his nephew, Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
. Ferdinand, a complete stranger in his new home, started to get close to one of Elisabeth's ladies in waiting, Elena Văcărescu. Elisabeth, very close to Elena herself, encouraged the romance, although she was perfectly aware of the fact that a marriage between the two was forbidden by the Romanian constitution.
The result of this was the exile of both Elisabeth (in Neuwied
Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...
) and Elena (in Paris
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 ...
), as well as a trip by Ferdinand through Europe in search of a suitable bride, whom he eventually found in Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
's granddaughter, Princess Marie of Edinburgh
Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of King Ferdinand I.
Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parents were Prince Alfred, ...
. The affair helped reinforce Elisabeth's image as a dreamer and eccentric.
Quite unusually for a queen, Elisabeth of Wied was personally of the opinion that a republican form of government was preferable to monarchy—an opinion which she expressed forthrightly in her diary, though she did not make it public at the time:I must sympathize with the Social Democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
, especially in view of the inaction and corruption of the nobles. These "little people", after all, want only what nature confers: equality. The Republican form of government is the only rational one. I can never understand the foolish people, the fact that they continue to tolerate us.
Honours
National
* : Dame of the Order of Louise
The Order of Louise (German: ''Luisen-Orden'') was founded on 3 August 1814 by Frederick William III of Prussia to honor his late wife, the much beloved Queen Louise (''née Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie, Herzogin zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz''). ...
**
Hohenzollern: Dame of the House Order of Hohenzollern
The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown[ Queen Elisabeth wearing the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown and The Decoration of the Cross of Queen Elisabeth]
* : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Carol I
* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...
* : Grand Master Knight of the Decoration of the Cross of Queen Elisabeth
* : Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Medal of King Carol I
Foreign
* :
** Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross
The Order of the Starry Cross (or Order of the Star Cross/Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Habsburg-Lorrain ...
, 1st Class
** Decoration of Honour for Arts and Sciences, in Brilliants, ''1896''
** Grand Cross of the Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth
The Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (German: ''Kaiserlich österreichischer Elisabeth-Orden''), founded in 1898 by Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, was an order created for women. The order was the namesake of Saint E ...
, ''1913''
* : Dame of the Order of Queen Saint Isabel
* : Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Saint Catherine
The Imperial Order of Saint Catherine (russian: Императорский Орден Святой Екатерины) was an award of Imperial Russia. Instituted on 24 November 1714 by Peter the Great on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine ...
* : Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saint Sava
The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...
* : Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa
The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their s ...
, ''26 December 1884''
* : Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, 1st Class
* : Dame of the Order of Olga, ''1880''
Legacy
The Bucharest-born colonizer of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, Julius Popper
Julius Popper (December 15, 1857 – June 5, 1893), also known in Spanish language, Spanish as Julio Popper (), was a Wallachia, Wallachian-born Romanian-Argentine engineer, adventurer, and explorer. Popper was one of the perpetrators of the Sel ...
, was a fan of her work and named some features after her.
* Sierra Carmen Silva (Chile)
* Río Carmen Silva (Argentina, also known as Río Chico)
* The Forest path of Carmen Sylva (Šetalište Carmen Sylve) in Opatija
Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean ...
, Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
* Villa Carmen Sylva (Domburg)
* Villa Carmen Sylva (Varese)
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
* Eugen Wolbe, "Carmen Sylva", Leipzig, 1933
* Gabriel Badea-Päun, ''Carmen Sylva - Uimitoarea Regină Elisabeta a României, 1843–1916'', Bucharest, Humanitas, 2003, second edition in 2007, third edition in 2008;
* Gabriel Badea-Päun, ''Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouÿ (1842–1923) à la cour royale de Roumanie'', dans Bulletin de la Société de l'Historie de l'Art Français, Année 2005, Paris, 2006, pp. 257–81.
*
*
* Zimmermann, Silvia Irina: ''The Child of the Sun: Royal Fairy Tales and Essays by the Queens of Romania, Elisabeth (Carmen Sylva, 1843-1916) and Marie (1875-1938)''. Selected and edited, with an introduction and bibliography by Silvia Irina Zimmermann. Stuttgart: ibidem-Verlag (Ibidem Press), 2020, 315 pages, 54 illustrations (7 colored), .
* Zimmermann, Silvia Irina: ''Der Zauber des fernen Königreichs. Carmen Sylvas „Pelesch-Märchen“'', (Magisterarbeit Universität Marburg 1996), ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart, 2011, 180 pages; .
* Zimmermann, Silvia Irina: ''Die dichtende Königin. Elisabeth, Prinzessin zu Wied, Königin von Rumänien, Carmen Sylva (1843–1916). Selbstmythisierung und prodynastische Öffentlichkeitsarbeit durch Literatur'', (Doctoral thesis University of Marburg 2001/2003), ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart, 2010, 482 pages; .
External links
Research Center Carmen Sylva of the Princely Archive of Wied
at Tom's Place (tkinter.org) – works by and about her, gallery from newspapers and magazines
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth Of Wied
1843 births
1916 deaths
People from Neuwied
People from the Duchy of Nassau
House of Wied-Neuwied
Princesses of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Romanian Lutherans
Romanian dramatists and playwrights
Romanian folklorists
Women folklorists
19th-century Romanian novelists
19th-century Romanian poets
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Dames of the Order of Saint Isabel
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Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
Burials at Curtea de Argeş Cathedral
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