Elena Maria Catargiu-Obrenović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Елена Марија Катарџи-Обреновић; 1831 Iași – 16 July 1876 or 28 June 1879,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

), known in Serbia as Marija Obrenović, was by birth a

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

n and

United Principalities 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, ...

boyaress.

Early life

She was the daughter of Boyar Constantin

Catargiu The House of Catargiu () is the name of an old and influential Moldavian noble family of the Tupilați region, whose members played important political role in the history of Wallachia, Moldavia and Romania. Notable members * Alexandru Ștefa ...

(1800-1871), a great landowner and Moldavian separatist and Romanian noblewoman Smaranda

Balș Balș () is a town in Olt County, Oltenia, Romania. The town administers three villages: Corbeni, Româna, and Teiș. Geography The town is situated on the Wallachian Plain and lies on the banks of the river Olteț. It is located in the northwe ...

(1811-1886), whose family dubiously claimed descent from the medieval

House of Balšić A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

.https://revistasferapoliticii.ro/sfera/171/art15-Iorga.php

Biography

Elena Maria married Miloš Obrenović (1829–1861), the son of

Jevrem Obrenović Prince Jevrem Teodorović Obrenović (18 March 1790 - 20 September 1856) was a Serbian politician and revolutionary. He was the younger brother of Prince Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia, the founder of the Obrenović dynasty. Early life Jevrem' ...

and their son

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

was born in 1854. In 1855, shortly after the birth of Milan, Maria and Miloš were divorced. In the early 1860s, she became the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

Domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian word "''domn''" ...

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janua ...

of Moldavia and Wallachia (1820–1873), and two sons Alexandru Al. Ioan Cuza and Dimitrie Cuza, were born out of their romance. After Prince Michael III of Serbia was assassinated in 1868 without issue, Maria's son Milan ascended the throne as the new

Prince of Serbia This is an archontological list of Serbian monarchs, containing monarchs of the medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia. The Serbian monarchy dates back to the Early Middle Ages. The Serbian royal titles used include Knyaz ...

. Her younger son Dimitrie committed suicide in 1888 and Alexandru died the following year.

Issue

* King Milan I of Serbia (1854–1901) * Alexandru Al. Ioan Cuza (born between 1862 and 1864, died 1889) * Dimitrie Cuza (1865–1888)

References

1831 births Romanian nobility Mistresses of Romanian royalty Marija 1879 deaths Burials at Eternitatea cemetery Serbian people of Romanian descent 19th-century Romanian people 19th-century Romanian women {{Romania-bio-stub