Marija Karađorđević
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Maria (born Princess Maria of Romania; 6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961), known in Serbian as Marija Karađorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Марија Карађорђевић), was Queen of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1922 to 1929 and
Queen of Yugoslavia This is a list of consorts of Serbian monarchs during the history of Serbia. Middle Ages Princess and Queen consorts of Duklja (10th–12th century) Grand Princess consorts of Serbia (1091–1217) Queen consorts of Serbia and Syrmia Ne ...
from 1929 to 1934 as the wife of King Alexander I. She was the mother of King Peter II. Her citizenship was revoked, and her property was confiscated by the Yugoslav communist regime in 1947, but she was posthumously rehabilitated in 2014.


Early life

Maria was born on 6 January 1900, at Friedenstein Palace in
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
, a town in
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
, in the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. She was named after her maternal grandmother,
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (; – 22 October 1920) was the sixth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she was Duchess of Edinburgh and later Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and G ...
, and was known as ''Mignon'' in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her parents were Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen – Ferdinand I of Romania – and Princess
Marie of Edinburgh Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last queen of Romania from 10 October 1914 to 20 July 1927 as the wife of King Ferdinand I. Marie was born into the British royal fa ...
. In her memoirs, Queen Marie of Romania wrote of her third child: In 1914, after the death of
Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...
, her parents became King and Queen of
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, and Maria moved with them to Romania, which became her new home country. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, she worked as a nurse with her mother, along with her two sisters. Although plump, Maria was a noted beauty in her youth and resembled her sister, Elisabeth. The family spent their holidays at Peleș Castle near Sinaia. In 1922, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia was invited to Peleș Castle, and introduced to Maria. Maria and Alexander fell in love, and were engaged with the support of Maria's father Ferdinand I.


Queen

Maria married
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
, second
King of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes This article lists the heads of state of Yugoslavia from the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) in 1918 until the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. The Kingdom of Yugoslavi ...
, in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
on 8 June 1922. The wedding took place at the Saint Michael's cathedral. The wedding was given big international publicity at the time. Since Maria was related to the
British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...
, the
British Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
was represented by the
Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...
, who attended the wedding as witness. On 3 October 1929, Maria became Queen of Yugoslavia when Alexander changed the name of the country. The royal couple settled at the Karađorđević estate in Oplenac near Topola. Since the new Royal Residence in Belgrade was not finished, the king and queen continued to live at the Karađorđević estate. Queen Maria established good relations with the Orthodox clergy and engaged in charity. At the Karađorđević estate, Maria participated in the work of the local peasantry at the royal estate, and could be seen working in the field dressed in traditional folk costume. She founded schools for the children of the local farmers, scholarships for the benefit of poor students and cooperated with the church to help poor families. Her first son was given a traditional royal Serbian name, her second son was given a Croatian name and her third son was given a Slovenian name to create unity in the new state of Yugoslavia. Her sons played with the children of the workers on the estate. The simple life of Maria gave her a great deal of favourable publicity, and her popularity also benefitted Alexander, when she and sometimes the sons accompanied him on his trips around Yugoslavia. Maria was well educated. She spoke several languages fluently and enjoyed painting and sculpting under the guidance of artist Iva Despić-Simonović. She also drove a car by herself, which was very unusual for royalty at the time. Following the assassination of her husband, King Alexander I, in
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
in 1934, her oldest son, aged only 11, became Peter II of Yugoslavia and was the last reigning Yugoslav king. Her son, being a minor, was placed under the regency of his uncle, Prince Paul. The regent gave Maria an allowance of six million dinars for herself and her sons: she kept a quarter of the amount, and spend the rest on charity. Queen Maria initially kept participating in royal representation as a widow. Her first assignment as a widow was a campaign against tuberculosis. After the death of Alexander, Maria suffered from a deteriorating state of
rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...
. In 1938, she bought a farm in Gransden in Bedfordshire north of London in England. In 1939, she moved permanently to her house in England: she took her younger sons with her, but was obliged to leave her eldest son in Yugoslavia because of his position as monarch. It was rumoured at the time that Maria left Yugoslavia because of a conflict with the Prince Regent Paul, but the official reason stated for her move was her health. She was given the title
Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...
of Yugoslavia in 1941.


Later life

Yugoslavia declared itself neutral at the outbreak of World War II. On 25 March 1941, however, Prince Paul declared Yugoslavia an ally of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 27 March, Peter II deposed Prince Paul as regent. On 6 April, Nazi Germany attacked Yugoslavia, and Peter II fled to Britain, arriving in June. Maria suggested that she should return to Yugoslavia to stand by the Yugoslav people during the war, but was prevented by her health problems from doing so. During the war, Maria provided relief help for Yugoslav prisoners of war in Nazi custody through the Red Cross in Britain. To avoid being identified by the Germans as a sender, she gave the name of Mary Djordjevic as the sender of the packages, but she was identified by the Yugoslav prisoners. On 29 November 1945, the monarchy was abolished in Yugoslavia. Her son, Peter II, settled in the United States. Maria herself bought a new farm in Kent, where she lived a simple life with her two younger sons, often seen working in the fields. She chose not to use her contacts as a relative of the British royal family. She engaged in the Yugoslav community in London, as well as her interest in art, and studied at the
Byam Shaw School of Art The Byam Shaw School of Art, often known simply as Byam Shaw, was an independent art school in London, England, which specialised in fine art and offered foundation and degree level courses. It was founded in 1910 by Byam Shaw, John Liston Bya ...
and participated in several exhibitions with her art work. She died at her home in exile in
Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...
on 22 June 1961, aged 61. Her funeral was held on 2 July 1961 at the Serbian Orthodox Church,
Notting Hill, London Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...
and was initially interred at the
Royal Burial Ground The Royal Burial Ground is a cemetery used by the British royal family. Consecrated on 23 October 1928 by the Bishop of Oxford, it is adjacent to the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore, Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1862 to house the tomb of Quee ...
at
Frogmore Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises , of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and ...
, which adjoins
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
. Her remains were transferred to Serbia in April 2013 and reinterred on 26 May 2013 in Oplenac, Serbia.


Family

Maria and
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
had three sons: * King Peter II (6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) ∞ Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark * Prince Tomislav (19 January 1928 – 12 July 2000) ∞ Princess Margarita of Baden ∞ Linda Mary Bonney (1949 - 2013) * Prince Andrej (28 June 1929 – 7 May 1990) ∞ Princess Christina Margarethe of Hesse ∞ Princess Kira Melita of Leiningen (1930-2005) ∞ Milica Andjelkovic (1926-2020), former wife of Dr Frank Lowe, later changed her name to Eva Maria Karadjordjevic


Honours

* : Dame Grand Cross of the
Order of Carol I The Order of Carol I () was the highest ranking of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania, Romanian honours of the Kingdom of Romania until the founding of the Order of Michael the Brave in 1916 by King of Romania, King Ferdinand I of Ro ...
* : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Romania * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Karađorđe (8 June 1922) * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown * : Dame Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
(1959) * : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Alexander, in Diamonds (1934) * : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (4 April 1937)


Gallery

File:Kraljica Marija i prinčevi Petar, Tomislav i Andrija.jpg, Maria with her sons,
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
, Tomislav, and Andrej File:Villa Miločer.jpg, Queen's summer residence near
Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...
, Montenegro.


Notes


References

* Danica e Srđan Čolović, Marija Karađorđević - Kraljica majka, Arhiv Srbije, Belgrado 2001, ISBN 86-81511-16-5


External links


Royal House of Yugoslavia

The Mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family
, - , - {{Authority control 1900 births 1961 deaths People from Gotha (town) Romanian princesses Queen mothers Queens consort of Yugoslavia Karađorđević dynasty Princesses of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Burials at the Mausoleum of the Royal House of Karađorđević, Oplenac Royal reburials Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion Daughters of kings Mothers of Yugoslavian monarchs 20th-century Romanian women