Elena Maria Catargiu-Obrenović (

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

: Елена Марија Катарџи-Обреновић; 1831 – 16 July 1876), known in Serbia as Marija Obrenović, was by birth a

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

n and

United Principalities The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (), commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Moldavia, Principality of Moldavia and the Wallachia, Principality of Wallachia. The union was ...

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

ess.

Early life

She was the daughter of

Boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

Constantin Catargiu (1800–1871), a great landowner and Moldavian

separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

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.

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 Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia, Prince Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia, the founder of the Obren ...

and their son

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

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 female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

Domnitor ''Prince Domnitor'', in full ''Principe Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Principi Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince regnant" in English and most other languages, ...

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'' (prince) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as List of monarchs of Moldavia ...

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 Kny ...

. Her younger son Dimitrie committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in 1888 and Alexandru died the following year. After the fall of Cuza, his whole family was exiled, as was Elena Maria, who settled in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and became

lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...

to Empress Augusta. In 1876, after finding out she had cancer, she committed suicide in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

and was buried in the Catargiu family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

, Iasi.

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 Moldavian nobility Mistresses of Romanian royalty

Marija Marija is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Depending on phonological rules concerning consecut ...

1879 deaths Burials at Eternitatea cemetery Serbian people of Romanian descent 19th-century Moldavian people 19th-century Moldavian women Mothers of Serbian monarchs {{Romania-bio-stub