Prince Mircea of Romania (; 3 January 19132 November 1916) was the third son and last child of King Ferdinand of Romania and his wife,

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, ...

and a great-grandson of

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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

through his mother. He died aged three in 1916.

Birth

Prince Mircea was born 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 ...

on , as the third son and last child of the ''Crown Prince'' Ferdinand of Romania and his wife, the ''Crown Princess'' Marie of Edinburgh. He was baptised on at the Royal Palace (presently the National Museum of Art).

Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia Prince Wilhelm Eitel Friedrich Christian Karl of Prussia (7 July 1883 – 8 December 1942) was the second son of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany by his first wife, Princess Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. He was born ...

arrived by train to

to represent his father. He was met there by King Carol I, Crown Prince Ferdinand and Prince Carol. His godparents were the German Emperor Wilhelm II, King Carol I, Queen Elisabeth and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. His mother, the ''Crown Princess'' was absent due to a possible attack of

phlebitis Phlebitis (or Venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis and is then called thrombophlebitis or superficial thrombophlebitis. Unlike ...

. During his short life, he was known to get along very well with his sister,

Princess Ileana of Romania Princess Ileana of Romania, also known as Mother Alexandra (23 December 1908 – 21 January 1991), was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and his consort, Queen Marie of Romania. She was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victor ...

. His governess was ''Mary Green''.

Death

Prince Mircea died at Buftea on 2 November 1916 of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, during a time of war, when enemy troops were approaching

and many battles were taking place close to the city. The royal family had to quickly bury him on the grounds of

Cotroceni Palace Cotroceni Palace ( Romanian: ''Palatul Cotroceni'') is the official residence of the President of Romania. It is located at ''Bulevardul Geniului, nr. 1'', in Bucharest, Romania. The palace also houses the National Cotroceni Museum. History T ...

, before they went into retreat to Iași, the old capital of

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 ...

, the unoccupied part north-eastern

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. His death certificate was partially burnt. His original tombstone read: In 1920, Mircea's eldest brother, the future Carol II, named his child with

Zizi Lambrino Joanna Marie Valentina "Zizi" Lambrino (3 October 1898 – 11 March 1953) was the first wife of the later King Carol II of Romania. They had one son, Carol, born in 1920, in Bucharest. Life Born in the former Byzantine, Phanariot Rangabe-Lambr ...

Mircea Grigore, in memory of Prince Mircea who had died just four years earlier. In 1941, Mircea was reburied, at the request of Princess Ileana, from Cotroceni to the little chapel of

Bran Castle Bran Castle ( ro, Castelul Bran; german: Schloss Bran; hu, Törcsvári kastély) is a castle in Bran, southwest of Brașov. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The fortress is on the Transylvanian side of the historical bo ...

, close to the burial place of Marie's heart. In January 2018, it was announced that the remains of

King Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I of Roman ...

will be moved to the new Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral, along with those of Queen Mother Helen. In addition, the remains of Prince Mircea will also be moved to the new cathedral.

Etymology

''Mircea'' is an exclusively Romanian-used name that is derived from the Old Slavic ''mir'' meaning "peace" or "world". Prince Mircea was named after

Mircea I of Wallachia Mircea the Elder ( ro, Mircea cel Bătrân, ; c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited ...

, a medieval Romanian

Prince of Wallachia This is a list of rulers of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the creation of Romania. Notes Dynastic rule is hard t ...

who organised a vigorous resistance to the Turks in the 14th century, and whose troops fought side by side with the Serbians on the fatal field of Kossovo.

Ancestry

Notes

* The most common used date is January 3, but the date on his first tomb had the Old Style date, 22 December 1912. * It was believed at the time that his biological father was Prince

Barbu Știrbey Prince Barbu Alexandru Știrbey (; 4 November 1872 – 24 March 1946) was 30th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927. He was the son of Prince Alexandru Știrbey and his wife Princess Maria Ghika-Comănești, and grandson of another ...

and now most historians agree that this is true. * Mary Green was also the governess of his sister, Princess Ileana and his brother, Prince Nicholas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mircea Of Romania, Prince 1913 births 1916 deaths Deaths from typhoid fever Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian princes Infectious disease deaths in Romania Royalty who died as children