In the political history of United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Carol I of Romania is one of the names the record keeps returning to.
The record lists Carol I of Romania as King of Romania from 1881 to 1914.
Carol I of Romania was born at Sigmaringen in 1839. His recorded nationality is United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. He was educated at Prussian Military Academy.
The nineteenth century produced mass politics - parties, newspapers, franchises that widened by inches - and empire on a scale never seen before.
He served as King of Romania (1881–1914) and Prince of Romania (1866–1881).
He is described as monarch, military personnel and art collector.
His name is attached above all to Romanian troops during the Russo-Turkish War and assumed command of the Russo-Romanian army during the siege of Plevna. What survives of a political career is usually not the speeches but the institutions left behind.
Recognition followed: Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Order of the Black Eagle, Order of the Star of Romania and Order of St. Andrew.
That the career was made in United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia is not incidental: the institutions available, the franchise, and the constraints of the moment all shaped what could be attempted.
Carol I of Romania died in 1914, aged 75. The assessment continues, as it does for anyone who held power - which is the ordinary fate of a political life.
Achievements
- King of Romania (1881–1914)
- Prince of Romania (1866–1881)
- Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece
- Order of the Black Eagle
- Order of the Star of Romania
- Order of St. Andrew
- Educated at Prussian Military Academy
