Transylvania and Royalty.

To all who come here and join welcome. Feel free to leave comments as they are an important part to this blog, it can't get better without comments. I'd love to have more people join this blog, and it's vital to have a dialogue going.

I'll be starting this new series on royalty with admittedly one of my most beloved figures of Transylvania, and Romania. She was born a English Princess and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Her parents were of German descent-- her mother was from the Russian Imperial family-- and her father was to inherit a duchy in Germany. She was the second child, and eldest daughter. Before she turned seventeen she was engaged to a crown prince of a small territory. She became Queen in 1914, just after the beginning of a war that would change her world. At the end of the war she became Queen to more land, given to this country via a treaty. If I told you that this was Queen Maria of Romania, I don't think anyone would be surprised.

What I found most interesting was her way with the common people. She was a writer, a speaker, and someone who spoke her mind, she was on the cover of Time magazine in 1924, and she lived to see her grandson become King before his father and then his father, her son, become King.

She had three daughters, Elizabeth, Maria and Illeana and three sons, Carol, Nicholas and Mircea,one of whom (The youngest son Mircea) died young. She was know to be flirt and according to many had many lovers. To some she was the start of the Edwardian age in Romania.

It was through her that Transylvania was given to Romania. She decided that she needed to go to the Paris Peace conference, even though Romania had sued for peace earlier. She was against the peace treaty but knew that it was the only way to save her country.

She restored one of the most famous Castles in Transylvania, Bran Castle which is one of the older and lovelier castle in the Brasov area. Her unique ability to make people feel that they were in the presence of a special person made her beloved.

Some of the best books about her are The Last Romantic, and Born to Rule (If you want more information about Born to Rule see My Recommended Library blog. link on the right) When she died in 1938, the people of Romanian were genuine in their sorrow.

The last thing which she ordered before her death was that her heart be placed elsewhere from her body. Her body was laid beside that of her husband King Ferdinand, who had died in 1927. Her heart now reposes in Bran Castle. its first resting place was in Balchik Palace, but when it was returned to Bulgaria, her heart was moved to Bran Castle.

My Question to you is: Did Queen Maria of Romania help the People of Transylvania and why or why not?

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