Maria of Yugoslavia

Maria of Yugoslavia Марија од Југославије
Queen consort of Yugoslavia; prev. Queen consort of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
Tenure	1922–1934
Spouse	Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Issue
Peter II of Yugoslavia Prince Tomislav Prince Andrej
House	House of Karađorđević House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Father	Ferdinand I of Romania
Mother	Marie of Romania
Born	6 January 1900(1900-01-06) Gotha
Died	22 June 1961(1961-06-22) (aged 61) London, England
Burial	Royal Burial Ground Frogmore, Windsor
Religion	Eastern Orthodox

Styles of Queen Marija (as consort)
Reference style	Her Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Ma'am

Maria of Yugoslavia (Serbian: Marija Karađorđević, Марија Карађорђевић; 6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961) was the Queen consort of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. She was originally a princess of Romania.

Early life

She was born in Gotha, Thuringia, in Germany, during the reigns of her maternal grandfather Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and her grand-uncle King Carol I of Romania. She was known as Mignon in the family to distinguish her from her mother. Her mother was Queen Marie of Romania, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, a son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Her maternal great-grandfather was Emperor Alexander II of Russia. Maria's father was King Ferdinand I of Romania. Through her paternal side she was also a great-granddaughter of Maria II of Portugal.

During the World War I, she worked as a nurse with her mother.

Marriage and children

Queen Maria with her younger sons, Tomislav and Andrej

She married Alexander I of Yugoslavia, King of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Belgrade on 8 June 1922, and had three sons:

• King Peter II (1923–1970)
• Prince Tomislav (1928–2000)
• Prince Andrej (1929–1990)

Following the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in Marseille in 1934, her oldest son became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last Yugoslav king. She was given the title Queen Mother of Yugoslavia in 1941. She moved to a farm in England and lived a relatively normal life, without royal extravagance. Maria was well educated. She spoke several languages fluently and enjoyed painting and sculpting. She also drove a car by herself,^{[citation needed]} which was very unusual for royalty at the time.

She died in exile in London on 22 June 1961 and is interred at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, which adjoins Windsor Castle.

Humanitarian work

Queen Maria was popular and respected, by the people of Yugoslavian public, and is still well thought of in the region. She was regarded as an ideal wife and mother according to the contemporary Serbian ideal and described as a humble person. She was engaged in several social projects. In the eyes of the Serbian people, she remain one of the greatest humanitarian patrons of the Balkan region.^{[citation needed]}

Streets are named in her memory, such as “Ulica kraljice Marije” or “Queen Maria Street”, and numerous schools and other organizations still carry her name.

Ancestors

Sources

• This page is a translation of its Serbian equivalent.

External links

• Royal House of Romania
• Royal House of Yugoslavia

Succession

Maria of Yugoslavia House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern Born: 6 January 1900 Died: 22 June 1961
Yugoslavian royalty
Vacant Title last held by Draga Obrenović as Queen Consort of Serbia	Queen consort of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes Queen consort of Yugoslavia 8 June 1922–9 October 1934	Vacant Title next held by Alexandra of Greece and Denmark

Persondata
Name	Maria Of Yugoslavia
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 January 1900
Place of birth	Gotha
Date of death	22 June 1961
Place of death	London, England