Maria of Romania

Infobox Yugoslavian Royalty|majesty|consort
name =Maria of Romania
title =Queen consort of Yugoslavia; "prev." Queen consort of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes


caption =
reign =1922 - 1934
spouse =Alexander I
issue =Petar II Prince Tomislav
Prince Andrej
royal house =House of Karađorđević
House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
titles ="HM" Queen Maria
"HM" The Queen Yugoslavia
"HM" The Queen of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes
"HRH" Princess Maria of Romania
father =Ferdinand I of Romania
mother =Marie of Edinburgh
date of birth =birth date|1900|1|6
place of birth =Gotha
date of death =death date and age|1961|6|22|1900|6|1|mf=y
place of death =London, England
place of burial =Frogmore Royal Mausoleum|infobox hrhstyles


royal name=Queen Marija (as consort)
dipstyle=Her Majesty
offstyle=Your Majesty
altstyle=Ma'am|

:"For her mother, Queen Marie of Romania, please see Marie of Edinburgh."

Maria of Romania (6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961) was queen consort to King Alexander I of Yugoslavia.

Biography

Maria was born in Gotha, Thuringia in Germany, during the reign of her maternal grandfather Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and during the Romanian reign of her granduncle King Carol I. She was known as "Mignon" in the family to distinguish her from her mother.

Her mother was Princess Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, a son of Queen Victoria. Her maternal great-grandfather was Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Maria's father was Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania.

She married King Alexander I of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Belgrade on 8 June 1922, and raised three sons:
*Crown Prince Peter (1923-1970)
*Prince Tomislav (1928-2000)
*Prince Andrej (1929-1990)

She became Queen Mother of Yugoslavia when, following the assassination of King Alexander in Marseille in 1934, her oldest son became Peter II of Yugoslavia, the last Yugoslav king. She moved to a farm in England and live 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 Fact|date=May 2008, which was very unusual 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 Marija was well loved, and respected, by the people of Yugoslavia and continues to be well thought of. She remains, in the eyes of the Serbian people, one of the greatest humanitarian patron's of the Balkan region.

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

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boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
1= 1. Maria of Romania
2= 2. Ferdinand I of Romania
3= 3. Marie of Edinburgh
4= 4. Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern
5= 5. Infanta Antónia of Portugal
6= 6. Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
7= 7. Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
8= 8. Charles Anthony, Prince of Hohenzollern
9= 9. Princess Josephine of Baden
10= 10. Ferdinand II of Portugal
11= 11. Maria II of Portugal
12= 12. Albert, Prince Consort
13= 13. Victoria of the United Kingdom
14= 14. Alexander II of Russia
15= 15. Marie of Hesse
16= 16. Charles, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
17= 17. Marie Antoinette Murat
18= 18. Karl, Grand Duke of Baden
19= 19. Stéphanie de Beauharnais
20= 20. Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
21= 21. Maria Antonia, Princess of Koháry
22= 22. Pedro I of Brazil
23= 23. Maria Leopoldina of Austria
24= 24. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
25= 25. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
26= 26. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn
27= 27. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
28= 28. Nicholas I of Russia
29= 29. Charlotte of Prussia
30= 30. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse
31= 31. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden

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External links

* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/romania.html Royal House of Romania]
* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/yugoslavia.html Royal House of Yugoslavia]