Elena of Montenegro

Infobox Italian Royalty|majesty|consort
name =Elena of Montenegro
title =Empress consort of Ethiopia
Queen consort of Italy and Albania


caption =
reign =29 July, 1900 – 9 May, 1946
spouse =Victor Emmanuel III
issue =Princess Yolanda Margherita
Princess Mafalda
Umberto II
Giovanna, Queen of Bulgaria
Princess Maria Francesca
royal house =House of Savoy
House of Petrović-Njegoš
othertitles ='HM" Queen Elena
"HM" The Queen of Italy
"HIM" The Empress of Ethiopia
"HM" The Queen of Italy and Albania
"HM" The Queen of Italy
"HRH" The Crown Princess of Italy
"HRH" Princess Elena of Montenegro
father =Nicholas I of Montenegro
mother =Milena Vukotić
date of birth =birth date|1873|1|8|df=y
place of birth =flagicon|Montenegro|1910 Cetinje
date of death =death date and age|1952|11|28|1873|1|8|df=y
place of death =flagicon|France Montpellier|

Helen of Montenegro (born Princess Jelena Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro) (8 January 1873 - 28 November 1952) was the daughter of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro and his wife, Milena Vukotić. As the result of Jelena's marriage to King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy on 24 October, 1896 she would become Queen of Italy when her husband acceded to the throne in 1900.

, Prince Petar Petrovic Njegos.

Sitting (from left to right): Princess Milica-Jutta von Mecklenburg, Princess Ana von Battenberg, Elena of Montenegro, Queen Milena Petrovic Njegos, King Nikola Petrovic Njegos, Grand-princess Milica Nicholojievich, Italian King Victor Emmanuel, Princess Natalija Konstantinovic.

Sitting on the carpet (from left to right): Princess Jelena Karadjordjevic, daughter of Grand-prince Peter Nicholojievich Princess Golycin, Crown Prince of Serbia Aleksandar Karadjordjevic.] Due to the Fascist conquest of Ethiopia in 1936 and Albania in 1939, Queen Elena briefly used the claimed titles of Empress of Ethiopia and Queen of Albania as well. Both titles were dropped when her husband formally renounced these titles in 1943.

She even influenced her husband (the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III) to lobby Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy for the creation of the Independent State of Montenegro in 1941. Subsequently she obtained the release from a German prison of Prince Michael of Montenegro (who refused to become the king of fascist Montenegro) and his wife in 1943.

Children

King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Queen Elena had 5 children:

# Yolanda Margherita Milena Elisabetta Romana Maria (1901-1986), married to Giorgio Carlo Calvi, Count of Bergolo, (1887–1977);
# Mafalda Maria Elisabetta Anna Romana (1902–44), married to Prince Philipp of Hesse (1896–1980) with issue; she died in the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald;
# Umberto Nicola Tommaso Giovanni Maria, later Umberto II, King of Italy (1904–1983) married (and following the abolition of monarchy, separated from) Princess Marie José of Belgium, with issue.
# Giovanna Elisabetta Antonia Romana Maria (1907–2000), married to Boris III, King of Bulgaria, and mother of Simeon II, King and later Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
# Maria Francesca Anna Romana (1914–2001), who married Prince Luigi of Bourbon-Parma (1899–1967), with issue.

External links

* [http://www.njegoskij.org/ The Njegoskij Fund Public Project] : Private family archives-based digital documentary fund focused on history and culture of Royal Montenegro.
* [http://wikii.itam.ws/index.php/Jelena Crnogorska princeza Jelena]