Carol I, the first (and the best ) king of Romania
Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen is known to Romanians as Charles I/The First. He was the first king of the United Principalities of Moldova and Romania and later of the Kingdom of Romania. He was the longest-serving ruler of Romania (48 years) and the first member of the royal dynasty of foreign origin.
Carol was born in the German Empire, and received a Prussian-style military education, based on discipline, modesty and rigor. He studied at a military academy, as was the tradition among the elites in Germany.
He came to know Romania in 1866, when he was 27 years old. He was offered to become the ruler of Romania, an obscure little country in the east that was not even independent. He finally accepted, coming to Romania secretly, under a false identity, in 1866.
Upon his arrival, Carol was shocked, he found an underdeveloped and oriental country with a quarrelsome and disorganized political class. The Romania of that time contrasted profoundly with the orderly Prussian system that Carol had been used to, Romania having between 1866 and 1871, 10 governments.
This political debauchery made Carol wonder how he will be able to rule this chaotic country.But, the political situation calmed down only after he threatened to abdicate in 1871. After the threat, the politicians decided to listen to Carol and adopt a less chaotic political attitude.
He created a rotating political system, in which the two parties on the Romanian political scene (the Conservative Party and the National Liberal Party) would govern in rotation, with clearly defined periods.
In 1877, the Russo-Turkish War began, and Carol took advantage of this opportunity to gain Romania’s independence, which was granted on May 10, 1877. After gaining independence, Carol was able to begin the process of reforming and modernizing the Romanian state, which had been slow before, because of the Ottoman rule. After gaining independence, Romania became a kingdom, and Carol was crowned king of Romania in 1881.
During the following years of Carol’s reign, Romania changed with an astonishing speed, many infrastructure projects were built (the Cernavodă Bridge, the Port of Constanța, an extensive railway system and many others), the National Bank was established, Calea Victoriei and many many new buildings and palaces were built (The Athenaeum, the Cotroceni Palace and the Peles Castle), investment was made in culture, education and many other fields. During the years of his reign, Romania changed Radically, from a country with an oriental-Ottoman appearance to a modern, rapidly developing country that began to resemble more and more the other developed European countries, Bucharest becoming the “Little Paris”.
Another proof of Carol’s dedication to Romania is the fact that in 1914, when the First World War began, Carol had the tendency for Romania to join the war on the side of Germany and the Central Powers, which would have put Romania at a disadvantage, because the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany’s ally, had control over Transylvania (a widely Romanian region). An alliance with Germany, therefore implicitly with Austria-Hungary, would have made it almost impossible for Romania to acquire Transylvania. The political class advised Carol not to go to war and not to sign any treaty with the Central Powers. In a moment that demonstrated Carol’s dedication to Romania, he accepted with a heavy heart the decision of the political class, “turning his back” on his native land, putting Romania’s interests above his personal feelings. This decision turned out to be better, because if Romania had joined the Central Powers, it would have been at worst defeated and at best a victorious country that would not have gained much after the war.
Carol died on October 10, 1914 at Peles Castle, one of his residences, after 48 years of fruitful and glorious reign. A much discussed thing about his death is the fact that at the head of his bed on the morning of his death could be found: a glass with water and a military biscuit, and it is said that this is also a symbol of Carol’s dedication. The king who had done so much for Romania took with him to the other world only a biscuit from the army rations (something that shows his training and military career) and a glass of water. He also left behind a large amount of money, from his own funds, for cultural investments.
In conclusion, King Carol I was the man who modernized Romania and who took Romania off an Eastern path and put it on a Western path. His long and successful reign developed and modernized Romania and made Greater Romania possible by winning independence and avoiding involvement in the First World War. King Carol I was not only a productive and good king, but he was also the king who laid the foundations of Greater Romania and those of a modern Romania. His reign paved the way for the achievements of the subsequent kings.
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