Carol the ruler
Carol, the name of two kings of Romania.
Carol I(1839–1914) was the first king of Romania, ruling from 1881 to 1914. He was the son of Prince Karl Anton of Hohen-zollern-Sigmaringen. In 1866 he became prince of Romania, and in 1869 married Princess Elizabeth of Wied. Carol was proclaimed king three years after the Treaty of Berlin (1878) recognized Romania's independence from Turkey. In 1913 he declared war against Bulgaria in the Second Balkan War. His sympathies were with Germany in World War I, but Romania remained neutral until after his death. He was succeeded by his nephew, Ferdinand I.
Carol II(1893–1953), the son of Ferdinand I, was king from 1930 to 1940. He became crown prince in 1914, when his father took the throne. In 1921 Carol married Princess Helen of Greece. They had a son, Michael. Carol went to Paris to live with Mme. Magda Lupescu in 1925, renouncing his right to the throne, and in 1928 he divorced Princess Helen. Ferdinand I died in 1927, and young Prince Michael was proclaimed king under a regent. In 1930 Carol returned to Romania and reclaimed the throne. When the Nazis forced him to abdicate in 1940, during World War II, he fled into exile with Mme. Lupescu to Spain, France, South America, and, finally, Portugal. In 1947 he married Mme. Lupescu in Brazil.