King Michael of
Romania, who was credited with saving thousands of lives in World War II when,
at 22, he had the audacity to arrest the country’s dictator, a puppet of
Hitler, died on Tuesday at his residence in Switzerland. He was 96.
The Kingdom of
Romania was formed in the mid-19th century when two Balkan principalities,
Moldavia and Walachia, merged. Its shape and size changed radically as empires
waxed and waned. It had a king only five times in its history, twice with
Michael: He was king from 1927 to 1930 and again from 1940 to 1947.
He was born Prince
Mihai Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen on Oct. 25, 1921, in Sinaia, Romania. His father
was Crown Prince Carol; his mother, Princess Helen, belonged to the Greek royal
family. Other relatives belonged to Prussian royalty, and his
great-great-grandmother was Queen Victoria of England.
With the onset of
World War II, King Carol, Michael’s father, tried to take advantage of his
country’s political chaos by declaring a royal dictatorship. But the Soviet
Union and Germany outmaneuvered him to seize Romanian territory, and the king
came under fierce attack.
To placate the
outraged military and Romanian fascists, he named the brutal General Antonescu
to head his government. In September 1940, the general turned on King Carol and
forced him to abdicate.
So, at 18, Michael
was king — but in truth, he was more of a prisoner. He seldom appeared in
public. Romania’s leaders gave him chores like reviewing troops. But as the
young king matured into his 20s, he prepared to act. He secretly huddled with anti government forces that were gathering strength as Germany began to lose the
war.
This alliance was
at first secret, but by the summer of 1944 Michael had emerged as a symbol of
popular discontent. Risking the severest retribution, he publicly pressed
General Antonescu to surrender to the Soviets. The general
refused. Michael summoned him to the palace and asked him again, pounding a
table for emphasis. The general again refused.
Michael then
uttered prearranged code words, and three soldiers and an officer came forward
to arrest General Antonescu. He was locked in a vault where Michael’s father
had once kept the royal stamp collection. Other arrests followed.
German pilots tried
to kill Michael by bombing the palace, but the king prevailed, renouncing
Romania’s alliance with Germany. Germany searched in vain for a Romanian
general not loyal to the king. Its frustrated ambassador warned Michael that he
was playing with fire.
By 1947, the Cold
War had started in earnest, and Stalin ordered Romania to get rid of its king.
Romania’s prime minister, Petru Groza, was persuasive: He threatened to execute
1,000 of Michael’s supporters, and Michael himself, if he did not abdicate.
Michael, the last monarch behind
the Iron Curtain, abdicated on Dec. 30, 1947.
For years, while
living mainly in Switzerland, he returned only as a stirring memory on Voice of
America Christmas broadcasts. After communism fell, he headed home from his
exile in Geneva in December 1990.
“King Michael! King
Michael!” crowds screamed on his arrival. But, the country’s rulers, who had
been elected that May, were shocked at his popularity and banished him again,
saying he had not received proper permission for the visit.
He was allowed to
return for Romania’s celebration of Easter, however, in 1992, and again
Romania’s leadership was horrified by the size of the crowds he drew, news
reports said at the time. He was not allowed to return for another visit until
1997.
But on that visit
his citizenship and his castle — though not his crown — were returned, and King
Michael visited regularly after that. In 2011 he addressed Parliament, which
that year granted him the same rights as other former heads of state. He
received a standing ovation.
Michael received
the Legion of Merit from the United States and the Order of Victory from Moscow
for giving help to the Red Army. He was the last living recipient of that
medal, and one of only 20 to receive it.
Requiescat in pace Your Majesty!
Requiescat in pace Your Majesty!