Elisabeth of Wied (real name Carmen Sylva) was born on December 29, 1843 in Prussia and she died on November 2, 1916. She was the Queen Consort of King Carol I of Romania and daughter of German Prince Hermann of Wied and Marie (Marie was the daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau).
Biography and Career :
She first came in Romania in 1869 when she married Karl von Hohenzollern, also known as Carol I of Romania. After the Independence War in 1877 and the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, Romania was recognized as kingdom and Elisabeth became the first queen of Romania. During the war in 1877 she founded hospitals, ambulance services and got medicines for injured people.
Elisabeth was an avid of culture and so, she did not only support art and philanthropic societies, but also young peop
le to study with her scholarship system and women of high society, wanting them to have an active role in collecting funds for charity actions. In 1893 the Queen Elizabeth Society was founded , a charity system, which helped approximately 17.000 injured people per year, offered free medicines and took care of poor families.
Elisabeth was also a great support for the Romanian trade. She used to wear the Romanian national clothes, which was considered, untill then, to be worn by villagers only. The queen had organized a center of national trades, at the royal castle in Sinaia. In 1867, 1889 and 1900 Romania participated at the Universal Exhibition showing embroideries and upholsteries.
Carol's wife was one of the first persons who understood the need of tourism and tried as much as she could to make her adoptive country well-known everywhere she went. The Orient Express train had one of its stops in Sinaia and the travelers were received at the Royal Castle.
The queen spoke fluently French, English and German and published many books under the name of Carmen Sylva, fact that made Romania famous abroad for. Despite her romanticism, she succeeded in a patriarchal society where the European system of values was only a facade. Some of her artist friends were George Enescu, Elena Vacarescu, Nicolae Grigorescu and Vasile Alecsandri.
Elisabeth of Weid died shortly before Romania declared Germany war. She was buried at the Curtea de Arges Monastery.
Important Writings :
- 1884 Aus zwei Welten
- 1886 Anna Boleyn
- 1888 In der Irre
- 1894 Edleen Vaughan or Paths of Peril
- 1904 Sweet Hours. Elisabeth of Wied Image : en.wikipedia.org
Perfect People - Elisabeth of Wied Perfect People feature on Elisabeth of Wied that includes pics, pictures, biography, video, related news, vital stats, commentary, and cool facts.
Elisabeth of Wied (real name Carmen Sylva) was born on December 29, 1843 in Prussia and she died on November 2, 1916. She was the Queen Consort of King Carol I of Romania and daughter of German Prince Hermann of Wied and Marie (Marie was the daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau).