King Carol

Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was born in 1839. He was educated at the military school in Munster and the artillery school in Berlin.

In 1866 Count Phillipe of Flandra refused the Romanian throne. Prince Carol was then asked and he accepted. A relative of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Carol was pro-German, a view that was not shared by most Romanians.

Carol led Romanian troops during the Russian-Ottoman War. Victory brought Romanian independence on 10th May 1877.

On the outbreak of the First World War, Carol made several attempts to promote links with the Central Powers. However, the Crown Council decided that Romania should not join Germany in the war.

King Carol was considering abdicating when he died in October 1914. He was replaced by his nephew Ferdinand.