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Carol II of Romania

Peleș Castle, 15 Oct 1893 – Estoril, 4 Apr 1953

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 15 Oct 1893

    Born in Peleș Castle

  2. 1920–1921

    2 children are born

  3. 1930–1940

    King of Romania

  4. 4 Apr 1953

    Dies in Estoril, aged 59

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partners

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Peleș Castle.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1890s · Carol II is born in Peleș Castle

Who governed

In the news1899

Bubonic Plague Epidemic

An epidemic of bubonic plague broke out in Porto in 1899, leading to the use of microbiological analysis for diagnosis.

Music

Musical instruments of the period

Common instruments used by musicians included the violin (geige/ceteră), the cymbal (cimbalum/dobă), the bass, and the simple flute (lluer), while the guitar (zongoră) was specifically popular in Maramureș.

The first modern Olympics. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games, with 241 athletes from 14 nations.Around the world · 1896

The first modern Olympics. Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games, with 241 athletes from 14 nations.

Émile Gilliéron · public domain

Daily life

Lighting relied on oil lamps

For an ordinary peasant house, the main lighting at night was a small clay oil lamp (opaiț) with a weak, flickering flame; after a few hours from sunset, the home was effectively dark. Candles were reserved for richer meals.

In the news1895

Electric trams introduced (1895)

On 9 December 1895, the first electric tramway was introduced in Bucharest, modernizing urban public transportation.

What people wore

Peasant women's daily and festive attire

Peasant women often wore white smock-frocks embroidered with black, red, and orange, sometimes shot with threads of gold and silver for special occasions. They also wore red gowns and yellow or red headkerchiefs while working in the fields.

Getting around

Hardships of road travel

For most ordinary people, long-distance travel via carriage remained prohibitively expensive and arduous, often relying on roads that became nearly impassable mud tracks during autumn and spring. In poor conditions, carriage speeds could drop to as low as 4 km/h, making journeys between towns exceptionally slow.