Romanians and Foreigners at the Death of King Carol I of Romania (1914). Ideas, Thoughts and Feelings
Romanians and Foreigners at the Death of King Carol I of Romania (1914). Ideas, Thoughts and Feelings

Summary/Abstract: Almost three months after the beginning of the European war, the tragic news spread among foreigners and Romanians. King Carol I of Romania was dead. The news caused different reactions: bewilderment, infliction and worry. Society seethed with a series of scenarios. Imagining the worst, some people believed the king was murdered. But most accepted the idea of death by natural causes and took part in the funeral. Events happened quickly. The corpse was brought to Bucharest and the funeral took place at Curtea de Argeş Monastery. No specific reactions or feelings arose on the Romanian side. The most common concern referred to the war, which seemed even closer now that the wise king devoted to peace was dead. Mistrust of the new King Ferdinand was enhanced by the idea of a war. Traders (Greeks, Jewish and Armenians) were afraid of losing their profits, while the German and the Hungarians are afraid of losing their privileges. The Romanians, irrespective of job or title, were convinced the policy would be changed. Some showed enthusiasm for entry into the war on the side of the Entente. Others were resigned to the death and damage war brings. Nothing accounts for human sacrifice from the point of view of the common individual. Advocates of war needed to convince the people to go to war at any cost. Two years after the king’s death, Romania entered the war enthusiastically as a result of propaganda and misinformation.

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