I have a new website address for my bolg at www.royalhistory.wordpress.com All my old articles and images are also contained within the new site, so you should not have any problems in accessing them there. For one month between 23 Nov. ‘09 and 23 Dec. ‘09, I will post simultaneously, in order to avoid confusions and allow for a smooth transition, my forthcoming articles and images on both old (‘royalromania’) and new (‘royalhistory’) sites. After that date www.royalhistory.wordpress.com will become my sole active blog site.
The Princely Family of Montenegro, Jubilee postcard, 1900 (Diana Mandache collection)
Nicholas and Milena of Montenegro were an affable couple, very close and much loved by their people. That is conveyed by many popular artefacts bearing their image produced or published in Montenegro, such as the picturesque old postcard presented above published on the occasion of celebrating 40 years since they acceded to the throne and marriage. The Duchess of Edinburgh (Maria Alexandrovna) gives here an insightful description of the the good natured Montenegrin royal family during a visit in 1887:
At the Montenegro frontier the Prince [Nicholas] met us and we were very pleased to see him, as he is a very old friend and such an amiable man. He had prepared a luncheon in a small house belonging to him and we were very hungry after the long drive. The Prince himself and every man in the country wear the beautiful national dress. They are such handsome men, even the common peasants and so very friendly and respectful. They all have excellent manners, come running to the road to make their bow and the Prince is like a real father amongst them all. But curious enough it seems to us hardly ever to meet a woman in the streets. They are very modest and stay at home, but the men walk about and in the evening dance much wilder than the Scotch reel. They sing to it some with song, which sounds so curious in the stillness of the night. Before we reached the town of Cettinie we were met by the Prince’s eldest son, a very pretty boy aged 16, very tall and dark, with most excellent manners and such a bright clever look. He was on horseback at the head of a cavalry escort, all mounted on very small strong ponies. They cantered round us, some racing wildly along, over stones and rough ground. At the house, we were met by the Princess and her daughters all in national dress… There is also a dear little boy of 8 years, dressed in lovely costumes: he comes in making beautiful bows and kisses one’s hand. He is called Mirko and his father simply adores him but does not spoil any of them. In fact he is very strict and everybody obeys him in a wonderful way and are devoted to him. Only imagine, that they all walk about with loaded revolvers, even all the servants when they wait at dinner…
I endeavour in the “Weekly Pictures” post series to bring to light worthy of note, often less known images from the royal past and present and thus further enhance the understanding of royal history and what it represents for us.
Weekly picture: Diana Mandache’s weblog Royal History.
I have a new website address for my bolg at www.royalhistory.wordpress.com All my old articles and images are also contained within the new site, so you should not have any problems in accessing them there. For one month between 23 Nov. ‘09 and 23 Dec. ‘09, I will post simultaneously, in order to avoid confusions and allow for a smooth transition, my forthcoming articles and images on both old (‘royalromania’) and new (‘royalhistory’) sites. After that date www.royalhistory.wordpress.com will become my sole active blog site.
SALE OF IMPERIAL RUSSIAN BANQUETING SERVICE – CHRISTIES The Imperial Russian banqueting service is auctioned off at Christie’s London. Various shots of the 742 piece Russian dinner service on display at Christie’s. Various shots full auction room. Pan across the entire service. (fine china, serverware, antiques, porcelain, dishes). Source: wpa film library
On 3/15 November 1869 the palace in Neuwied and every single house in the town was decorated with flags and garlands. At half past five the marriage procession started and proceeded to a salon which had been arranged as a Catholic chapel. After this ceremonial they proceeded down the staircase to a hall below richly arranged as a Protestant chapel. The royal couple made their sacre promise on their knees, exchanged rings. The text of the sermon was aptly chosen, as alluding to the difficulties and troubles which were to be encountered in the far-off Eastern country: “Whither thou goest, I will go : and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God”. The thunder of cannons announced that the marriage was concluded.
A reception and a state dinner was held at the Neuwied Castle. In the image below is the royal menu served with that occasion at Neuwied.
Dracula is Dead: How Romanians Survived Communism, Ended it, and Emerged as the New Italy Since 1989, by Sheilah Kast and Jim Rosapepe, Bancroft Press, 400 pp, hardback, November 2009
The United States throughout the Cold War decades has been a beacon of democracy and freedom for the peoples of Eastern Europe. Americans and their representatives were enthusiastically received in the region as friends and liberators after the momentous 1989 revolutions. Romania emerged from one of the harshest communist dictatorships and embarked upon a bumpy transition road to democracy. The second half of the 1990s has been a crucial period in that process, when the first truly non-communist government and president were elected, the market economy reforms were first properly implemented and King Michael, the hero of the WWII who put an end to the Nazi regime in Romania, was allowed back from exile and had his citizenship restored.
Ambassador James Rosapepe was the US envoy to this country during most of that crucial period, from 1998 to 2001, and together with his wife, the distinguished journalist Sheila Kast, gathered in this timely and remarkable book their impressions and insights about Romania and Romanians. Their writing is easy to follow and fluent, giving a wholesome image of their experiences in post-communist Romania. The book is also a travelogue and an analysis of the mentalities of a people that survived one of the most oppressive communist regimes, or as the authors stated: “it is not a guidebook, but rather a look at a country and a people through American eyes” (p.8). The volume is fittingly published as part of the celebrations of the 20 years anniversary of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. Continue Reading »
King Alexander I and Queen Marie of Yugoslavia attend the unveiling of a sculpture on Armistice Day in Belgrade, created as a tribute to France by sculptor Ivan Rostrovitsch, 11th November 1930.
Neuwied Princely Coat of Arms and Motto: Fidelitate et Veritate - Diana Mandache's Weblog ROYAL HISTORY
Neuwied family motto: FIDELITATE et VERITATE
I endeavour in the “Weekly Pictures” post series to bring to light worthy of note, often less known images from the royal past and present and thus further enhance the understanding of royal history and what it represents for us.
Weekly picture: Diana Mandache’s weblog Royal History.
