Romfilatelia introduces into circulation on Friday, January 22, 2021, a stamp issue with an exciting theme: The Passions of the Kings of Romania (I), which explores the particular interests of Romanian monarchs beyond their official occupations, involvement in state affairs.
The issue consists of four postage stamps and two “first day” envelopes of the issue.
The postage stamps of the show suggestively illustrate the well-known passions of the kings of Romania, starting with riding, in which Carol I (on the stamp with a face value of 1.40 lei) and botany, in which Ferdinand I is internationally recognized, stand out. (on the stamp with a face value of 1.70 lei). In a modern era of Romania, we find the passion for philately of King Carol II (reproduced on the stamp with a face value of 10.50 lei) and that of the last king of Romania, Michael I, for aviation (the stamp with the face value of 19 lei).
Carol I (b. 1839 – d. 1914; ruler of Romania 1866-1881; king of Romania 1881-1914).
King Carol I is known as a lover of bibliophilia and riding. To these were added his practical knowledge of wood and metalworking. When the project for the Royal Palace was completed, the architect Paul Gottereau considered three wishes of the sovereign: the throne room to be majestic, the building to incorporate the old palace built by Dinicu Golescu and to reserve a space corresponding to the impressive library belonging to the first king of Romania. numbered no less than 60,000 units.
Speaking of riding, we must consider the military education of the monarch, his presence as a true rider on the training grounds and on the battlefield of the War of Independence, to which must be added the impressive military parades, where the presence of Charles I was also a source of inspiration for the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, author of the statue of Carol I placed in front of the Royal Palace on May 10, 1939, later demolished by the communist regime.
The first stamp representing King Carol I was issued in 1866.
Ferdinand I (b. 1865 – d. 1927; king of Romania 1914-1927)
The personality of King Ferdinand I is closely linked to the moment of the Great Union and the accomplishment of a historical project, the unification of Greater Romania.
Passionate reader and endowed with a very good memory, Ferdinand I permanently enriched his knowledge in the fields of art, music and chemistry, to which he added the acquisition of foreign languages: Greek, Latin, English, Russian and French. But the passion of his life was botany. He was well acquainted with the names of many plants from different regions of Romania, both Latin names (scientific names) and those in the language of the country. He was in love with the mountain areas, their flora and fauna. He was the owner and author of some valuable herbs.
The first stamp representing Ferdinand I was issued in 1917.
Carol II (b. 1893 – d. 1953; king of Romania 1930-1940)
A controversial sovereign, Charles II is inscribed in history and with his qualities, those of a man interested in great culture, which he systematically sponsored through the prestigious institution of the Royal Foundations. He was also a pioneer in the systematization of Bucharest (we are considering, along with the reconstruction of the Royal Palace, the arrangement of the most beautiful park in the capital, Herastrau Park, the inauguration of the Village Museum “Dimitrie Gusti”). He abdicated twice voluntarily and was forced to do so for the third time (in 1940), ending up spending the rest of his life in itinerant exile.
But one of the king’s great concerns was related to what we call philately. He remained inscribed in the list of the most important collectors in the world, both by the theme of the stamps and by the rarity of the philatelic pieces collected. Starting with the “Cap de bour” stamps, Carol II added to his collection graphic (author) sketches of the stamps, essays and typographic varieties, errors and chromatic variants of the same stamp. It seems that the wealth of his valuable collection allowed him to live a decent life in voluntary exile in Portugal.
In recognition of his qualities as a great collector, on the occasion of the EFIRO 1932 Exhibition, the first philatelic package of Romania was issued, whose stamp reproduces the portrait of Charles II. The first stamp with his effigy was issued in 1930.
Mihai I (b. 1921 – d. 2017; king of Romania 1927-1930, 1940-1947)
A noble passion of King Michael I was that of flying, at the helm of an airplane. According to data provided by His Majesty the Crown Custodian’s House, the king flew nearly a thousand hours. He registers as the first aviator monarch in the world, after learning to fly in Ghimbav. He began his training at the age of 20 on a flight simulator. He obtained the international pilot license of the second degree in 1942, under the guidance of the pilot Traian Udriski. In 1944, King Mihai I received the military pilot’s license, proudly wearing the military uniform of the Romanian aviation at the festivities in the country and abroad.
According to a BBC investigation, in the years of exile, the monarch was forced to earn a living as a pilot. Thus, in the 1950s, living in Switzerland, he obtained the position of professional pilot on US multi-engine aircraft, being employed as a pilot of the Geneva branch of the American aviation company Lear Jet, having the obligation to perform test flights to verify the instruments of pilotage.
As a last homage to the aviator king, the Royal Train that transported his remains to Curtea de Argeș was accompanied by a good chunk of Romanian Aeroclub aircraft.
The first stamp with his effigy was issued in 1928 and represents him as a child, at the age of 7.
Each of the two envelopes “the first day” of the show brings together in a graphic composition stamps representing the four monarchs of Romania, issued during their reigns: between 1920 and 1944 (first envelope) and between 1909 and 1945 ( second envelope).
Romfilatelia thanks His Majesty the Crown Custodian House, the Peles National Museum and Mr. Daniel-Cosmin Obreja, the Library of the Romanian Academy, the National Museum of Romanian History and the Cotroceni National Museum for the documentary and photographic support provided for this postage stamp issue.
The philatelic album is made in a limited edition of 251 copies and is equipped with a special block of 4 lacy stamps + 4 vignettes, of the issue, as well as the set of two “first day” envelopes with the stamp clearly applied with gold foil. Both products are numbered from 001 to 251.
