CHARLES (KARL EITEL; in Rum. CAROL), king of Ruma nia (1839-1914), second son of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzol lern-Sigmaringen, was born on April 20, 1839. He was educated at Dresden (1850-1856), and passed through his university course at Bonn. Entering the Prussian army in 1857, he served in the Danish war of 1864, and received instruction in strategy from General von Moltke. He afterwards travelled in France, Italy, Spain and Algeria. He was a captain in the 2nd regiment of Prussian Dragoon Guards when he was elected hospodar or prince of Rumania on April 20, after the compulsory abdication of Prince Alexander John Cuza. Regarded at first with distrust by Turkey, Russia and Austria, he rapidly gained general recog nition ; but he had to contend for ten years with fierce party struggles between the Conservatives and the Liberals.
During this period, however, Charles displayed great tact in his dealings with both parties, and kept his country in the path of administrative and economic reform, organizing the army, de veloping the railways, and establishing commercial relations with foreign powers. The sympathy of Rumania with France in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and the consequent interruption of certain commercial undertakings, led to a hostile movement against Prince Charles, which, being fostered by Russia, made him resolve to abdicate ; and it was with difficulty that he was persuaded to remain. In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 he joined the Russians before Plevna (q.v.), and being placed in command of the combined Russian and Rumanian forces, forced Osman Pasha to surrender. As a consequence of the prince's vig orous action the independence of Rumania, which had been pro claimed in May 1877, was confirmed by various treaties in 1878, and recognized by Great Britain, France and Germany in 1880. On March 26, 1881, he was proclaimed king of Rumania, and, with his consort, was crowned on May 22 following. From that time he pursued a successful career in home and foreign policy, and greatly improved the financial and military position of his country; while his appreciation of the fine arts was shown by his formation of an important collection of paintings of all schools in his palaces at Sinaia and Bucharest. For an account of the events of his reign, see BALKAN WARS and RUMANIA. On Nov. 1 1869 he married Princess Elizabeth (q.v.), a daughter of Prince Hermann of Wied, widely known under her literary name of "Carmen Sylva." As the only child of the marriage, a daughter, died in 1874, the succession was finally settled upon the king's nephew, Prince Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (see FERDINAND I.). He died at the castle of Pelesh, Rumania, on Oct. 1o, 1914.
The official life of King Charles, mainly his own composition, Aus dem Leben Konig Karls von Rumdnien (Stuttgart, 1894-19e 4 vols.), deals mainly with political history. See for an account of his domestic life, M. Kremnitz, Konig Karl von Rumdnien: Ein Lebensbild (Breslau, 1903).