Carol I (1839-1914) ruled Romania from 1866 until his death on Oct. 10, 1914. Under his rule, Romania won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878.
Carol was born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen on April 20, 1839, in Sigmaringen, east of Freiburg (now in southwestern Germany). He was a prince of the Hohenzollern family, a famous royal family that then ruled Prussia. In 1866, Romania’s parliament chose him to rule the country as Prince Carol I.
The Ottoman Empire had controlled Romania since about 1500. Carol sent 38,000 soldiers to fight against the empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The Ottomans lost the war, and the Congress of Berlin granted Romania its independence. See Berlin, Congress of .
In 1881, Romania became a kingdom, and Carol was crowned king. He built a railroad network and helped develop industry and the Romanian army. Carol died without an heir in 1914. His nephew Ferdinand succeeded him as king.
See also Romania (The origins of modern Romania) .
