Though the years which followed 1881 have lacked the laurels of the battlefield and the intensity of the struggle for independence which characterised the earlier portion of Roumanian history under King Charles, they are no less remarkable for continuous and patient progress in the development of the resources of the kingdom. Herein, as in sterner matters, the King has borne the heat and burden of the day; no one knew better that independence was but another milestone on the road to the ideal Roumania; that the regeneration of a nation that had passed through such vicissitudes could only follow the unwearying labour of many years; and that to this end the force of example—the art of leading men, not the knack of driving them—is of paramount importance. As sovereign of an independent State, King Charles felt that he had at last secured a firm basis from which the latent force of his country might be fully developed. That these efforts have not been fruitless is proved by the increase of the Roumanian Budget, despite the saying, mensonge en chiffres; for in twenty-five years, from 1866 to 1891, the revenue increased more than threefold (from 56,000,000frs. in 1866 to 180,000,000frs. in 1891). It was indeed fortunate for Roumania that King Charles was endowed with qualities which enabled him to appreciate the difficulties of peaceful development in the same way as he had met the dangers of war. It seemed to him now that his work had at last commenced in earnest; his clear eye detected every shortcoming, though at the same time the future promised much to his gifted and industrious people. A great navigable river and the neighbouring sea offered elements for a greatly increased commerce, whilst the inexhaustible treasures of the soil, coal and iron, fulfilled the necessary industrial conditions.

In Roumanian politics, the Liberals remained in office till 1888 under Jon Bratianu, and aimed at a rigid centralisation of the Administration, whilst endeavouring to draw an increasing circle of the population into the arena of politics. The Conservatives, on the other hand, could only see the danger of extending Parliamentary influence through so politically immature a nation; but up to 1891 they were unable to realise their ideals; indeed, they barely succeeded in obtaining the permanency of the judges. Between these two extremes lay the sphere of duty of the constitutional monarch, the one stable element amid the fluctuations of the contending parties. The unwavering loyalty and devotion of the representatives of the nation to their Sovereign have been inspired by the qualities with which nature has so richly endowed King Charles. Resolution, energy, a knowledge of human character, readiness to acknowledge and appreciate true individuality—a freshness of mind that the driest of routine work is powerless to dull, and a magnanimous indulgence that is able to forgive if not forget—these are the traits of character which never fail to exert their influence over all who come into contact with the King.

The foreign policy of the kingdom has constantly had one aim and object in view—to find support and aid from the great Teutonic Powers, though at times it seemed as if the religious tradition of the nation or the sympathy for the Latin sister nation were about to force the real interests of Roumania into the background. As a German prince, King Charles had recognised the supremacy of Prussia, and never doubted the power and force of the Teuton genius. The year 1883 marked a decided advance in the friendly relations of Roumania with Austria and Germany, though the former had been estranged by the dispute about the Danube, and an outburst of Roumanian Chauvinism on the unveiling of a monument to the Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great, pointing to Bukowina and SiebenbÜrgen as Roumanian provinces. On the whole, King Charles's policy has been successful, though loyal friendship has had much to bear from Germany's want of consideration in dealing with the Jews and the railways, as well as from Austria-Hungary, whose harsh measures against the Roumanians of SiebenbÜrgen have forced many of the "brethren from over the hills" to seek shelter in Roumania.

A visit to Berlin in 1883 to act as godfather to Prince William's[24] second son afforded King Charles an opportunity of explaining the position of Roumania in European questions. The King also succeeded in convincing the Emperor of Austria that, though it was impossible to forbid a nation to cherish political aspirations, yet these sentiments had never entered into the schemes of the Roumanian statesmen.

From the geographical situation of the kingdom it was only natural that the army should continue to receive the greatest attention from the King, who has never forgotten its willingness to follow where he led. King Charles does not content himself with merely watching the training of his troops at the annual manoeuvres, but keeps constant touch with every detail that may tend to promote the efficiency and standard of his army. Nor have the rival claims of education been neglected by either King Charles or his consort, who are indefatigable in their efforts for the welfare of the national schools.

The frequent change of Ministers was, however, prejudicial, since the various measures which they introduced were not long-lived—indeed, in some instances were never put into execution! Nevertheless, the tendency to foster this valuable aid to true culture lost none of its force. King Charles devotes an annual sum to the Academy to assist in the production of an etymological dictionary in order to aid the study of the beautiful Roumanian language.

The last link in the chain which bound the National Church to the Patriarchate of Constantinople was broken as long ago as 1882; the holy oil was consecrated in Roumania, and at last in 1885 the Patriarch of Constantinople recognised the independence of the Roumanian Church.

As early as 1881, twelve years after the first railway had been constructed by foreign hands, Roumanian engineers completed the first section of the State Railway from Buseu to Marascheschti, the want of which had made itself felt so bitterly in 1877. Even in the earliest days of his reign King Charles discussed with Ali Pacha the construction of a bridge over the Danube.

At that date negotiations were entered into for a bridge between Giurgiu and Rustchuk, whilst after the Treaty of Berlin it was proposed to connect the two banks of the Danube below Silistria. Though this project was discussed by the Chambers in 1883, it was not till the autumn of 1890 that matters had progressed sufficiently to allow King Charles to lay the foundation-stone of the railway bridge at Feteschti, which was to unite the Dobrudscha to the mother country, and complete the iron chain between the North and Black Seas.

King Charles has been a zealous builder; and, thanks to him, Roumania can boast of many a notable pile in Bucharest, Jassy, Crajowa, and elsewhere. Most noteworthy of all is the Royal Castle of Pelesch in the peaceful valley of Prahova. Built in the style of German Renaissance, it reveals the artistic ideal of its royal builder so far as stone and mortar can mirror the individuality of a man. Unlike so many castles, it is perfectly homogeneous; in a word, Castle Pelesch is the product of King Charles's artistic taste and indomitable will.

The death of Prince Charles Anthony on June 2, 1885, was a bitter blow to the King, who lost in him not only a devoted parent and friend, but a counsellor whose sage advice had sustained and strengthened him in many a dark hour. The passing away of the first German Emperor, followed too soon by that of his successor, Frederick III., was a great sorrow to King Charles, who was deeply attached to the devoted friends of his early youth, whose loyal friendship had never wavered for an instant.

It was, therefore, a great solace to the royal pair to welcome Prince Ferdinand, the second son of the King's eldest brother, to Roumania as heir-apparent in 1889. Prince Ferdinand had already entered the Roumanian army as a subaltern in 1886.

The history of the other States of the Balkan Peninsula during these years is by no means so happy as that of Roumania. Prince Alexander of Bulgaria was forced by shameful intrigues to quit his adopted country within a year of a successful campaign with Servia, whose ruler also abdicated in favour of his son after endless and painful quarrels.

The present German Emperor has ably summed up the great work to which the scion of the Hohenzollern House has devoted his life, in a letter to King Charles, in May 1891.

"Five and twenty years have elapsed since your Majesty was first summoned to undertake the government of the Roumanian State, and a decade will have passed on the 22nd of this month since that memorable day on which your Majesty was able, after a regency victorious in war and proved in peace, to receive a royal crown for Roumania and your illustrious house from God's altar by the unanimous desire of the Roumanian nation. Thanks to your Majesty's wise and vigorous rule over a richly endowed and sober nation, Roumania has become an equal and respected member of the Council of the Nations, and under your Majesty's sceptre every Roumanian can rejoice in the proud consciousness of belonging to a State which, as warden of an old-world civilisation, enjoys the sympathetic goodwill of all civilised nations.

"Since our Houses are so closely connected, it is my heart's desire to express my warm congratulations to your Majesty on this joyful occasion, and also the hope that, as the bonds of our personal friendship, so also the firm political relations of Roumania to the German Empire, may be preserved in time to come such as they have been for past years under the enlightened government of your Majesty.

"Your Majesty will place me under an obligation by laying my sincere congratulations before her Majesty the Queen, who has earned undying honour by your side in cultivating Art and the Ideal as well as in the formation of the Roumanian nation."