Michael (1921– )

King of Romania 1927–30 and 1940–47. The son of Carol II, he succeeded his grandfather as king in 1927 but was displaced when his father returned from exile in 1930. In 1940 he was proclaimed king again on his father's abdication, overthrew in 1944 the fascist dictatorship of Ion Antonescu (1882–1946), and enabled Romania to share in the victory of the Allies at the end of World War II. He abdicated and left Romania in 1947.

On 25 December 1990 King Michael, with his wife Anne and daughter Sophia, attempted to return to Romania, but he was expelled early the following day. He was eventually allowed to return February 1997, having promised to abide by the country's 1991 republican constitution.

Michael

In this 15th-century painting on the walls of South Leigh church in Oxfordshire, St Michael, with wings and sword raised, weighs a departed soul in the balance. On the left, the Virgin Mary uses rosary beads in an attempt to tip the balance in favour of salvation. On the opposite side, devils with trumpets and pitchforks try to ensure the soul is damned.

In the Old Testament, an archangel, referred to as the guardian angel of Israel. In the New Testament Book of Revelation he leads the hosts of heaven to battle against Satan. In paintings, he is depicted with a flaming sword and sometimes a pair of scales. Feast day 29 September (Michaelmas).