First King of Romania (1881–1914). A German-born prince and Prussian officer, he was elected in 1866 to succeed Alexander John Cuza as Prince of Romania. His pro-German sympathies made him unpopular during the Franco–Prussian War, but skill in manipulating politicians and elections saved him from abdication. As a result of his military leadership in the Russo–Turkish War, he gained full independence for Romania at the Congress of Berlin and declared a Romanian kingdom in 1881.