Princess Catherine Olympia Caradja (born Ecaterina Olimpia Creţulescu; 28 January 1893 – 26 May 1993) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n aristocrat and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, she grew up in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and lived in Romania from 1908 to 1952, when she escaped from the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

on a

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

boat. An

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for 35 years, and a longtime resident of the

Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ameri ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, she returned after the

Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily within the Eastern Bloc. The Romanian revoluti ...

to Bucharest, where she died a

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

Humanitarian - Honours

Princess Caradja is known for her humanitarian work in the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, and especially for her efforts to ease the burden of captivity for over a thousand American and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

airmen An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred to as a soldier in other definitions. As a military rank designat ...

, taken

prisoner A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement or captivity in a prison or physical restraint. The term usually applies to one serving a Sentence (law), se ...

during the

bombing of Romania in World War II The bombing of Romania in World War II comprised two series of events: until August 1944, Allies of World War II, Allied operations, and, following the overthrow of Ion Antonescu's dictatorship, operations by Nazi Germany. The primary target of Al ...

. She cared for them on her property and in the hospitals she ran; those activities earned her the nickname "Angel of Ploieşti" among the crews. In 1977, she was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by the

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (now Founding Forward) is an American non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Vall ...

Early years

She was born in

, the daughter of Romanian nobleman Radu Creţulescu and his wife, Princess Irina

Cantacuzino The House of Cantacuzino (; ) is a Romanian aristocratic family of Greek origin. The family gave a number of princes to Wallachia and Moldavia, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine Kantakouzenos family, specifically from Byzanti ...

. Caught in a financial struggle between her parents' families, she was abducted at the age of three by her father, who took her to England, and placed her in an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

under an assumed name. Her mother (who divorced her father, and remarried to Prince Nicolae

Ghica The House of Ghica r Ghika(; }; , ''Gikas'') was an Albanian noble family whose members held significant positions in Wallachia, Moldavia and later in the Kingdom of Romania, between the early 17th century and late 19th century. The Ghica famil ...

) kept looking for her, but died in 1906. The princess was accidentally found in 1908 in a French convent by an aunt, who helped her escape, and brought her back to Romania, where the courts put her in custody of the

Cantacuzino family The House of Cantacuzino (; ) is a Romanian aristocratic family of Greek origin. The family gave a number of princes to Wallachia and Moldavia, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine Kantakouzenos family, specifically from Byzanti ...

. She was raised by her maternal grandmother and her maternal grandfather, Prince

Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (22 September 1833 – 22 March 1913), was a Romanian politician and lawyer, one of the leading Conservative Party policymakers. Among his political posts were minister of public instruction in Romania, presid ...

, the

Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania (), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (), is the head of the Government of Romania, Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled ''President of the Council of Ministers'' (), when ...

at the turn of the 20th century.Glen E. Lich
"Catherine Olympia Caradja"
at The Handbook of Texas OnlineWilliam J. Fili

/ref>Catherine Caradja (1990), "Princess Catherine Caradja", in: ''Force for freedom: the legacy of the 98th'', Paducah, KY: Turner Pub., 1990, p. 102 The princess was educated in England, France, Romania, and Belgium, and spoke five languages. In 1914, just before the start of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she married Prince Constantin Caradja (1892–1962), a member of an old and influential House of Caradja. After

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

troops entered Romania in 1916 (''see

Romanian Campaign (World War I) The Kingdom of Romania was neutral for the first two years of World War I, entering on the side of the Allies of World War I, Allied powers from 27 August 1916 until Central Powers, Central Power occupation led to the Treaty of Bucharest (1918), ...

''), she fled from

with her two daughters, Irène Mathilde Catherine (born the year before) and Marie Constance Lucie (born ten days before). After taking refuge in

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, she started working as a volunteer in a 30-bed hospital for

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

patients (she contracted the disease herself). After the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

, Princess Caradja went back to Bucharest, and devoted herself to social work, most notably, at ''Saint Catherine's Crib'', a complex of orphanages started by her mother, which housed more than 3,000 children. In 1920, she gave birth to a third daughter, Alexandra (1920–1997). The second daughter died in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1933, while her eldest daughter and her husband (Constantin Emandi) were killed in the deadly earthquake of 10 November 1940.

World War II and aftermath

The princess first became known internationally as a result of her opposition to Romania's alliance with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

(''see

Romania during World War II The Kingdom of Romania, under the rule of King Carol II of Romania, King Carol II, initially maintained Neutral country, neutrality in World War II. However, fascist political forces, especially the Iron Guard, rose in popularity and power, urgi ...

''). When the oilfields at Ploieşti were bombed by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

in August 1943 in

Operation Tidal Wave Operation Tidal Wave was an air attack by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) based in Libya on nine oil refineries around Ploiești, Romania, on 1 August 1943, during World War II. It was a strategic bombing mission and part o ...

, she personally took custody of surviving Allied crews, saw that they were cared for in her hospitals, and facilitated their escape to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. During the Allied bombings of spring and summer 1944, several American airmen landed on her estate at Nedelea, after either

emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

parachuting Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

. Throughout the war, she eased the burden of captivity for more than one thousand flyers who had been shot down. Those deeds earned her the nickname "Angel of Ploieşti" among the airmen. Diana Evantia Barca, , interview with Princess Brianna Caradja, April 18, 2004 One of the pilots who survived crash landing, and escaped thanks to her efforts, was Richard W. Britt, who recounted the story in a book, many years later. After the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

was established in Romania, her orphanages and foundation were nationalized in 1949. Her daughter, who had left for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1948, helped the princess escape in early 1952, with assistance from the French secret services; she left the country on a

tanker, arriving after 8 weeks in Vienna. During the winter of 1954–55, the princess directed relief efforts for children in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, in the wake of the September 9, 1954 earthquake. She traveled widely, giving talks in France on "Life Behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

", and speaking at the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

In America

In December 1955, Caradja received a visa to come to the

; soon after landing, she appeared on the

Dave Garroway David Cunningham Garroway (July 13, 1913 – July 21, 1982) was an American Celebrity, television personality. He was the founding host and anchor of NBC's ''Today (American TV program), Today'' from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing and relaxing style ...

show. She resided in the U.S. for more than 35 years, mainly in the town of

Comfort Comfort is a state of physical or psychological ease, often characterized by the absence of hardship. Individuals experiencing a lack of comfort are typically described as uncomfortable or in discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort can b ...

(in the

), but also in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

and in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

. While traveling across America, speaking at various venues, she found more than five hundred of the former

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

she knew from Romania. She organized a reunion in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

on 28 August 1972, an event that continued to be held each year for many years, with the Princess as the guest of honor and main speaker. On 27 August 1976, during the U.S. bicentennial year, she helped present a Peace Monument for the

Freedoms Foundation Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (now Founding Forward) is an American non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, near Val ...

at the

Valley Forge National Historical Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site and interprets ...

; in January 1977 she was awarded the George Washington Honor Medal by the Foundation. In 1978 she befriended Ottomar Berbig, an

antiques An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

dealer in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

. The princess was keen to adopt Berbig, as her family had no male heirs to carry the family name. Berbig took the name of

Ottomar Rodolphe Vlad Dracula Prince Kretzulesco Ottomar Rodolphe Vlad Dracula Prinz Kretzulesco (born Ottomar Berbig; 10 October 1940 – 17 November 2007) was a flamboyant German socialite who achieved fame through a claim of adopted lineage from Vlad Dracula, the inspiration for Count Dra ...

, and the adoption was formalized in 1990.Erik Kirschbaum
"Dracula's Kingdom!"

Return to Romania

After the

, the new Romanian government refused to give back any of her goods, included her Home Estate or Orphanage. In mid-1991, she went back to her native country, taking up residence in the attic of her old orphanage, which is nowadays occupied by the City Hall of Bucharest. She died at age 100 on 26 May 1993. She was buried in the family tomb, in

. A memorial service was held at the historic Kretzulescu Church. Her daughter, Alexandra Caradja (aka. "Tanda" Bragadiru Moevs ), died in 1997. Catherine was survived by her granddaughter, ''Princess'' Brianna “Hélène” Caradja(b. 1960, ex-wife of Bruce Johnson), and two great-grandsons, Constantin Caradja Johnson (1989) and Maximilien Caradja Johnson (1990), and her adopted son, Ottomar Rodolphe ''Vlad Dracula Prince'' Kretzulesco (10 October 1940 – 17 November 2007).

References

External links

*
"Prinţesa prizonierilor"
at the Romanian Ministry of Defense * Mihai Diac
"Veteranii de război americani, recunoscători pentru modul in care au fost trataţi in prizonierat în România"
''

Gândul ''Gândul'' (, "The Thought") is a Romanian online newspaper published in Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. ...

'', December 15, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Caradja, Catharine 1893 births 1993 deaths Caradja family Nobility from Bucharest Romanian women centenarians Romanian expatriates in the United States Romanian nobility Eastern Orthodox Christians from Romania Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian women in World War II Romanian women philanthropists Romanian anti-communists 20th-century Romanian philanthropists American anti-communists