VLADARKE IZ SENKE. DRAGA MAŠIN I ELENA LUPESCU
Shadow Women Rulers. Draga Mašin and Elena Lupescu

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses two controversial historical stories about love related to the Serbian and Romanian Royal Courts, which caused stormy criticism and national scandals during the last century. Draga Mašin (Draginja P. Milićević Lunjevica, 1867–1903), a royal damsel who became the Serbian Queen, was the wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović. Elena Lupescu (Elena Lupescu Magda Wolf, 1895–1977), a mistress, and later the wife of the Romanian King Carol II, left remarkable traces in the history of Romanian monarchy. By confronting different perspectives we will try to show the (de)construction of the characters Elena Lupescu and Draga Mašin. Entering the closed circle of ties with members of the nobility where "blue blood" must not be confused with "unworthy blood" and thus contaminated – the starting point of our paper is to identify the historical typological analogies between Draga Mašin and Elena Lupescu by means of motives of blood and class identity. Recent historiographical tendencies shed new light on the earlier notions regarding these two female figures that are often condemned and considered taboo in society. That is why by confronting different perspectives we aim at deconstructing the images that Elena Lupesku and Draga Mašin have during the 21st century.

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