Barbu Știrbey

For the earlier prince, see Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei.

Barbu Ştirbey.

Prince Barbu Știrbey (1872–1946) was briefly Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927. He was the son of Prince Alexandru Știrbey and his wife Maria Ghika-Comănești, and grandson of another Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (born Bibescu, adopted Știrbei), who was Prince of Wallachia and died in 1869.

He married Princess Nadèje Bibescu about 1895, and had four daughters.

His real significance in Romania history arises from his role as close confidant of Queen Marie, who was herself a highly influential figure in Romanian government circles prior to the accession of her son King Carol II to the throne in 1930.

Știrbey and Queen Marie were lovers, and Ştirbey was probably the father of her youngest child, Mircea, and possibly the father of Ileana.

Shortly after the Royal coup of August 23, 1944, he traveled to Moscow with the Romanian delegation that signed on September 12 the Armistice Agreement between Romania and the Soviet Union. Știrbey was one of the plenipotentiary signatories of Agreement; the other signatories were Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Dumitru Dămăceanu, and Ghiță Popp on the Romanian side, and Rodion Malinovsky on the Soviet side.