Elisa Brătianu (2 May 1870 – 13 May 1957) was a Romanian aristocrat, political figure and participant in the Inter-Allied Women's Conference of 1919. She was born into the Stirbey royal family, the daughter of Prince Alexandru B. Știrbei (1837-1895) and the Princess Maria Ghika-Comănești (1851-1885), inheritor of two noble titles, the Ghika family occupying the title of royal family in the history of Romania. An avid gardener, she designed the gardens at the Albatross Villa in Buzău and discussed plans for gardens in Bucharest with the town gardener. Concerned about the loss of traditional Romanian culture, she developed schools to keep stitchery traditions alive and published books of patterns. When her husband, long-serving prime minister Ion I.C. Brătianu died, she spearheaded a foundation to collect his archives and create a library to publish his most important works.
Early life
Princess Elisa I. Știrbei was born on 2 May 1870 at Știrbei Palace, in Buftea, located in the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia of the Ottoman Empire to Prince Alexandru B. Știrbei and his wife, Princess Maria Ghika-Comănești (1851-1885). Her mother Maria was originally from Comănești in the Principality of Moldavia, while her father's family were from Muntenia in the Principality of Wallachia. As the union of the two principalities had occurred only eleven years prior to Știrbei's birth, her mother worked to ensure that the children thought of themselves as Romanians. Her mother's dowry included the winery and estate in Dărmănești, which would serve as the Știrbei family's summer home. Her father was an industrialist who took a specific interest in preserving and expanding the architectural holdings of his family and was involved in politics. Her grandfather, Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, was a Prince of Wallachia. Having been born into the Bibescu family and adopted by his uncle the heirless Barbu C. Știrbey, last of the ancient Oltenian boyars, Barbu D. Știrbei and his brother Prince Gheorghe Bibescu were both active in Wallachian politics.
The oldest of eight children, Elisa's siblings were Elena (1871–1897), Barbu A. (1872–1946), Zoe (1874–1896), Maria (1876–1963) Adina (1877–1967), Gheorghe (1883–1917) and Ioana (1885–1914). The children were tutored at home in the Știrbei Palace by a series of tutors, who included Ioan Slavici. Slavici was influential upon Știrbei's life, introducing her to the poet Mihai Eminescu, beginning her love of literature. She studied language and became fluent in English, French, German, and Romanian. She remembered her childhood as idyllic spending time at the family palaces in Bucharest, Buftea and Dărmăneşti, until her mother's death, which coincided with the birth of her youngest sister, Ioana.
Activism
At the urging of her father, in 1890, Știrbei married Alexandru Marghiloman, a Conservative politician sixteen years her senior. In 1897, the couple moved into the Albatross Villa in Buzău, where Știrbei, who was an avid gardener, planned and assisted in the creation of the English landscape park which was a favorite of Queen Marie of Romania and noted in the queen's memoirs. She was consulted by the Bucharest City gardener for his work on the Cișmigiu Gardens and a series of lakes for the neighborhood of Colentina. Știrbei also supported literary talents like Nicolae Iorga and , financially assisting Iorga in launching Floarea Darurilor in 1906.
Știrbei and Marghiloman divorced in 1906, and she was returned her dowry property, as well as several thousand hectares of property in Fundeni Village in Zărneşti Commune of Buzău County. On 3 March 1907, in a dual ceremony held first at the Town Hall of Bucoveni in Ilfov County, and followed by a religious service on 4 March by a priest from Amzei Church at Știrbei Palace, Știrbei married Ion I. C. Brătianu, a Liberal politician and political rival of her previous husband. Her relationship with the Brătianu family, and particularly Ion's sister would be difficult, especially after their mother, 's death.