King Michael I (25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last king of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until 30 December 1947. During World War II, he participated in a coup d'état against the pro-Axis dictatorship of Ion Antonescu. However, he was later forced to abdicate by Petru Groza's Communist government after the Soviet Union occupied the country. He eventually returned to Romania after the overthrow of its Communist government in 1989,