Photo: Pydrooo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons²¹

Alexandru Ioan Cuza

First ruler of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (1820–1873)

Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romanian: [alekˈsandru iˈo̯aŋ ˈkuza], or Alexandru Ioan I, also Anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March [O.S. 8 March] 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first domnitor (prince) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as Prince of Moldavia on 5 January 1859 and Prince of Wallachia on 24 January 1859, which resulted in the unification of the two states. He was a prominent figure of the Moldavian Revolution of 1848.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Alexandru Ioan Cuza (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 1, 1820, died May 15, 1873.¹

About

Following his double election, he initiated a series of liberal and progressive reforms that contributed to the modernization of Romanian society and of state structures.

As ruler of the Romanian Principalities, he supported a political and diplomatic activity for the recognition of the union of Moldavia and Wallachia by the suzerain Ottoman Empire and achieved constitutional and administrative unity between Moldavia and Wallachia in 1862, when the Romanian Principalities officially adopted the name Romanian United Principalities with a single capital at Bucharest, a single national assembly and a single government.

Cuza's reform policies alienated a large coalition of conservatives and radical liberals, for the most part landowners and business owners. On 22 February 1866, he was forced to abdicate and leave the country. Today, he is often considered one of the founders of the modern Romanian state and a national hero of Romania.

From Wikipedia’s article on Alexandru Ioan Cuza, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Alexandru Ioan Cuza UniversityFounder¹⁸
CEC BankFounder¹⁹
University of BucharestFounder²⁰

Early life and education

Date not recordedNational and Kapodistrian University of Athens^{3 4}
Date not recordedUniversity of Paris³
Date not recordedUniversity of Pavia^{3 5}
Date not recordedUniversity of Bologna^{3 5}

Born in Bârlad, Cuza belonged to the traditional boyar class in Moldavia, the son of Ispravnic Ioan Cuza (who was also a landowner in Fălciu County) and his wife, Sultana (or Soltana), a member of the Cozadini family of Phanariote and Genovese origins. Alexander received an urbane European education in Iași, Pavia, Bologna, and Athens; after a brief period of military service, he was also educated in Paris from 1837 to 1840. He became an officer in the Moldavian Army and rose to the rank of colonel. Alexandru married Princess Elena Rosetti in 1844.

During the Revolutions of 1848, Moldavia and Wallachia fell into revolt. The Moldavian unrest was quickly suppressed, but in Wallachia the revolutionaries took power and governed during the summer. Young Cuza played a prominent enough part to establish his liberal credentials. He was shipped to Vienna as a prisoner, where he made his escape with British support.

Returning during the reign of Prince Grigore Alexandru Ghica, he became Moldavia's minister of war in 1858; he also represented Galați in the ad hoc Divan at Iași. Cuza was acting freely under the guarantees of the European Powers in the eve of the Crimean War for recognition of a Prince of Moldavia. Cuza was a prominent speaker in the debates and strongly advocated the union of Moldavia and Wallachia. In default of a foreign prince, he was nominated as a candidate in both principalities by the pro-unionist Partida Națională (profiting of an ambiguity in the text of the Treaty of Paris). Cuza was finally elected as Prince of Moldavia on 17 January 1859 (5 January Julian) and, after "street pressure" changed the vote in Bucharest, also Prince of Wallachia, on 5 February 1859 (24 January Julian), effectively uniting both principalities. He received the firman from the Sultan on 2 December 1861 during a visit to Istanbul.

He was a recipient of the Order of Medjidie, Order of Osmanieh, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and Order of the Redeemer.

Although he and his wife Elena Rosetti had no children, she raised as her own children his two sons by his mistress Elena Maria Catargiu-Obrenović: Alexandru Al. Ioan Cuza (1864–1890), and Dimitrie Cuza (1865–1888 suicide).

From Wikipedia’s article on Alexandru Ioan Cuza (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: politician, diplomat, jurist, Fürst, revolutionary, military officer.¹¹

1862 to 1866Prince of Romania¹⁰
1859 to 1862Lord of Wallachia¹⁰
1859 to 1862Lord of Moldavia¹⁰
Date not recordedFounded CEC Bank⁶
Date not recordedFounded Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania⁷
Date not recordedFounded Alexandru Ioan Cuza University⁸
Date not recordedFounded University of Bucharest⁹

Personal life

BornApr 1, 1820, Bârlad¹²
DiedMay 15, 1873, Heidelberg^{13 14}
CitizenshipUnited Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Principality of Wallachia, Principality of Moldavia¹⁵
SpouseElena Cuza married 1844¹⁶

Awards

Date not recordedOrder of Osmanieh¹⁷
Date not recordedOrder of Saints Maurice and Lazarus¹⁷
Date not recordedOrder of the Medjidie¹⁷
Date not recordedOrder of the Redeemer¹⁷

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza on Wikidata
2
WikipediaAlexandru Ioan Cuza on Wikipedia
3
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: education, on Wikidata
4
Wikidataeducation, as reported
5
Wikidataeducation, as reported
6
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: Founded CEC Bank, on Wikidata
7
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: Founded Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, on Wikidata
8
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: Founded Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, on Wikidata
9
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: Founded University of Bucharest, on Wikidata
10
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: Lord of Moldavia, on Wikidata
11
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: occupation, on Wikidata
12
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: place of birth, on Wikidata
13
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: place of death, on Wikidata
14
Wikidataplace of death, as reported by Integrated Authority File
15
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: citizenship, on Wikidata
16
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: spouse, on Wikidata
17
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza: award, on Wikidata
18
WikidataAlexandru Ioan Cuza University, Founder
19
WikidataCEC Bank, Founder
20
WikidataUniversity of Bucharest, Founder
21
Wikimedia CommonsAlexandru Ioan Cuza photo by Pydrooo, CC BY-SA 4.0