Alexandru Ioan Cuza

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Alexandru Ioan Cuza
Cuza
Father	Ioan Cuza
Mother	Sultana Cozadini
Religion	Eastern Orthodoxy
Signature

Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romanian:

reforms that contributed to the modernization of Romanian society and of state structures.

As ruler of the

.

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.[5]^[6]

Born in

in 1844. During the

his liberal credentials

. He was shipped to Vienna as a prisoner, where he made his escape with British support.

Returning during the reign of

He received the firman from the Sultan on 2 December 1861 during a visit to Istanbul. He was a recipient of the

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 (1864–1889), and Dimitrie Cuza (1865–1888 suicide).

Thus Cuza achieved a

Even then, the union was only accepted for the duration of Cuza's rule.

The union was formally declared three years later, on 5 February 1862, (24 January Julian), the new country bearing the name of Romania, with Bucharest as its capital city.

Cuza invested his diplomatic actions in gaining further concessions from the Powers: the sultan's assent to a single unified parliament and cabinet for Cuza's lifetime, in recognition of the complexity of the task. Thus, he was regarded as the political embodiment of a unified Romania.

Assisted by his councilor Mihail Kogălniceanu, an intellectual leader of the 1848 revolution, Cuza initiated a series of reforms that contributed to the modernization of Romanian society and of state structures.

His first measure addressed a need for increasing the land resources and revenues available to the state, by nationalizing monastic estates in 1863.^[11] Probably more than a quarter of Romania's farmland was controlled by untaxed Eastern Orthodox "Dedicated monasteries", which supported Greek and other foreign monks in shrines such as Mount Athos and Jerusalem, presenting a substantial drain on state revenues. Cuza got his parliament's backing to expropriate these lands.

During the secularization of the Antiochian

, refused to negotiate; after several years, the Romanian government withdrew its offer and no compensation was ever paid. State revenues thereby increased without adding any domestic tax burden. The

plebiscite

to alter the Paris Convention (the virtual constitution), in the manner of Napoleon III.

Ruginoasa

His plan to establish universal manhood suffrage, together with the power of the Domnitor to rule by decree, passed by a vote of 682,621 to 1,307. This was an imperfect solution, still catering to the wealthy, and would be added onto with a constitution revision in 1866 after his abdication.^[14] He consequently governed the country under the provisions of Statutul dezvoltător al Convenției de la Paris ("Statute expanding the Paris Convention"), an organic law adopted on 15 July 1864. With his new plenary powers, Cuza then promulgated the Agrarian Law of 1863. Peasants received title to the land they worked, while landlords retained ownership of one third. Where there was not enough land available to create workable farms under this formula, state lands (from the confiscated monasteries) would be used to give the landowners compensation.

Despite the attempts by

; at the same time, however, land distributed was still below necessities, and the problem became stringent over the following decades – as peasants reduced to destitution sold off their land or found that it was insufficient for the needs of their growing families.

Cuza's reforms also included the adoption of the Criminal Code and the Civil Code based on the

(1860) and the University of Bucharest (1864), and helped develop a modern, European-style Romanian Army, under a working relationship with France. He is the founder of the Romanian Naval Forces.

Cuza failed in his effort to create an alliance of prosperous peasants and a strong liberal prince, ruling as a benevolent authoritarian in the style of Napoleon III. Having to rely on a decreasing group of hand-picked bureaucrats, Cuza began facing a mounting opposition after his land reform bill, with liberal landowners voicing concerns over his ability to represent their interests. Along with financial distress, there was an awkward scandal that revolved around his mistress, Maria Catargiu-Obrenović, and popular discontent culminated in a coup d'état. Cuza was forced to abdicate by the so-called "monstrous coalition" of Conservatives and Liberals. At four o'clock on the morning of 11 February 1866, a group of military conspirators broke into the palace, and compelled the prince to sign his abdication. On the following day they conducted him safely across the border.^[8]

His successor, Prince

), had been one of the liberal aims in the revolution of 1848.

Despite the participation of

in August 1870. The conflict was eventually resolved by a compromise between Brătianu and Carol, with the appointment of a prolonged and influential Liberal cabinet.

Cuza spent the remainder of his life in exile, chiefly in Paris, Vienna, and Wiesbaden,^[8] accompanied by his wife and his two sons. He died in Heidelberg on 15 May 1873. His remains were buried in his residence in Ruginoasa, but were moved to the Trei Ierarhi Cathedral in Iași after World War II.

External links

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Alexandru Ioan Cuza (category)

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Alexandru Ioan Cuza

• Cuza, Alexandru Ioan (1820–1870), by Gerald J. Bobango and Paul E. Michelson, at the Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions.

Alexandru Ioan Cuza House of Cuza Born: 20 March 1820 Died: 15 May 1873
Regnal titles
Preceded by Title created	Domnitor of Romania 5 February 1862 – 22 February 1866	Succeeded by Carol I
Preceded by Grigore Alexandru Ghica	Prince of Moldavia 24 January 1859 – 5 February 1862	Succeeded by Title abandoned
Preceded by Barbu Știrbei	Prince of Wallachia 24 January 1859 – 5 February 1862	Succeeded by Title abandoned