Alexandru Ioan Cuza
first ruler of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia
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. 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.
Early life
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.
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