RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Ion C. Bratianu 200


Ion C. Bratianu 200
Ion C. Bratianu 200

, 11.06.2021, 19:56

Any nation has its founding fathers, exceptional personalities that they owe gratitude to. It is not just about a simple ritual, it is about an homage to those with a clear head and courage to take advantage of standing circumstances in order to make the best decisions for their country. One of Romanias founding fathers was Ion Constantin Bratianu, a man who was there for all major events of the 19th century.




He was born on June 2, 1821, in Stefanesti, 100 km northwest of Bucharest, in a family of Wallachian noblemen. He joined the burgeoning Wallachian army at 18 years of age, and shortly after left for Paris to study engineering. In the capital of France, he joined the Free Masons in rank of master. With his radical temperament, Bratianu took part in the 1848 revolution, where, as police prefect, he intervened twice, using force, to save the Wallachian revolutionary government. He went into exile in Paris after the revolution was repressed by Ottoman forces, where he worked tirelessly to pull Wallachia out from under Ottoman influence. In 1857 he returned to Bucharest, and took part in the elections to unite with Moldavia. He was an active participant in the move to remove the first prince, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, in 1866, and to bring in Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in to replace him. He held ministerial positions, and led the longest democratic governance of Romania between 1876 and 1888, as a prime minister. He was married to Pia, who gave him 8 children, of which 6 survived.


The Romanian Academy held a celebration for the 200th anniversary of Bratianus birth. Historian Ioan-Aurel Pop, the president of the institution, said that Romanias modern history should begin with the Bratianu family:


“If we were to make a dictionary of great Romanians and great families that enacted the Grand Union, which built our modern country, this dictionary could very well start with the name Bratianu. Before leaving this life, Ion Bratianu was made an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, and he uttered the following: I will turn in my grave if you, my sons, do not unite this country. It is a matter of consciously burdening himself with national ideals, not petty personal purpose. One of his sons, Ionel, would continue his work, and become of the greatest politicians and men of state that Romania ever had.”




As any emblematic figure, Bratianu was there for making history for his country, as Ioan-Aurel Pop told us.


“Ion Bratianu built the country, more to the point, its core when he was in the 1848 revolution, when he went to Dusseldorf to bring in Prince Carol, when he laid the base of the Liberal Party, when he led for 12 years the most solid and long lived government of modern Romania, when he militated for a currency, for independence, for turning Romania into a kingdom, and many things more. The Bratianu Liberals provided a flawless civics lesson, that of public and national ideals, instead of personal ideals.”




Ludovic Orban, the chairman of the National Liberal Party, believes that one of Bratianus most important roles was that of setting up the party in 1875. The party, like its leader, was there for all important moments in Romanias modern history.


“One of the great achievements that Ion Bratianu had is to set up the National Liberal Party. Uniting several liberal factions, and setting up the National Liberal Party, in the famous meeting at Mazar Pasha, was a joining of progressive forces and leaders that wanted to modernize and emancipate, forming a major political party. Ion Bratianu is the protagonist of the most important events that led to the formation of the modern Romanian state. The generation of Bratianu, Rosetti, and all the other personalities that united then managed a spectacular transformation that Romania undertook, going from Ottoman culture to Western European culture.”




After a full life lived in politics, society, and in modernizing and Europeanizing his society, Ion C. Bratianu passed away on May 15, 1891, two weeks before turning 70. He was buried on his estates, in Florica commune, a moment described by historian Narcis-Dorin Ion, quoting testimonies of that time:


“Bratianus death had strong echoes in the country and abroad, and the funerals on his estate, attended by over 12,000 people, was in recognition for one of the makers of modern Romania, and left a strong impression on contemporaries. His resting place was next to his mansion in Florica, and next to his first child, Florica. Three decades later, in May 1921, another ceremony was held, moving his remains in a new chapel, which was described by his daughter Sabina Cantacuzino so: It was a short ceremony, with his coffin carried by the oldest peasants in Ratesti, followed by the smaller coffin with Floricas remains, carried by two veterans. “




Ion C. Bratianu is by all means a landmark in Romanias history from all points of view, and his monument in the center of Bucharest stands testimony. The monument plaque reads: With our minds, with our hearts, with our arms.

50 Years Since the Helsinki Accords
The History Show Monday, 27 January 2025

50 Years Since the Helsinki Accords

After 1945, Europe was brutally divided, and the hopes of Europeans that at the end of the Second World War, once freed from fascism, they would...

50 Years Since the Helsinki Accords
banner-Pro-Memoria.-960x540-1.jpg
The History Show Monday, 27 January 2025

The unfinished Bucharest

In the Romanian area, modern cities began to develop after the European model around the 1830s. At that time, some provisions of the Organic Laws...

The unfinished Bucharest
foto: pixabay.com
The History Show Monday, 20 January 2025

The Centennial of the Romanian Chess Federation

Considered a “sport of the mind” due to its high degree of complexity, anticipation of the opponent’s strategy, speed in...

The Centennial of the Romanian Chess Federation
Romania – FRG diplomatic relations
The History Show Monday, 13 January 2025

Romania – FRG diplomatic relations

  The fact that, after 1945, there were two German states on Europe s map, was the effect of deep divergences between the US, Great Britain and...

Romania – FRG diplomatic relations
The History Show Monday, 06 January 2025

The Romanian Revolution – 35

  We often talk about big resets when a type of leader wins the elections in a country with a major global influence, as was Donald...

The Romanian Revolution – 35
The History Show Monday, 30 December 2024

The Romanian Revolution Narrated to Young People

  December is the month when, since 1989, Romanians have commemorated the fall of the communist regime, a regime that had trampled their rights,...

The Romanian Revolution Narrated to Young People
The History Show Monday, 23 December 2024

The 35th anniversary of the Romanian revolution

A small protest began on December 16, 1989 in Timișoara that would lead to an avalanche of demonstrations across the country. This will result, on...

The 35th anniversary of the Romanian revolution
The History Show Monday, 16 December 2024

The Mathematics Journal

  In its almost 250-year long history, the Romanian print media records the longest uninterrupted publication of a magazine: “Gazeta...

The Mathematics Journal

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company