Domnitor
Official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881
Prince Domnitor, in full Principe Domnitor (Romanian pl. Principi Domnitori) was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince regnant" in English and most other languages, and less often as "grand duke". "Domnitor" is an adjective derived from the Romanian word "domn" (lord or ruler) and, in turn, from the Latin "Dominus". The title Domn had been in use since the Middle Ages and it is also the Romanian equivalent to the Slavic Hospodar. Moldavian and Wallachian rulers had used this term for their title of authority as the head of state, while "voievod" represented the military rank as the head of the army.
The title acquired an officially recognized meaning after Moldavia and Wallachia united to form the Romanian United Principalities under Alexander John I, who had become the ruler of both states since 1859. Alexander John abdicated in 1866 and was succeeded by Carol I, who promulgated the first constitution who officially used the name Romania for the country. He held the title until 1881. When Romania was proclaimed a kingdom in March 1881, Carol became its first king.
01Domnitori of the United Principalities (1862-1881)
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandru Ioan Cuza | (1820-03-20)20 March 1820-15 May 1873(1873-05-15) (aged 53) | 5 February 1862 | 22 February 1866 | , | Cuza | |
| Carol I | (1839-04-20)20 April 1839-10 October 1914(1914-10-10) (aged 75) | 20 April 1866 | 15 March 1881 | Became King of the Romanians | Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen |
02Timeline of the lifespans of Domnitors
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of Domnitors of Romania. The domnitors are listed in order of office.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Domnitor”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Principality of Romania - 1872 CoA.svg by Alex Daneş; lions based on a work by Răzvan Pala., Public domain
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