Domnitor

Domnitor of The United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia (Principality of Romania)
Former Monarchy
Coat of arms of Principality of Romania during Carol I
Last Monarch: Carol I
Style:	His Majesty
First monarch	Alexandru Ioan Cuza
Last monarch	Carol I
Official Residence	Royal Palace in Bucharest
Monarchy started	24 january 1859
Monarchy ended	1 March 1881

Domnitor (pl. domnitori) was the official title of the ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859 and 1866. "Domnitor" was used in medieval times along with the slavonic-derived term of "Voievod"/voivode, and it derives from the 'cultivated Latin' term Dominus"; (the word itself is derived in the Romanian language from the word "domn" (lord or 'ruler'), in its turn originating from the Latin word "Dominus"). It acquired an officially recognized meaning only after Wallachia and Moldavia chose through simultaneous and independent popular voting the same ruler, Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Alexander Joan Couza), in 1859.

Previously, Wallachian and Moldavian rulers had sometimes been referred to by the term, though their official titles had been voivode and hospodar, especially after they were officially nominated by the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire.

The last two Domnitori of Romania were: Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859–1866, deposed), and Prince Carol I of Romania of the new dynasty of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who began his reign in 1866.

In 1881, Prince Carol I was crowned as "King of Roumania" (King of Romania), that had been recognized in 1878 in written documents by the Porte and the Sultan as an Independent Principality, and thus no longer an Ottoman vassal. ^[1]

Notes and references

v • d • e Heads of State of Romania United Principalities of Romania Domnitor of Romania (1859-1881) Alexander John Cuza • Carol I Kingdom of Romania King of the Romanians (1881-1947) Carol I • Ferdinand • Michael I (with Prince Nicholas, Miron Cristea, Gheorghe Buzdugan and Constantin Sărăţeanu as regents) • Carol II • Michael I (with Ion Antonescu as Conducător, 1940-1944) Romanian People's Republic Interim Presidential Committee (1947-1948) President of the Presidium of the Grand National Assembly (1948-1961) President of the State Council (1961-1965) Constantin Ion Parhon (with Ion Niculi, Mihail Sadoveanu, Gheorghe Stere, Ştefan Voitec, 1947-1948) • Petru Groza • Ion Gheorghe Maurer (with Mihail Sadoveanu and Anton Moisescu, 1958) • Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej • Chivu Stoica (with Ion Gheorghe Maurer, Ştefan Voitec and Avram Bunaciu, 1965) Socialist Republic of Romania President of the State Council (1965-1989) President of the S.R. Romania (1974-1989) Chivu Stoica • Nicolae Ceauşescu Post-1989 Romania President of Romania (1989-present) Ion Iliescu • Emil Constantinescu • Ion Iliescu • Traian Băsescu • Nicolae Văcăroiu* • Traian Băsescu *denotes interim • Categories: Heads of state of Romania, Presidents of Romania, Romanian monarchs

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