NICOLAE BALCESCU (1819-1852)

Historian, writer and the most stubborn fighter in 1848. Born in Bucharest. He is originated from the small nobility. After his father his name was supposed to be petrescu, but he keeops his mother name, after the estate frm Balcesti-Vâlcea. From 1832 is pupil in Sf. Sava highschool, knowning Heliade and Ion Ghica. As child he was interested by the history. At 19 yeears old he is in the army (iuncher). In 1840 he participates to the comploting movement og D. Filipescu (they want the socmans puting into land possession), and is incarcerated at the Margineni Monastery, being released after two years with his health weakened (he suffered a very hard detention). Sets up the secret organisation Fratia (with I. Ghica and Chr. Tell) and makes historical studies, traveling in France and Italy. In Paris he faught on the baricades in 1848. Returned to Bucharest, take part at the Revolution, is for 2 days minister and secretary of the provisional government. he is part of the left wing wanting to put paesants into land possession, universal vot, resistence agains turks. He is an utipical visionary, desireing a small republic between the three big empires (tzarist, otoman and habsburgical). His ideal could bring the abolish the Romanian states. After that, our state mans found another political way: first the union of the Romanian Principalities with an Romanian prince, and after that the constitutional monarchy with an foreign prince, from a great European house (Carol I of Hohenzollern).

After the defeat of the revolution, Balcescu goes to Transylvania, wanting an undestanding between Kossuth and Avram Iancu (he have stayed in Avram's camp for a while). During the Habsburgic and Russian troupes attack he manages to escape from the arrest by disguising in a paesant from the Apuseni mountaines. He is living his last years of life in exile, longing for his beloved motherland. Ill of touberculosis, knowing that his end is near, he returns in the spring of 1852 in the country, on the Danube, knowing that he has not the right to step on his motherland. He crosses the river, at September 8, to sent for a couple o hours his motherland. In Turnu Magurele he meets his mother. But he was not let to enter Muntenia, wanting to go to his friends in Moldova. He was forced to leave the country, and the ship took him to Constantinole and than to Italy. He dies alone, forgotten by everybody, in Palermo, in a room from Trinacria Hotel, being burried in a common hole in the cemetery of the Capuccines Monastery. His remaines could not been identificated in order to bring them back to the country.

First of all he was a passionated historian, but he was wrote literature, historigraphy, sociology and political economy. Hero and martyr, he had sacrificed his health looking for historical documents, in the country and abroad. He wrote: Army power and military art from the setting up of the Valahian Principate till present (1844) and The development of the revolution in Romanian history s.o. This most important work is Romanians under Mihai-Voievode The Brave, written in exile from 1849 till his death, unfinished and published postumely by Al. Odobescu: "On the highest tops of the Carpathian Mountains is a fair and blessed country among all the countries seeded by God on Earth. It is like a magnificent and great palace, masterpiece of architecture, where are gathered together all the natural beauties which dadorn the other places from Europe, which with pleasure it remains us ..."

Last update: 1999, September 8
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