Alexandru Candiano-Popescu (; January 27, 1841 – June 25, 1901) was a Romanian army general, lawyer, journalist, and poet, best known for his role in the '' Republic of Ploieşti''

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...

Biography

He joined the military school in 1854, becoming an artillery sub-lieutenant in 1859. As a captain, he took part in the coup of February 11, 1866, that toppled

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janua ...

, the ruling ''

Domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian word "''domn''" ...

'' of the

United Principalities The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ( ro, Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești), commonly called United Principalities, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, ...

. In 1867, he resigned from the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

and started two newspapers: ''Perseverenţa'' and ''Democraţia'', in which he supported democratic ideas. Considered a "political agitator", he was arrested three times, including once in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, where he was imprisoned for several weeks in the fortress of Arad. In August 1870, he took part in the

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

insurrection against the Hohenzollern ''Domnitor'', Carol I, in Ploieşti. The movement was suppressed and he was charged along with 40 other people, but the Târgovişte court of law acquitted them. In his tongue-in-cheek account of the insurrection (''Boborul''),

Ion Luca Caragiale Ion Luca Caragiale (; commonly referred to as I. L. Caragiale; According to his birth certificate, published and discussed by Constantin Popescu-Cadem in ''Manuscriptum'', Vol. VIII, Nr. 2, 1977, pp. 179-184 – 9 June 1912) was a Romanian playw ...

named Candiano-Popescu as "President of the Republic", and claimed that he had appointed several of his collaborators into high office. In 1877, as the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

began, Candiano, although he was a deputy in the

Romanian Parliament The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament in Bu ...

, joined the army to take part in the assault over

Grivitsa Grivitsa ( bg, Гривица, ; also transliterated as ''Grivitza'' or ''Grivica'') is a village in Pleven Municipality, Pleven Province, central northern Bulgaria. It is primarily known as the site of one of the key engagements in the Siege of ...

, being the commander of the 2nd Hunters' Battalion, receiving the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

from Alexander II, the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. In 1880, he became Carol's Adjutant, a position he held for 12 years. In 1894, he was named General of Cavalry. He wrote a volume of poetry, ''Când n-aveam ce face'' (1866), and several war songs.

References

*I. L. Caragiale,
Boborul
' *Dimitrie R. Rosetti, ''Dicţionarul contimporanilor'', Editura Lito-Tipografiei "Populara", 1897 {{DEFAULTSORT:Candiano-Popescu, Alexandru 1841 births 1901 deaths Military personnel from Bucharest Republicanism in Romania Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Romanian Land Forces generals 19th-century Romanian lawyers Romanian newspaper editors Romanian newspaper founders 19th-century Romanian poets Romanian male poets Romanian revolutionaries 19th-century male writers