Gheorghe Bengescu ( Francized ''Georges Bengesco''; August 30, 1848–August 23, 1922) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n diplomat and man of letters. Born in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...

Grigore Bengescu Grigore Bengescu (1824–1881) was a Wallachian, later Romanian, politician. Born in Craiova as the scion of a ''boyar'' family,Octav George Lecca, ''Familiile boerești române'', p. 70. Bucharest: Editura Minerva, 1899 Bengescu studied at the ...

as the scion of a ''

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the Feudalism, feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Russian nobility, Russia, Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia, Wallachia and ...

'' family, he studied in Paris, earning a doctorate in political and administrative sciences,Marie of Romania, ''Însemnări zilnice'', p. 432. Bucharest: Editura Historia, 2006. before returning to Romania.Octav George Lecca, ''Familiile boerești române'', p. 70. Bucharest: Editura Minerva, 1899. There, he served as prosecutor and judge for the

Ilfov County Ilfov () is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of Communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs ...

tribunal and also worked as a French teacher. Entering the diplomatic service in 1872, he was secretary at the legations in Vienna and London, arriving in the latter city in 1882. He rose to first secretary in 1885 and legation adviser in 1889. He was also first secretary in Paris, then legation adviser. From 1891 to 1898, he was minister plenipotentiary at Brussels, also accredited to The Hague, until he resigned. While abroad, Bengescu published a series of works on literature, producing sixteen books in as many years, including a four-volume bibliography of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

that received a prize from the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. His bibliography of Oriental culture was much appreciated by contemporaries, while his studies in Romanian covered

Vasile Alecsandri Vasile Alecsandri (; 21 July 182122 August 1890) was a Romanian patriot, poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Romani ...

(1886-1888), Queen Elisabeth of Romania (1906) and the literary activity of Golescu family members. Bengescu belonged to the administration of the ''Société d'Histoire littéraire de la France'', becoming vice president. He represented Romania in the ''Société d'histoire diplomatique''. Elected a corresponding member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...

in 1883, he rose to titular status in 1921.Membrii Academiei Române din 1866 până în prezent
at the Romanian Academy site He died in Paris.Avram Cezar, ''Dicționar istoric al localităților din județul Dolj: Craiova'', .p. Craiova: Editura Alma, 2005.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengescu, Gheorghe 1848 births 1922 deaths People from Craiova Romanian nobility 19th-century Romanian judges Romanian prosecutors Romanian schoolteachers Romanian diplomats Romanian literary historians Romanian bibliographers Titular members of the Romanian Academy