Nicolae Cristea ( – February 7, 1902) was an
Austro-Hungarian
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 ...
ethnic Romanian Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
priest, professor, journalist and political activist. A protégé of
Andrei Șaguna
Andrei Șaguna (; 20 January 1808, Miskolc, Hungary – 28 June 1873, Nagyszeben, Hungary) was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg monarchy, ...
, he studied in Germany before returning to edit the church's newspaper for nearly two decades, a period during which he also taught at the theological seminary in
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
. He was politically active, a stance that culminated in the early 1890s with his signing of the
Transylvanian Memorandum
The ''Transylvanian Memorandum'' ( ro, Memorandumul Transilvaniei) was a petition sent in 1892 by the leaders of the Romanians of Transylvania to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor-King Franz Joseph, asking for equal ethnic rights with the Hungarians ...
and subsequent imprisonment.
Biography
Origins and education
Born to peasant parents in
Ocna Sibiului
Ocna Sibiului (; ) is a town in the centre of Sibiu County, in southern Transylvania, central Romania, 10 km to the north-west of the county capital Sibiu. The town administers a single village, Topârcea (''Tschapertsch''; ''Toporcsa'').
A ...
, in the
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
region,
he began primary school in his native village before continuing at a Roman Catholic school in nearby
Sibiu
Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
.
He attended the
state high school
State High School is a public secondary school located at Ibereko, Badagry, Lagos State
Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is ...
there, also Catholic in orientation: from 1848 to 1850, his courses were in Latin, and then in German until graduation.
In 1857, he became a student at the city's theological academy, remaining there until 1859. While enrolled at the school, he met his eventual patron, Archbishop
Andrei Șaguna
Andrei Șaguna (; 20 January 1808, Miskolc, Hungary – 28 June 1873, Nagyszeben, Hungary) was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg monarchy, ...
. The latter appreciated Cristea's qualities and in 1859 advised him to enter the law faculty. He consented, and at the same time became a clerk at the archbishop's chancery.
Sent by Șaguna to the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
in order to deepen his studies of philosophy and political economy, his 1861–1863 stay of two years was too brief for a doctorate, and Cristea remained with two undergraduate degrees in theology and law.
While in Leipzig, he was a church singer at the local Romanian chapel. He also corrected some erroneous information presented by
Heinrich von Treitschke
Heinrich Gotthard Freiherr von Treitschke (; 15 September 1834 – 28 April 1896) was a German historian, political writer and National Liberal member of the Reichstag during the time of the German Empire. He was an extreme nationalist, who favo ...
, for which the professor publicly apologized.
Teaching and journalism
In 1870, he married Eleftera Manole, the sister of a
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
businessman,
[Păcurariu, p. 137] and was ordained a priest later that year.
Teaching church history and canon law, he was a substitute professor at the theological academy from 1863 to 1865 and a full professor of homiletics and moral theology from 1870 to 1873.
At that point, he was named an archdiocesan advisor, remaining as such until his death.
In 1865, he was named director of ''
Telegraful Român'' newspaper, remaining until 1883,
when he was dismissed by
Metropolitan Miron Romanul after writing a scathing critique of
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Kálmán Tisza
Kálmán Tisza de Borosjenő (archaic English: Coloman Tisza, or Koloman Tisza; 16 December 1830 – 23 March 1902) was the Hungarian prime minister between 1875 and 1890. He is credited with the formation of a consolidated Magyar governme ...
.
["Nicolae Cristea"]
in ''Foaia Poporului'', Nr. 6/1902, p. 61-2 (digitized by the Babeș-Bolyai University
The Babeș-Bolyai University ( ro, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai , hu, Babeș-Bolyai Tudományegyetem, commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. UBB has a long academic tradition, started by Universitas ...
br>Transsylvanica Online Library
During a period that saw the loss of Transylvania's autonomy as a result of the
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...
and a concerted
Magyarization
Magyarization ( , also ''Hungarization'', ''Hungarianization''; hu, magyarosítás), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in Austro-Hungarian Transleithan ...
effort, Cristea consistently defended the rights of the province's Romanians. Like his mentor, he promoted an activist stance through polemical articles, and the widely read newspaper turned a profit for the first time.
In 1877–1878, he paid close attention to the ongoing
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...
, devoting entire editions to the topic. He protested against the 1879 law that made Hungarian a required subject in Romanian church schools.
[Păcurariu, p. 138] After ''
Tribuna
''Tribuna'' (russian: Трибуна) is a weekly Russian newspaper that focuses largely on industry and the energy sector.
History
Tribunas published its first publication in July 1969. Until 1990, the newspaper titled the ''Sotsialisticheska ...
'' newspaper was founded in 1884, he occasionally contributed articles there.
He took part in the 1881 national conference of Romanian electors, where he delivered a fiery speech that emphasized the lack of political training for local Romanians.
Memorandum and aftermath
A member of the
Romanian National Party
The Romanian National Party ( ro, Partidul Național Român, PNR), initially known as the Romanian National Party in Transylvania and Banat (), was a political party which was initially designed to offer ethnic representation to Romanians in the ...
,
and part of its leadership for a decade beginning in 1884,
"The structure of the Central Electoral Committees of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and Hungary (1881–1918)"
The Political Elite from Transylvania (1867–1918) project site he helped draft the 1892 Transylvanian Memorandum
The ''Transylvanian Memorandum'' ( ro, Memorandumul Transilvaniei) was a petition sent in 1892 by the leaders of the Romanians of Transylvania to the Austro-Hungarian Emperor-King Franz Joseph, asking for equal ethnic rights with the Hungarians ...
. Indicted the following year, he and party president Ioan Rațiu
Ioan is a variation on the name John found in Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Welsh (), and Sardinian. It is usually masculine. The female equivalent in Romanian and Bulgarian is Ioana. In Russia, the name Ioann is usually reserved for the cler ...
vowed to speak only Romanian at their trial, held in May 1894. Cristea defended himself energetically, refusing to disavow his role. He was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, which he carried out at Vác
Vác (; german: Waitzen; sk, Vacov; yi, ווייצען) is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spelling of the name is ''Vácz''.
Location
Vác is located north of Budapest on the eastern bank o ...
with the majority of fellow signatories. While there, he wrote a brochure detailing his political convictions. He was granted a furlough in order to bury his son. The court costs were considerable for Cristea, who already had to support four children and received supplemental income from Romanian political circles. Upon being released, his advisor's salary was not paid for months; he was clearly not liked by Metropolitan Miron, whose behavior he criticized vehemently in his diary.
Begun in prison in March 1895, this diary was kept until November 1901, with lengthy and frequent interruptions; it was published in 1999. Dry in tone and rarely treating exceptional events, it reflects the aloof personality of Cristea, marked by political battles. Other topics include the Romanian-language press of Transylvania, his disappointment at Dimitrie Sturdza
Dimitrie Sturdza (, in full Dimitrie Alexandru Sturdza-Miclăușanu; 10 March 183321 October 1914) was a Romanian statesman and author of the late 19th century, and president of the Romanian Academy between 1882 and 1884.
Biography
Born in Iași ...
's suddenly conciliatory policy toward Austria-Hungary upon becoming Prime Minister of Romania
The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul României), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Guvernului României, link=no), is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was s ...
, criticism of the new metropolitan Ioan Mețianu
Ioan Mețianu (; May 9, 1828–February 3, 1916) was an Austro-Hungarian cleric of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Born in Zărnești, in the Transylvania region, he attended high school in Brașov and Cluj, studying theology in Sibiu. He serv ...
, his own gradual withdrawal from politics and his May 1898 visit to the Romanian Old Kingdom
The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...
. There, he was deeply moved upon seeing the Black Sea at Constanța
Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...
and impressed by the Anghel Saligny Bridge
The Anghel Saligny Bridge (formerly King Carol I Bridge) is a complex of two railroad truss bridges in Romania, across the Danube River and the Borcea branch of the Danube, connecting the regions of Muntenia and Dobruja. The bridge is listed i ...
.[ ]Z. Ornea
Zigu Ornea (; born Zigu Orenstein Andrei Vasilescu"La ceas aniversar – Cornel Popa la 75 de ani: 'Am refuzat numeroase demnități pentru a rămâne credincios logicii și filosofiei analitice.' ", in Revista de Filosofie Analitică', Vol. II, N ...
"Jurnalul unui memorandist"
in ''România Literară'', nr. 12/2000
He died in Sibiu;
entry in Mircea Păcurariu, ''Dicționarul Teologilor Români''. Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, 1996 his funeral was officiated by Mețianu and attended by an imposing crowd that included fellow Memorandum signer Rubin Patiția Rubin Patiția (–June 13, 1918) was an Austro-Hungarian ethnic Romanian lawyer and political activist. A native of the Transylvania region, he trained as a lawyer, settling in Alba Iulia in the 1870s and using his position to advance the local R ...
. Cristea was buried at the parish church in the Iosefin neighborhood.
Notes
References
*Mircea Păcurariu
Mircea Păcurariu (30 July 1932 – 13 January 2021) was a Romanian theologian, historian and priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Biography
Born in Ruși, Hunedoara County, he was the son of the village priest. He enrolled in the History ...
, ''Cărturari sibieni de altădată''. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Dacia, 2002.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cristea, Nicolae
1834 births
1902 deaths
People from Ocna Sibiului
Romanian Austro-Hungarians
Romanian Orthodox priests
Romanian newspaper editors
Romanian activists
Romanian diarists
Prisoners and detainees of Austria-Hungary
19th-century diarists