Simeon Mangiuca (September 2, 1831 – ) 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 folklorist. Born in Broșteni,

Caraș-Severin County Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița ...

, in the

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

region, his father Ioachim was a

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates i ...

priest; his mother Calina (''née'' Berceanu) died of tuberculosis when Simeon and his brother were young. Following primary school in his native village, he attended secondary school in nearby

Oravița Oravița (; hu, Oravicabánya; german: Orawitz; cs, Oravice; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Oravica, separator=/, Оравица) is a town in the Banat region of Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 11,382 in 2011. Its theater is a fully fu ...

before going on to

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

Lugoj Lugoj (; hu, Lugos; german: Lugosch; sr, Лугош, Lugoš; bg, Лугож; tr, Logoş) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș River divides the city into two halves, the so-called "Romanian Lugoj" ...

and

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...

. He studied law at the

Royal University of Pest Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

from 1852 to 1855. While there, he began learning the Romance languages, particularly Italian and Spanish. He subsequently went to

Vršac Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a pop ...

(''Vârșeț''), where he took theology from 1856 to 1858, upon his father's insistence. Later, his theological studies would be useful in his research on folk practices, and he also learned Serbian while in the town. In 1858, he was named a government lawyer in

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

and a teacher of Romanian language and literature at the gymnasium in the same city. Also in 1858, he married Ana Miletici, the daughter of a large landowner from Oravița. As a teacher, he was intensely involved in Romanian cultural activity. When political conditions allowed, he pressed for the establishment of a Romanian-language newspaper in Timișoara, believing that this was the best means of organizing a populace that had become passive following the

1848 revolution The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

. In 1861, he was elected chief administrator for the

Jamu Mare Jamu Mare ( hu, Nagyzsám; german: Großscham, formerly ''Freudenthal''; sr, Велики Жам, Veliki Žam) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Clopodia ( hu, Klopódia; german: Klopodia; cs, Klopodie), Fer ...

district by the voters of his county, and he held the post for some eight years. In 1868, he passed the

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

; the following year, he left government administration and settled as a lawyer in Oravița. Popular with those around him, Mangiuca was a leader of the local Romanian community. He was friends with

Atanasie Marian Marienescu Atanasie Marian Marienescu (–) was an Austro-Hungarian ethnic Romanian folklorist, ethnographer and judge. Born in Lipova, Arad County, in the Banat region, his father Ion Marian was a trader, while his mother Persida (''née'' Șandor) cam ...

, whom some claim introduced Mangiuca to folklore, although this is disputed. While Marienescu was an ardent collector of folklore, Mangiuca's collecting activity was limited to the songs for the dead published in two studies. By contrast, he was more valued as a historian, linguist and ethnologist, an exegete of folklore.Deleanu, p. 86-7 He dedicated his free time to study and to writing. He regularly contributed articles to a number of Romanian publications in the empire, especially ''Albina'' (Vienna), ''Luminătoriul'' (Timișoara) and '' Familia'' (

). In the latter magazine, he published studies about

Baba Dochia In Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. She is sometimes imagined as “an old woman who insults the month of March when she goes out with a herd of sheep or goats.”Andreas John ...

, Romanian botanical terminology and Latin-origin words specific to the Banat dialect. He also wrote a number of books, and 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 ...

elected him an honorary member in March 1890. He suffered from a heart condition that threw him into depression, and he died later that year.Marian Petcu, ''Istoria presei române: antologie'', p. 202. Bucharest: Editura Tritonic, 2002 He donated his rich personal library to Astra.Aurel Cosma, ''Prin Timișoara de altădată'', p. 101. Timișoara: Editura Facla, 1977

Notes

References

*Marcu Mihail Deleanu, ''Academicianul Simeon Mangiuca (1831-1890)''. Iași: Editura Timpul, 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mangiuca, Simeon 1831 births 1890 deaths People from Oravița Romanian Austro-Hungarians Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Eötvös Loránd University alumni 19th-century Romanian lawyers Romanian folklorists Romanian schoolteachers Linguists from Romania Honorary members of the Romanian Academy