Barbu Bălcescu (1821 or 1825—January 12, 1884) was a

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

n, later

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n lawyer and revolutionary, the younger brother of

Nicolae Bălcescu Nicolae Bălcescu () (29 June 181929 November 1852) was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution. Early life Born in Bucharest to a family of low-ranking nobility, he used his mother ...

. Born in

Bălcești Bălcești is a town located in Vâlcea County, Romania. The town administers eight villages: Benești, Cârlogani, Gorunești, Chirculești, Irimești, Otetelișu, Preoțești, and Satu Poieni. It is situated in the historical region of Olte ...

Vâlcea County Vâlcea County (also spelt ''Vîlcea''; ) is a county (județ) that lies in south-central Romania. Located in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (which are separated by the Olt (river), Olt River), it i ...

, he attended the Law faculties of the Saint Sava College and of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

; his thesis was on the inalienability of property gained through dowries. During the

Wallachian Revolution of 1848 The Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and nationalist uprising in the Principality of Wallachia. Part of the Revolutions of 1848, and closely connected with the unsuccessful revolt in the Principality of Moldavia, it sough ...

, the Provisional Government assigned him as commissioner of

Buzău County Buzău County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km ...

. On 8 September, he corresponded with his brother, a leader of the revolution, and took part in the public burning of ''

Regulamentul Organic ''Regulamentul Organic'' (, ; ; )The name also has plural versions in all languages concerned, referring to the dual nature of the document; however, the singular version is usually preferred. The text was originally written in French, submitt ...

''. He was arrested in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and subsequently departed for Ottoman-administered

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

. In 1856, he was part of the Bucharest magistrates' corps. He belonged to the Bucharest Court of Appeals from 1859 to 1864, and was a lawyer in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

from 1864 to 1876. In 1870 he was inspector for private schools in

Dolj County Dolj County (; originally meant ''Dol(no)-Jiu River, Jiu'', "lower Jiu", as opposed to ''Gorj'' (''upper Jiu'')) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova. Demographics In 2011, ...

, and he served as Mayor of Craiova in 1875. His three daughters were renowned for their beauty: Olga, married to General Petre Gigurtu and the mother of Ion Gigurtu; Ana, married to Dr. Dimitrie Culcer; and Zoe, married to judge Nicolae Mandrea. In the summer of 1878, the poet

Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...

visited his country house in

Florești Florești may refer to several places: Moldova *Florești, Moldova, a city in Moldova *Florești District, in Moldova *Florești, a village in Cobusca Veche Commune, Anenii Noi District *Florești, a village in Buciumeni, Ungheni, Buciumeni Commu ...

. His Craiova home, built in the 19th century, still stands.Bălcescu, Barbu
at the site of the Alexandru and Aristia Aman Dolj County Library Originally interred in Craiova's Sineasca Cemetery, in 2003 he was reburied near the Nicolae Bălcescu Memorial in

, Vâlcea County."Barbu Bălcescu s-a reîntors pentru ultima dată acasă!" ("Barbu Bălcescu Returns Home for the Last Time!")
, ''Gazeta de Sud'', 28 June 2003; accessed October 2, 2009

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balcescu, Barbu Lawyers from the Principality of Wallachia Organizers of the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 19th-century Romanian lawyers Mayors of Craiova Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Saint Sava National College alumni University of Paris alumni People from Bălcești Romanian expatriates in France 1820s births 1884 deaths