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Editura Universitară Iacob Bologa - The Life and Deeds of a Transylvanian Passportist

Editura Universitară
30,00 Lei

Publisher: Editura Universitară

Author: Nicolae Ploeşteanu, Mariana Ploeşteanu, Adrian Boantă

Edition: I

Pages: 146

Publisher year: 2025

ISBN: 978-606-28-2096-1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5682/9786062820961

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A 19th-century intellectual-Iacob Bologa
After almost 140 years since the death of Iacob Bologa, we have the first book, signed by Mariana Ploeșteanu, Nicolae Ploeșteanu and Adrian Boantă, dedicated to one of the most representative personalities of the 19th century in the history of Transylvanian Romanians. The book, elaborated in the classical canons of monographic research, represents a reconstruction of the life of a Romanian intellectual who, originally from a village in Sibiu County, took the steps towards high dignities in the political and cultural life of Romanians through school, through his human and intellectual qualities, with important functions in the administration of the former Danubian Empire.
As is known, in the 19th century, education, school represented a vector of nation building. The national idea increasingly captivated the consciousness of the Romanian elites. The well-known sociologist Leon P. Baradat believes that nationalism is the most powerful political idea of ​​the last 200 years, that through the nation people have risen to noble heights and make great contributions to the progress of humanity in the name of the nation state. Thus, among Romanians, as in all Central European nations, the construction of the nation was based at the elite level on the idea that the affirmation of national identity is dependent on the development of national culture, education and training, and the preservation and development of the national language, school becoming a priority for many Romanians. In fact, the 19th century was marked by the transition from the old society of orders, dominated by aristocratic values ​​and hierarchies dictated by the size of properties, to a more fluid, meritocratic society, governed by bourgeois values.
After brilliant studies in Sibiu, Iacob Bologa attended Law courses with a scholarship from the Orthodox Episcopate at the Piarist High School in Cluj, where Avram Iancu and Al. Papiu Ilarian also studied. It was the most important legal institution in the first half of the 19th century in Transylvania. After completing law studies, graduates who wanted to pursue a career as lawyers followed the practice of law at the Royal Bar in Târgu Mureș. Here, as the authors of the book show, Iacob Bologa's paths also crossed those of the future hero of the Revolution, Avram Iancu. Thus, in Cluj and Târgu Mureș, Iacob Bologa and his colleagues became acquainted with the projects of the Hungarian elite, related to the creation of a Hungarian state, as students and chancellors they learned about the condition of the peasants, about the humiliations they were subjected to as serfs. After completing his studies, Bologa's biography becomes intertwined with the history of a century itself, with the great events that marked the history of the empire in the 19th century: the Revolution of 1848-1849, the neo-absolutist regime established by Vienna after the defeat of the revolution, the liberal period of the first half of the 17th century and then the last period of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as it was called after 1867, when the Habsburg legacy was divided into two states, Austria or Cisleithania, and Hungary or Translethania, with two capitals, Vienna and Budapest, territories united, first and foremost, by the person of the emperor.
The Romanians, with an elite increasingly aware of their own national identity, become a political force on the Transylvanian stage. In 1848, in the National Assembly of Blaj, where I. Bologa is one of the notaries of the assembly, the Romanians express their adherence to the liberal ideas of the era and claim the autonomy of Transylvania. After ignoring the demands and the union of Transylvania with Hungary, by the decision of the Diet of Cluj, in the autumn of 1848 a real civil war begins in Transylvania, with the brilliant page of heroism, of sacrifice in the Apuseni Mountains. Iacob Bologa did not participate in the battles in the Apuseni, but he got involved in the actions of the Transylvanian elite, primarily in the initiatives of Bishop Şaguna. He was part of the delegations that submitted memoranda to the emperor for the acceptance of a similar condition on behalf of the Romanians to those of the Hungarians and the Saxons.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Iacob Bologa experienced an impressive rise for a Romanian: counselor at the Tribunal of Dej, from 1853 at the Provincial Tribunal of Sibiu (Landesgericht), in 1858 counselor at the Court of Appeal of the country, in 1862 prothonotary at the Royal Board of Târgu Mureș, for a short time gubernatorial counselor in Cluj, and in 1865 in the high position of court counselor at the Court Chancellery of Transylvania in Vienna.
The book dedicated to the former court chancellor highlights several major chapters in his life, as a member of the Romanian delegations to Vienna, in which he advocated for the rights of Romanians on the territory of the Saxon University and for the creation of a university or a law academy on behalf of Romanians. The idea of ​​a Romanian university represented a leitmotif of the political demands of Romanians in the second half of the 19th century. In the autumn of 1866, an appeal was launched to support a public collection in order to establish a fund for the establishment of a law academy. At the meeting of the Central Committee of the Association on April 5, 1870, Iacob Bologa asked the Committee to recognize, through a solemn declaration, the need to establish a "Romanian Academy of Laws" in the Austrian Monarchy. The proposal being accepted, a commission was created that published a project on the methods of procuring the means necessary to establish and support a law academy for Romanians. In 1883, the fund amounted to 20,065 florins, which was insufficient to build a higher education institution. As a result, it was decided that the fund would be used to build the Higher School for Girls in Sibiu.
An important chapter in the life of Iacob Bologa was his activity within ASTRA, Bologa being one of the representative figures of this institution, both as a founding member and as president and vice-president, from 1875 until his death in 1888 being the true leader of the Association. Bologa was among the Romanian elites who surprised the modernization process in Europe, which produced a real shock among the peoples of the East. Concerned for the destiny of the nation, Iacob Bologa supported modernization projects within ASTRA, developing an identity discourse connected to the debates in Europe, promoting an association campaign, attracting the Romanian community to education and culturalization projects, making aware of the priorities of the Romanians in the empire. The second half of the 19th century was a period in which, despite all the fluctuations in the empire's economy, people began to gain a sense of development, when the empire's projects generated significant mobility among social and ethnic groups. Romanians could not remain outside this trend.
Politically, Bologa was a constant supporter of the autonomist movement, a chapter of his life very well reconstructed in the book by the three authors. As a politician, primarily as a deputy, he advocated for the recognition of Romanians as a nation and their participation with equal rights in the projects of organizing the empire. Bologa constantly spoke out against the restoration of Greater Hungary, rather accepting the formula of ethnic national federalism, which advocated for the federalization of the empire.
The book dedicated to the politician Iacob Bologa brings to the attention of history enthusiasts many details related to his involvement in economic life, as a supporter of the banking phenomenon among Romanians, his relations with contemporaries, with George Bariț first and foremost, with the Romanians in the Kingdom, constantly in search of national solidarities, beyond what confessional solidarities represented at the time, family relationships, with joys and disappointments, etc., especially in recent years. In conclusion, a book about a man of the 19th century, with a life caught in the maelstrom of the great events of the empire, a book written by a historian and two jurists in love with history, which I recommend to readers, convinced that they will identify in its pages many lesser-known aspects of the historical past of Transylvania as part of the Danubian Empire and many answers to the challenges of the present.
Cornel Sigmirean
Director of ICSU "Gh. Șincai" in Tg. Mureș

Preface: A 19th-century intellectual Iacob Bologa/11
INTRODUCTION/17
The great events of the era/17
Elements of biography and historiography regarding Iacob Bologa. Voices heard but silent heroes./17
The need for a monograph on Iacob Bologa/22

CHAPTER I. IACOB BOLOGA, THE MAN (BIOGRAPHY)/24
The birthplace of Iacob Bologa/24
The “family” of Iacob Bologa/24
The child Iacob Bologa and the path to education/25
Iacob Bologa, an exceptional scholarship holder at the academic high school in Cluj/26
The student Iacob Bologa integrates into the liberal current of the times/27
The years spent at the Royal Board in Târgu Mureș/28
The young magister Iacob Bologa begins his activity as a notary in Sibiu/31
Participation in the Great Assembly of Blaj in 1848 and subsequent steps for the cause of the revolution/32
The marriage with Ana Bădilă and the evolution of his career as a judge/ 34
Administrative functions and assignments/36
Abusive retirement of Iacob Bologa/37
The steps to support the struggle for the emancipation of the Romanians/39
The Saxon University and the award of the honorary citizen of Sibiu/40
The death of his son, Eugen. The steps to establish the Romanian National Party/41
Involvement in national cultural activities/41
Ideas and objectives with economic and cultural values: Banca Albina, Gojdu Foundation/42
Administrative efforts for the well-being of the city of Sibiu and its vicinity/43
Iacob Bologa alongside the Romanian peasant/44
Involvement in church activities/44
The conflict between generations with the same objectives/45
Bologa's death and the reception of the event by contemporaries/45

CHAPTER II. IACOB BOLOGA'S POLITICAL ACTIVITY/49
The crisis of the feudal system and the national reawakening/49
Iacob Bologa prepares for the fight for rights. Social freedom and national equality/50
Preparation of the chancellors for the paşoptist revolution/51
Bologa supports a common position of the Romanian churches in the national cause/53
Iacob Bologa is elected secretary of the Great National Assembly in Blaj/53
Activity within the Regnicular Commission/54
The defeat of the revolution. Iacob Bologa's positioning in the service of the state /56
The removal of the absolutist regime of government and the beginnings of an "autonomy" within the empire/57
The rapprochement with Şaguna and Şuluțiu. Defending the national and church cause of the Romanians/58
Meetings in Sibiu to identify solutions to combat the new reorganization made with disregard for the Romanians/59
Proceedings to convene a Diet in Transylvania and to organize a general congress of Romanians from the entire monarchy/60
Meeting in Vienna with Emperor Francis Joseph, with the court chancellor Kemény and with the minister president Schmerling/62
Protest against Kemény's decree regarding the non-interference of the clergy in political life. Andrei Şaguna's position/64
Return to Transylvania, the meeting in Blaj and the decision to send a new delegation to Vienna/66
The delegation in Vienna supports the idea of ​​appointing a Romanian chancellor/67
The meeting with the new chancellor of Transylvania and the return from Vienna/69
Bologa's activity as a deputy within the Saxon University/70
The project for the administrative organization of Transylvania within the Saxon University/71
Termination of the deputy's mandate, appointment of Iacob Bologa as a councilor. Appointment of officials of Dăbâca County/72
Organization of the National Conference of April 1863, in Sibiu/73
Convocation of the Transylvanian Diet: recognition of the Romanian nation, its confessions and the official character of the Romanian language/74
Bologa's alignment with the moderate, governmental grouping, in relation to the Austrian and local authorities/75
Sacrifice of the autonomy of Transylvania and the rights of the Transylvanian Romanians. Establishment of Austro-Hungarian dualism/77
Bologa's alignment with the radical grouping of the Romanian bourgeoisie. Sanction of forced retirement/77
The struggle to preserve Transylvanian autonomy. Barițiu's petition/79
Approach to Barițiu. Boycott of the Pest Diet elections/80
Preparation of the National Conference of the Romanian People/81
The idea of ​​a single party of all Romanians in Transylvania/83
Summary of the great ideas and "stamps" that accompanied Bologa in his political endeavors/84

CHAPTER III. IACOB BOLOGA'S ACTIVITY WITHIN ASTRA AND THE ALBINA BANK/86
The world of science must be a common good of the entire nation/86
In 1860 Bologa supports the establishment of an association for the literature and culture of the Romanian people. The signal of the times is progress/87
In 1861 ASTRA is established. Bologa becomes a member of the Central Committee of ASTRA/89
Donations for the establishment of scientific institutes. Iacob Mureșanu's appeal/90
Bologa proposes and campaigns for the expansion of Astra to all Romanian strata/92
Supporting young scholars by granting scholarships/94
Adoption of the draft statutes drawn up by Bologa: creating divisions within Astra/95
Proceedings to establish a chair of Romanian language and literature in Vienna. Defending the truth about the Romanian people/96
The idea of ​​a Romanian law faculty in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy/98
Bologa's position to promote cooperation between Orthodox and united Romanians, as well as between Romanians on both sides of the Carpathians/99
Failure to establish a Romanian Law Academy. Establishment of the Girls' School in Sibiu/101
In 1875 Bologa is elected president of Astra/103
Dissensions within Astra and attacks on Bologa/104
The year 1877 marked a new revival in Astra's activity/107
Activation of scientific sections, organization of the national exhibition in 1881 and establishment of the Higher School for Girls in Sibiu/108
A testament for Astra/109
Creation of a Romanian banking financial institution, strategy of social and national emancipation/110

CHAPTER IV. IACOB BOLOGA'S CONNECTIONS WITH THE COUNTRY/114
Bologa and concern for Alexandru Papiu Ilarian's health/118
Death of Alexandru Papiu Ilarian/120
I. Bologa's connections with the country since 1877. The Geographical Society of Bucharest. The War of Independence. Family. Missions/121
Ioan Bologa and his actions within Astra/123
Iacob Bologa's connections with the Romanian "theater"/126
Relations with personalities from the political, philological and historical spheres. Bogdan Petriceicu Hașdeu. N.D. Racoviță. I. C. Brătianu. N. Bassarabescu. C. Presan. D.A. Laurian/127

CHAPTER V. IACOB BOLOGA. PROMINENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ROMANIAN BOURGEOISIE IN TRANSYLVANIA/130
The predominantly peasant origins of the Romanian Transylvanian bourgeoisie involved in the struggle for social and national equality/130
I. Bologa's approach to the church and legal studies/130
Iacob Bologa is supported by Bishop Vasile Moga to complete his studies/131
The beginning of the relationship with George Barițiu/132
I. Bologa's approach to the chancellors and Avram Iancu/133
Iacob Bologa in the events of the 1848 revolution/133
The premises for Iacob Bologa's entry into the state apparatus/134
Iacob Bologa campaigns for a national congress of Romanians/135
The emperor's promises in Vienna. The Diet of Sibiu. The disappointment of Ioan Bologa/136
The December 1866 Memoir/136
Bologa promotes the culture and economic education of the Romanian people through Astra/137
Bologa proposes the establishment of a Romanian Academy of Law/138
Bologa, initiator of the first financial institution with exclusively Romanian capital in Transylvania – Banca Albina/138

BIBLIOGRAPHY/140

 

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