NICOLAE IORGA

Nicolae Iorga,  (born June 18, 1871, Botoşani, Rom.—died Nov. 28, 1940, Strejnicu), scholar and statesman, Romania’s greatest national historian, who also served briefly as its prime minister (1931–32).

Appointed professor of universal history at Bucharest (1895), Iorga early established his historical reputation with his two-volume Geschichte des rumänischen Volkes (1905; “History of the Romanian People”), his five-volume Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches (1908–12; “History of the Ottoman Empire”), and studies of the Crusades.

From the time of his first election to the Romanian Parliament (1907), he played an important role in national politics. He founded his own party, the National Democrats, and in 1931–32 he served as prime minister and also minister of education. A man of enormous energy, he is believed to have written more than 1,000 books and some 25,000 articles. He published a monumental 10-volume national history (Istoria Românilor; 1936–39). He was an internationally-acclaimed byzantinist His strongly nationalist writings and lectures influenced all of Romanian intellectual life. Iorga founded a people’s university at Vălenii de Munte (1908) and the Southeast European Institute (1913).

Iorga supported the regime of his former pupil, King Carol II, who had returned from exile in 1930 to claim the national throne, but he adamantly opposed both the extreme right and the extreme left. In November 1940 Iorga was assassinated by terrorists of the fascist Iron Guard.

1. Nicolae Iorga was co-founder (in 1910) of the Democratic Nationalist Party and was ultimately assassinated by fascist ________ (legionnaire) commandos.

a)      Iron Guard

b)      Romanian Front

d)      Corneliu Zelea Codreanu

2. He was an internationally-acclaimed byzantinist (and the very first one in Romania), connecting the Romanian space with the ________ and the Southeastern European sphere in general.

a)      Byzantine Iconoclasm

b)      Byzantine Empire

c)      Roman Empire

He served as a member of Parliament, as President of the post-________ National Assembly, as minister, and (1931-32) as Prime Minister.

1. Caucasus Campaign
2. World War I
3. Armenian Genocide

 

By Prof. Molcalut Georgeta - Florentina