Constantin Noe (1883 – 6 June 1939) was a Megleno-Romanian editor and professor. He was born in 1883 in the Megleno-Romanian village of Lagkadia ( in Megleno-Romanian), then in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
and now in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
. He was one of the best students of the , from which he graduated in 1903. On the same year, Noe became professor in several of the
Romanian schools in the Balkans
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
and one of the main figures of the Megleno-Romanian national movement. In 1907, he and several others of his colleagues were arrested and sentenced to four months in prison under the pretext of not using books approved by the General Directorate of Education of the
Salonica vilayet
The Vilayet of Salonica ( ota, ولايت سلانيك, Vilâyet-i Selânik) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1912. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .
After being released, Noe migrated to
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
and became secretary of the National Museum of Antiquities in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...
from 1907 to 1911. During his stay in Bucharest, he was editor of the newspaper ''
Românul de la Pind
''Românul de la Pind'' ("The Romanian of the Pindus" in Romanian) was a Romanian weekly newspaper. It was founded on 26 May 1903 in Bucharest, Romania, by the Aromanian cultural activist Nicolae Constantin Batzaria, who was the director of the ...
'' ("The Romanian of the Pindus") for almost two years. In 1909, Noe received a scholarship from the Faculty of Letters of the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princ ...
, graduating four years later with a degree in geography and history. In 1913, the published his French-language memorial ''Les Roumains Koutzo-Valaques. Les populations macedoniennes et la crise balkanique'' ("The Kutso-Vlach Romanians. The Macedonian Populations and the Balkan Crisis"), in which he advocated the establishment of an Albanian–"Romanian" (the latter referring to the
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and c ...
) independent state in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
on the federal model of Switzerland.
In 1913, Noe fought in the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
as part of the 7th Vânători Regiment of the
Romanian Land Forces
The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the La ...
. For this, he received the . Afterwards, he migrated to
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 ...
, then under
Austria-Hungary
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 ...
, where he associated himself with important figures of the
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
national movement of the region such as
Ștefan Cicio Pop
Ștefan Cicio Pop (1 April 1865 – 16 February 1934) was a Romanian politician.
Biography
Born in Sajgó, Belső-Szolnok County, Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire, Pop's maternal grandfather was the Greek-Catholic canon Vasil ...
and
Vasile Goldiș
Vasile Goldiș (12 November 1862 – 10 February 1934) was a Romanian politician, social theorist, and member of the Romanian Academy.
Early life
He was born on 12 November 1862 in his grandfather's (Teodor Goldiș) house in the village of M ...
, among others. In Transylvania, Noe collaborated in the newspapers ''Românul'' ("The Romanian") in Arad and ''Transilvania'' ("Transylvania") 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 ...
, becoming in 1916 editor for the French-language ''Journal des Balkans''. Noe then emigrated to Chișinău in
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of ...
, then under the
Moldavian Democratic Republic
The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; ro, Republica Democratică Moldovenească, ), also known as the Moldavian Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the '' Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–Novem ...
, in 1918; Noe was among the editors of the first issue of the newspaper '' România Nouă'' ("New Romania"), being also the editorial secretary of the daily ''
Sfatul Țării
''Sfatul Țării'' ("Council of the Country"; ) was a council that united political, public, cultural, and professional organizations in the greater part of the territory of the Governorate of Bessarabia in the disintegrating Russian Empire, ...
'' ("Council of the Country"). Later in 1918, Bessarabia united with Romania, and Noe was given the for his pro-union and anti-
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
efforts. On 10 July 1919, Noe, together with Epaminonda Balamace and Gheorghe Mecu, founded the ''Glasul Țarii'' ("Voice of the Country")
bookstore
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librar ...
and
publishing house
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
, and on 1 November 1920, he founded the daily ''Dreptatea'' ("Righteousness"), which he directed along Hr. Dăscălescu.
Noe returned to Bucharest in 1924, becoming professor in the Gheorghe Lazăr National College, the , the
Saint Sava National College
The Saint Sava National College (Romanian: ''Colegiul Național Sfântul Sava''), Bucharest, named after Sabbas the Sanctified, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania. It was founded in 1694, under the name of ...
and the Mihai Eminescu National College, being transferred in 1929 to be professor in the Mihai Viteazul National College. In the latter, he was appointed permanently in 1931, and Noe performed his activities in the high school until 6 June 1939, when he died.
Noe was an important figure in the ambit of the Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians. He was the president of the Meglenia Cultural Society and secretary of the Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society. Noe played a key role in the migration to Romania of Megleno-Romanians and also of Aromanians from villages nearby to the Megleno-Romanian settlements that took place mainly between 1923 and 1925. This was as a consequence of the various wars (the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
and
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
) that ravaged the area and of the conquest of the Megleno-Romanian villages by states hostile to the Megleno-Romanian national movement, such as
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...