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"Monstrous coalition" ( ro, Monstruoasa coaliție) is the name that has remained in the collective consciousness of
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, and ...
to refer to the alliance between conservatives and radical liberals in order to obtain
Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janu ...
's removal from power in 1866. This name was promoted in its time by press favorable to Cuza.


Background

Although at the first analysis a coalition between the political centrists (radicals) and the political right (conservatives) seems unnatural in the context of 19th century politics of Romania, it was logical within the political context of the time: the personal authoritarian regime introduced by Cuza. Authoritarian tendencies began to be manifested by the ruler early in 1863, and the personal regime was installed after the coup of 2 May 1864. He increased his own power at the expense of other institutions. On 10 May, Cuza amended, through plebiscite, the Paris Convention which had hitherto functioned as Constitution for the
United Principalities The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ( ro, Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești), commonly called United Principalities, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, f ...
, transforming it into Developing Statutes of the Paris Convention. The most important change was the redistribution of state organization so that the ruler should have more powers. From this point, the political scene was divided into two camps: Cuzists and opposition. Moreover, the ruler understood to govern over political groups with trustworthy people, of moderate shades, as
Mihail Kogălniceanu Mihail Kogălniceanu (; also known as Mihail Cogâlniceanu, Michel de Kogalnitchan; September 6, 1817 – July 1, 1891) was a Romanian liberal statesman, lawyer, historian and publicist; he became Prime Minister of Romania on October 11, 186 ...
or Nicolae Crețulescu. The leaders of this coalition were the radical C. A. Rosetti, the conservative
Lascăr Catargiu Lascăr Catargiu ( or Lascăr Catargi; 1 November 1823 – ) was a Romanian conservative statesman born in Moldavia. He belonged to an ancient Wallachian family, one of whose members had been banished in the 17th century by Prince Matei Basarab ...
, and the moderate
Ion Ghica Ion Ghica (; 12 August 1816 – 7 May 1897) was a Romanian statesman, mathematician, diplomat and politician, who was Prime Minister of Romania five times. He was a full member of the Romanian Academy and its president many times (1876–1882, ...
.


The Consequences

The "monstrous coalition" was supported by large landowners and businessmen who were not satisfied with the policy of the ruler. A coalition emerged in 1864, after the National Assembly elections in Romania, second convocation, and was chaired by Ion C. Brătianu. Mihail Kogălniceanu remained loyal to Alexandru Ioan Cuza. In 1866, the coalition performed a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
. On the morning of 11 February, at five o'clock, a group of soldiers entered the
Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Mas ...
and forced the ruler to accept the abdication. Cuza was forced to swear that he would abdicate, after seven years of rule, and leave the throne to a foreign prince, as required in one of the provisions of the ad-hoc divans of 1857. The unionist press related that ''the argument of this heinous act was the charge that the elected ruler would have betrayed the interests of the country to a foreign power''. Two days later, on 13 February, Cuza left
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 o ...
, taking the road to
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, and, after him, on 10 May 1866, Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was proclaimed ruler of Romania, under the name of Carol I. Subsequently, Carol was asked to allow Cuza to return home. The monarch sent the request to the Council of Ministers, which rejected it.


References

{{Reflist 1860s coups d'état and coup attempts 1866 in Romania Political history of Romania