Simeon Mangiuca (September 2, 1831 – ) was an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

ethnic Romanian folklorist. Born in Broșteni,

Caraș-Severin County Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița ...

, in the

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

region, his father Ioachim was a

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priest; his mother Calina (''née'' Berceanu) died of tuberculosis when Simeon and his brother were young. Following primary school in his native village, he attended secondary school in nearby

Oravița Oravița (; ; ; ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Oravica, separator=/, Оравица) is a town in the Banat region of Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 9,346 in 2021. Its theater is a fully functional scaled down version of the old Burgth ...

before going on to

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

Lugoj Lugoj (; ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities and towns in Romania, city in Timiș County, Romania. The Timiș, Timiș River divides the city into two halves: the "Romanian Lugoj" that spreads on the right bank, and the "German Lugoj" on the left bank. Th ...

and

Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

. He studied law at the

Royal University of Pest Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

from 1852 to 1855. While there, he began learning the Romance languages, particularly Italian and Spanish. He subsequently went to

Vršac Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...

(''Vârșeț''), where he took theology from 1856 to 1858, upon his father's insistence. Later, his theological studies would be useful in his research on folk practices, and he also learned Serbian while in the town. In 1858, he was named a government lawyer in

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

and a teacher of Romanian language and literature at the gymnasium in the same city. Also in 1858, he married Ana Miletici, the daughter of a large landowner from Oravița. As a teacher, he was intensely involved in Romanian cultural activity. When political conditions allowed, he pressed for the establishment of a Romanian-language newspaper in Timișoara, believing that this was the best means of organizing a populace that had become passive following the

1848 revolution The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

. In 1861, he was elected chief administrator for the

Jamu Mare Jamu Mare (; or ''Großscham''; ) is a communes of Romania, commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Clopodia, Ferendia, Gherman, Jamu Mare (commune seat), and Lățunaș. Name In Romanian language, Romanian, the name ...

district by the voters of his county, and he held the post for some eight years. In 1868, he passed the

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; the following year, he left government administration and settled as a lawyer in Oravița. Popular with those around him, Mangiuca was a leader of the local Romanian community. He was friends with

Atanasie Marian Marienescu Atanasie Marian Marienescu (–) was an Austro-Hungarian ethnic Romanian folklorist, ethnographer and judge. Born in Lipova, Arad County, in the Banat region, his father Ion Marian was a trader, while his mother Persida (''née'' Șandor) cam ...

, whom some claim introduced Mangiuca to folklore, although this is disputed. While Marienescu was an ardent collector of folklore, Mangiuca's collecting activity was limited to the songs for the dead published in two studies. By contrast, he was more valued as a historian, linguist and ethnologist, an exegete of folklore.Deleanu, p. 86-7 He dedicated his free time to study and to writing. He regularly contributed articles to a number of Romanian publications in the empire, especially ''Albina'' (Vienna), ''Luminătoriul'' (Timișoara) and '' Familia'' (

). In the latter magazine, he published studies about

Baba Dochia In Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. She is sometimes imagined as "an old woman who insults the month of March when she goes out with a herd of sheep or goats."Andreas Johns, ...

, Romanian botanical terminology and Latin-origin words specific to the Banat dialect. He also wrote a number of books, and the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

elected him an honorary member in March 1890. He suffered from a heart condition that threw him into depression, and he died later that year.Marian Petcu, ''Istoria presei române: antologie'', p. 202. Bucharest: Editura Tritonic, 2002 He donated his rich personal library to

Astra Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...

.Aurel Cosma, ''Prin Timișoara de altădată'', p. 101. Timișoara: Editura Facla, 1977

Notes

References

*Marcu Mihail Deleanu, ''Academicianul Simeon Mangiuca (1831-1890)''. Iași: Editura Timpul, 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mangiuca, Simeon 1831 births 1890 deaths People from Oravița Romanian Austro-Hungarians Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Eötvös Loránd University alumni Lawyers from Austria-Hungary Folklorists from Austria-Hungary Romanian schoolteachers Linguists from Romania Honorary members of the Romanian Academy