Alecu Beldiman
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Alecu Beldiman, common rendition of Alexandru Beldiman ( Romanian Cyrillic: AлєѯaндрȢ Бєлдимaн), also known as Alecul or Aleco Beldiman (1760 – ca. January 1826), was a Moldavian statesman, translator and poet, one of the forerunners of Romanian nationalism. A scion of the boyar elite, he was the eldest son of '' Vornic'' Gheorghe Beldiman, and the nephew-in-law of chronicler Enache Kogălniceanu. Alecu himself held high commission in the Moldavian military forces and bureaucracy, but secretly resented the Phanariote regime which had awarded them. He may have affiliated with a loose group known as the " National Party", championing an alliance between Moldavia's independence from the Ottoman Empire and support for the
French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Beldiman's earliest contributions to cultural life probably date back to the 1790s, and originally included translations of French prose and verse drama. He may have contributed an original play, while his brother, Dumitrache Beldiman, helped arrange some of the earliest Moldavian stage performances, as puppet shows. By 1820, Alecu had become the most productive translator in Moldavia, directly contributing to Westernization and the spread of Enlightenment ideas, and also completing a Romanian version of the '' Odyssey''. His works in the field were circulated in print form by Zaharia Carcalechi, or otherwise copied by hand. Beldiman's anti-Greek sentiment peaked during the 1821, when an invasion by the Sacred Band chased him and other Romanian boyars out of Moldavia. The invasion and its violent aftermath inspired him to write the epic poem ''Tragodiea Moldovei'' ("Moldavia's Tragedy"). Although politically significant and comprising picturesque detail, the work was widely dismissed as a sample of exceptionally bad writing. Upon returning home, Beldiman also came into conflict with Prince Ioan Sturdza, who had him imprisoned at
Tazlău Monastery Tazlău Monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Tazlău) is a Romanian Orthodox Christian monastery located at 188 Ștefan cel Mare Street, Tazlău, Neamț County, Romania. History and description Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, the monastery was esta ...
in 1824. Poems he wrote during that interval show him as a conservative critic of republican and nationalist propaganda, and display his pity for the lower classes; he was also becoming more supportive of rule by the Ottoman Empire. Though eventually released, he maintained a low profile for the remainder of his life. His family continued to have a role in Moldavian, and later Romanian politics; his grandson Alexandru Beldiman was a journalist.


Biography


Origins and early life

According to family tradition, Beldiman's ancestors crossed into Moldavia from the Principality of Transylvania. Laurențiu Ungureanu
"Boieri mari, episodul 6: Alecu Beldiman, omul care ne-a adus ''Adevărul''
in ''
Adevărul ''Adevărul'' (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published dur ...
'', February 18, 2017
This would make them distant relatives of the Hungarian Counts of Beldi. The immigrants entered historical record in March 1579, when "a certain Beldiman" served as Mayor ('' Șoltuz'') of Suceava. In April 1609, Nichifor Beldiman, recorded in some genealogies as a ''nemeș'' (untitled landowner), became '' Vornic''. He later served as Hetman and Logothete, and, in late 1615, led the boyars into rebellion against Prince Ștefan IX Tomșa. He was captured in neighboring Wallachia and beheaded, his remains being disposed of in the Siret River. His two sons continued to hold major boyar ranks, while his daughter married into the Prăjescu family. During the 18th century, the family lost its economic prosperity and political influence, and came to be regarded as emancipated peasants, rather than as boyars. Isolated in the rural areas of Fălciu County, they were often known by the nickname ''Mânja''. Alecu Beldiman's grandfather, Grigore Mânja Beldiman, rectified the situation. From beginnings as a page at the court of Prince
Constantin Cantemir Constantin or Constantine Cantemir (1612–1693) was a Moldavian nobleman, soldier, and statesman who served as voivode between 25 June 1685 and 27 March 1693. He established the Cantemir dynasty which—with interruptions—ruled Moldavia p ...
, he became fluent in
Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...
in Istanbul, where he also befriended '' Beizadea'' Dimitrie Cantemir. In 1711, following the Pruth River Campaign, the Cantemirs were chased out of the country; a Beldiman branch also left Moldavia and settled in the Russian Empire. These events led to the emergence of a Phanariote regime in Moldavia and Wallachia: from ca. 1711, both
Danubian Principalities The Danubian Principalities ( ro, Principatele Dunărene, sr, Дунавске кнежевине, translit=Dunavske kneževine) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th ce ...
had lost much of their autonomy within the Ottoman Empire; the boyar elite, formed mainly by
Greek immigrants Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest ...
, controlled the administration. Grigore Mânja survived this time of troubles, and emerged as a favorite of the early Phanariotes: Nicholas Mavrocordatos and Grigore II Ghica both made used of his services. However, his participation in boyar conspiracies during the third reign of
Mihai Racoviță Mihai or Mihail Racoviță (c. 1660 – July 1744) was a Prince of Moldavia on three separate occasions (September 1703 – February 23, 1705; July 31, 1707 – October 28, 1709; January 5, 1716 – October 1726) and Prince of Wallachia on tw ...
endangered his career and his life. Alecu's father was Gheorghe Beldiman (1724–1792). Orphaned of both parents by 1735, he and his four brothers were virtually adopted by the returning Prince Ghica, who groomed them for high office. Gheorghe amassed a personal fortune while climbing through the ranks, serving as ''
Stolnic ''Stolnic'' was a ''boier'' (Romanian nobility) rank and the position at the court in the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The title approximately corresponds to seneschal and is borrowed from the Slavic title ''stolnik'' (from th ...
'' in 1763, ''
Ban Ban, or BAN, may refer to: Law * Ban (law), a decree that prohibits something, sometimes a form of censorship, being denied from entering or using the place/item ** Imperial ban (''Reichsacht''), a form of outlawry in the medieval Holy Roman ...
'' in 1773, and finally ''Vornic'' in 1790. During the Russo-Turkish War of the 1770s, he declared his personal submission to
Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
. He remained a noted figure in the Russophile party, and as a result earned a permanent appointment to the Moldavian Divan in 1774. His son's birth came during the final stages of the Phanariote era. Alecu was born in 1760, either in
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
, the Moldavian capital, or in the smaller town of Huși. His maternal family was Greek. His mother, Maria, was the daughter of "publican Lefter" from Istanbul; her sister was married to Enache Kogălniceanu, the Moldavian chronicler and social reformer. The couple had an older daughter, Anastasia, and three younger sons: Iancu, Filip, and Dumitrache. Early on, Alecu became fluent in Greek and more unusually for his generation, also in French. He was educated at home and in private Greek schools—unlike Dumitrache, who was a graduate of the Princely Academy. The future chronicler climbed steadily through the boyar hierarchy, becoming '' Ceauș'' in the Moldavian military forces in 1785; he was '' Serdar'' in 1789. At age 34, Alecu became a '' Paharnic'' at the princely court of
Michael Drakos Soutzos Michael Drakos Soutzos ( el, Μιχαήλ Δράκος Σούτζος; ro, Mihai Draco Suțu), (1730 – 1803) was a Prince of Moldavia between 1792 and 1795. A member of the Soutzos family of Phanariotes (descended from the Drakos family), he ...
, before being moved to serve as '' Ispravnic'' in Neamț County. In 1800, under Prince
Constantine Ypsilantis Constantine Ypsilantis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Υψηλάντης ''Konstantinos Ypsilantis''; ro, Constantin Ipsilanti; 1760 – 24 June 1816), was the son of Alexander Ypsilantis, a key member of an important Phanariote family, Gran ...
, Beldiman was appointed '' Pârcălab'' of
Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
.Marcu, p. 119 Following his father's death, he became sole owner of several estates. One was Cornești, outside Iași; two others, Iezereni and Tețcureni, were 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 Be ...
. Beldiman was married three times, but scholars provide contradictory details on this issue. Literary historian George Călinescu reports that Beldiman's first wife, name unknown, was a member of the Romano clan; the second was Ileana, sister of the Logothete and poet Costache Conachi, making him in-laws with Nicolae Vogoride, future '' Kaymakam'' of Moldavia. Genealogist Vasile Panopol corrects such accounts, noting that Ileana (or Elena) Conachi was Beldiman's first wife, followed by Elena Costandache. A sister of the '' Spatharios'' Gheorghe Costandache, she bought him an urban estate in Iași; they were still married to each other in 1823, but she presumably died shortly after.Vasile Panopol, "O lume apusă. Pe ulițele Eșului", in '' Contemporanul'', Issue 35/1994, p. 4 Both authors agree that Beldiman's final, childless, marriage was to Elena Greceanu. Theater historian Ioan Massoff notes that Bedliman's earliest contributions to drama include his 1784 rendition of Pietro Metastasio's '' La clemenza di Tito''—as ''Milosârdia lui Tit''. Researcher Nicolae N. Condeescu cites him as the uncredited translator of Vincent Voiture's novel, ''Alcidales et Zelide'', done at some point in the late 18th century. In or around 1799, he also probably completed a version of Eustathios Makrembolites and Godard de Beauchamps' ''Story of Hysmine and Hysminias''. In parallel, Beldiman became identified as one of the earliest contributors to the popularization of Western theater. The beginnings of Moldavian own theatrical activity are dated to ca. 1800, when Conachi, Nicolae Dimachi and Dumitrache Beldiman produced a short series of puppet shows, with Romanian-language texts.Tatiana Vișescu, "Începuturile teatrului românesc cult. Costachi Caragiali – ''O repetiție moldovenească sau noi și iar noi''", in ''Language and Literature – European Landmarks of Identity'', Vol. 1, 2005, p. 129 They also wrote a comedy of their own, making Dumitrache's one of Moldavia's first playwrights. Another play, tentatively dated to 1811, was called ''Serdarul din Orhei'' ("The ''Serdar'' of Orhei"); historian Nicolae Iorga believes that it was penned by Alecu Beldiman. Dumitrache and Alecu remained interested in both literature and politics; Filip withdrew to a monastery in 1792, while Iancu died later that same decade.Iacob, pp. 299–300 According to philologist Gheorghe Bogdan-Duică, Alecu Beldiman's next translation was from Homer's '' Odyssey'' (as ''Odiseia lui Omir''). Andreas Wolf, a
Transylvanian Saxon The Transylvanian Saxons (german: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjer Såksen''; ro, Sași ardeleni, sași transilvăneni/transilvani; hu, Erdélyi szászok) are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania ...
physician, met the Beldimans ca. 1797, praising them as lovers of arts and literature. Bogdan-Duică hypothesizes that Beldiman handed his manuscript to Wolf, who took it to
Hermannstadt 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 Cib ...
and promised to publish it there. It shows the author's familiarity with, and reliance on, the French-style
Romanization of Greek Romanization of Greek is the transliteration (alphabet, letter-mapping) or Transcription (linguistics), transcription (pronunciation, sound-mapping) of text from the Greek alphabet into the Latin alphabet. History The conventions for Greek ort ...
, but is above all infused with staples of the Moldavian dialect. Another similar text, tentatively attributed to Beldiman, showed up at Dorohoi, near Moldavia's border with the
Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (german: Herzogtum Bukowina; ro, Ducatul Bucovinei; uk, Герцогство Буковина) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 191 ...
.


Literary fame

An unclear tradition claims that one of the Belidimans was involved in a project to unite Wallachia and Moldavia as a single "republic", with help from
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. Following the Russian invasion of Moldavia in 1806, the youngest Beldiman brother interrupted his literary activities to serve in the occupation government. Alecu's own literary output became more notable following the Russo-Turkish War and the peace of Bucharest. Both Alecu Beldiman and Conachi had been chased out of their Bessarabian estates by the Russian occupation, which ultimately annexed the region as a
Bessarabian Governorate The Bessarabia Governorate (, ) was a part of the Russian Empire from 1812 to 1917. Initially known as Bessarabia Oblast (Бессарабская область, ''Bessarabskaya oblast'') as well as, following 1871, a governorate, it included t ...
; they settled in Iași as refugees. In 1815, Prince Scarlat Callimachi appointed Alecu an '' Aga'' of his citadel in Hârlău. At around that time, he also became involved in the thriving business of inn-keeping, establishing his own taproom in Bârlad. Beldiman was advanced to '' Postelnic'' in 1818, and finally became the ''Ispravnic'' of Iași in 1819, under Prince Michael Soutzos. An 1819 map by Giuseppe Bayardi shows that he owned a mansion on Iași's Sârbească Street. His estate grew to include parts of Popeni and
Vinderei Vinderei is a commune in Vaslui County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Brădești, Docani, Docăneasa, Gara Docăneasa, Gara Tălășman, Obârșeni, Valea Lungă and Vinderei. References * Communes in Vaslui ...
, in Tutova County, as well as several other townhouses in Iași. He also owned several hamlets populated by
Romanies The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with s ...
, which he kept as boyar slaves. At this new stage, Beldiman blended Romanian nationalism with an interest in modern education, declaring himself a direct contributor to the "material progress of the Romanian people". According to historian
Neagu Djuvara Neagu Bunea Djuvara (; 18 August 1916 – 25 January 2018) was a Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. Biography Early life A native of Bucharest, he was descended from an aristocratic Aromanian family ...
, Beldiman closely resembles the Wallachian intellectuals of his era, specifically Naum Râmniceanu, Dionisie Eclesiarhul, and Zilot Românul, in being virulently anti-Greek and anti-Phanariote. Scholar Pompiliu Eliade sees the Beldimans and the Sturdzas as affiliates of the " National Party", which favored independence from the Ottomans and sought direct protection from the
French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. However, Iorga also highlights the limits of Beldiman's nationalism: although he opted to stay in "Turkish Moldavia", he "never wrote as much as a verse, as much as a single line of prose" against Russian occupation in Bessarabia. Likewise, scholar Ovid Densusianu reads Beldiman as a Moldavian particularist, who was generally indifferent to the tribulations of Romanians in Wallachia and elsewhere. Philologist Andreea Giorgiana Marcu notes that, as a translator of Western literature, Beldiman was necessarily a participant in the Age of Enlightenment. He resonated most with
Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...
, and especially with its "obviously moralizing" accounts. The Neoclassical trait of Beldiman's poems was also highlighted by literary historian Emil Manu; their "lucid moralism", Manu notes, makes him akin to La Rochefoucauld.Emil Manu, "''Scrieri literare inedite''", in '' România Liberă'', February 8, 1982, p. 2 Likewise, culture critic
George Panu George Panu (March 9, 1848 – November 6, 1910) was a Moldavian, later Romanian memoirist, literary critic, journalist and politician. A native of Iași, educated there as well as in Paris and Brussels, he worked as a schoolteacher and lawyer, b ...
proposes that Beldiman and Conachi must have been closely familiarized with, and imitators of, Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna. Over 40 years, Beldiman arguably became the most prolific among Moldavia's contributors to Westernizing translations. As noted by Densusianu, Beldiman translated plays that were never intended for actual stage production, since there was no Moldavian theater to speak of. His texts had to introduce theatrical terminology for which there was yet no equivalent: he proposed ''obraz'' ("cheek" or "face") for "character", and ''schini'' for "scene". However, Eliade proposes that Beldiman was directly inspired to write for the stage by witnessing Moldavia's first first-ever theatrical experiment, produced in December 1816 by Gheorghe Asachi. By late 1817, Beldiman had completed his own version of Voltaire's ''Oreste'', which was only published in 1820. He soon signed contracts with the Wallachian publisher, Zaharia Carcalechi, who was active in the literary circles of Habsburg Hungary. In 1818, Beldiman also put out ''Învățătură sau povățuire pentru facerea pâinii'' ("A Guide or Advisor to Bread-making"), ultimately based on a text by Christian Albert Rückert, but directly translated from the Greek version penned by Dimitrios Samurkasis (Dimitrie Samurcaș). Also that year, Beldiman completed a translation of Salomon Gessner's ''Der Tod Abels'', from the French intermediary. It was published at
Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
as ''Moartea lui Avel''. Through his presence in the Habsburg realm, Beldiman was in contact with the " Transylvanian School", represented by poets such as Ion Budai-Deleanu. As a result, Iorga attributed to Budai-Deleanu a manuscript-poem called ''Menehmii sau fraţii de gemene'', later discovered to have been Beldiman's translation of Jean-François Regnard's ''Les Ménechmes''. Beldiman followed up in 1820 with ''Istoria lui Numa Pompilie''. This was a translation of Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian's ''Numa Pompilius'', though Beldiman suppressed any mention of the real author. Its preface includes some of the earliest Romanian views on traductology: Beldiman complained about his struggles in adapting early modern Romanian to render complex phrases in French. As noted by linguist Gheorghe Ivănescu, Beldiman followed
Iacob Stamati Iacob or Iacov is the Romanian form for Jacob and James and it may refer to: People *Alexandru Iacob (born 1989), Romanian footballer *Caius Iacob (1912–1992), Romanian mathematician *Iacob Felix (1832–1905), Romanian physician *Iacob Iacobovic ...
and other Moldavians in adopting a Wallachian spelling for some of his core vocabulary. ''Istoria'' consistently used ''giudecată'' (; "trial" or "judgement") for the Moldavianized ''judecată'' ( �udekatə. Beldiman completed numerous other translations, without ever submitting them for print. Various scribes copied them by hand, and they enjoyed popularity in boyar circles. However, Beldiman discovered that the texts were being slowly altered in the process, and decided to create his own authorized copies.Marcu, p. 121 This process involved several younger scribes. One was Ioniță Sion, who took dictation from Beldiman in writing "all sorts of verse and stories"; he was not paid for the job, but was allowed to make and keep his own copies.Lascu, p. 101 By 1813, Matei Gane of Ciumulești had already collected and transcribed by hand Beldiman's various works. Beldiman penned, but never printed, other renditions of tragedies and stories by Antoine François Prévost (with '' Manon Lescaut''), Madame Cottin,
René-Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt René-Charles Guilbert de PixerécourtOften written as Pixérécourt, although the self-edited ''Théâtre choisi'' omits the first accent. The X was pronounced S. (22 January 1773 – 27 July 1844) was a French theatre director and playwright ...
, Louis d'Ussieux, and various unknown authors. Reportedly, he also finished translated the '' Iliad'', but this work, if it ever existed, remains lost.


''Tragodiea Moldovei''

The final stage of Beldiman's literary and political career was marked by the
Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...
, part of which was fought on Moldavian soil. In early 1821, the country was invaded by Alexander Ypsilantis' Greek forces, comprising the Filiki Eteria and the Sacred Band. This occupation forced Beldiman out of Moldavia, and back into Bessarabia.Densusianu, p. 27 The events, which culminated in an Ottoman incursion and a Greek defeat in the
Battle of Dragashani The Battle of Dragashani (or Battle of Drăgășani) was fought on 19 June 1821 in Drăgășani, Wallachia, between the Ottoman forces of Sultan Mahmud II and the Greek Filiki Etaireia insurgents as a part of the Greek War of Independence. Co ...
, were narrated by Beldiman in his rhyming chronicle. It is most often called ''Tragodiea Moldovei'' ("Moldavia's Tragedy"), but is also known as ''Eterie sau jalnicele scene prilejuite în Moldova din resvrătirile grecilor, prin șeful lor Alexandru Ipsilanti venitu din Rusia la anul 1821'' ("The Eteria or Awful Scenes Occurring in Moldavia Because of the Rebellions by Greeks under Their Leader Alexander Ypsilantis, Who Came in from Russia in 1821"). According to Călinescu, the work was unintentionally "buffoonish", reading like a "humorous rigmarole". The overall result ran at 4,260 lines of verse which, Călinescu argues, was of an "old-fashioned type" and "monotonous", similar to later works by Constantin Negruzzi. Scholar Gheorghe Cardaș views Beldiman as the final Moldavian representative of a "prolix, untalented" school of poets, which began in 1681 with the anonymous ''Chronological Poem of the Moldavian Rulers''. Similarly, Densusianu notes that Beldiman demanded from his readers a patience that he never repaid. He was "not a poet, but only a versifier, and as such one in a string of mediocre writers." Moreover, his genre of choice, the "rhyming chronicle", was "unrewarding" and "manically" over-detailed, though he remained overall superior to Zilot, his Wallachian contemporary. According to Eliade, ''Tragodiea'' is a "long and tedious newspaper article, prosaic as no prose has ever been, amusing only because the author himself realizes that his work is so very difficult, and his ability so very limited." Eliade also finds that, being no longer disciplined by foreign grammar (as he was in his translations), Beldiman constructs incoherent phrases. His vocabulary is "flooded" with Greek, Ottoman, or Slavonic terms. Panopol defends Beldiman's chronicle: "I for one find charm in his so-very-pedestrian lyrics, especially since, upon reading them, I find some historical clarity regarding that era of turmoil". According to historian
Vlad Georgescu Vlad Georgescu (October 20, 1937–November 13, 1988), was a Romanian historian and the director of the Romanian-language department of Radio Free Europe between 1983 and 1988. Biography Born in Bucharest, Georgescu studied history at the Uni ...
, Beldiman was still notable as the most erudite chronicler of his generation. As Călinescu writes, an "entertaining jolt" in the epic came wherever Beldiman described his contempt for various of his contemporaries: the "godless dog" Vasileios Karavias and the haughty but "so very cowardly"
Stefan Bogoridi Prince (''Knyaz'' or '' Bey'') Stefan Bogoridi (born Стойко Цонков Стойков, ''Stoyko Tsonkov Stoykov''; ; ; ; ; 1775 or 1780–August 1, 1859) was a high-ranking Ottoman statesman of Bulgarian origin, grandson of Sophro ...
. Complex descriptions remain rare, as Beldiman often dismisses the Eterists and his other adversaries with just one epithet, sometimes bordering on the obscene. One line refers to a "Lividi Nicolaki, that base and ugly soul", who, according to Beldiman, had been appointed commander of Moldavia's Romanies by Ypsilantis' government. Researchers are unsure about whether this is a reference to
Niccolò Livaditti Niccolò Livaditti (1804, Trieste – 12 June 1858, Iași) was an Italian-born naïve painter, who worked in the Principality of Moldavia. Biography He was born to a wealthy Greek family, and took part in the Carbonari uprisings. When they fai ...
, a Triestene painter who had been a member of the Carbonari. Other aspects of the narrative were also polemical, reflecting Beldiman's brand of conservatism. In one episode of his epic, Beldiman sides with the local Turks, whom the Eterist invasion had decimated.Xenopol, p. 34 Another one of his stanzas lambasts Tudor Vladimirescu, leader of the parallel uprising in Wallachia. As noted by Călinescu, Beldiman and Vladimirescu were both Romanian nationalists, but of different visions; the Moldavian poet described the Wallachian revolutionist as "deceitful", prone to demagoguery. Historian
A. D. Xenopol Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol (; March 23, 1847, Iaşi – February 27, 1920, Bucharest) was a Romanian historian, philosopher, professor, economist, sociologist, and author. Among his many major accomplishments, he is the Romanian historian credi ...
also notes that Beldiman was sarcastic in his treatment of the Moldavian republican boyars, whom he called '' Decemviri''. The restoration of Ottoman rule was rendered complete by the Eterist defeat at Sculeni in June 1821. Beldiman, having been appointed ''Vornic'', made the return trip to Iași. In November, he purchased the townhouse owned by a fellow boyar, the Wallachian Iordache Filipescu, in Păcurari neighborhood; it was here that he finished writing ''Tragodiea''.Iftimi & Văleanu, p. 26 His poem-chronicle purposefully refrained from documenting the entirety of Ioan Sturdza's reign, which began in 1822. One stanza circulates the notion that Sturdza was a "son of Moldavia", rather than a Phanariote, and expresses his belief that a "golden century" would follow. The ''Vornic'' soon returned to championing his version of boyar nationalism: in ''Tragodiea'', he makes explicit references to the " national interest". From 1823, Beldiman preserved a copy of what he claimed to be Moldavia's Capitulation to the Ottomans, outlining the ancient rights of its inhabitants. The text expanded on earlier forgeries. Overall, he was more pro-Ottoman than Zilot and other chroniclers, being above all thankful that the Empire had defeated Ypsilantis.


Death and legacy

In reality, Beldiman was at odds with the new regime. As one of the more conservative boyars, he clashed with the monarch. In March 1824, with Dimachi and others, he authored a letter of protest against Prince Sturdza, which was addressed to his overlord,
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Mahmud II. During the same year, he was briefly imprisoned for his disobedience. Confined inside
Tazlău Monastery Tazlău Monastery ( ro, Mănăstirea Tazlău) is a Romanian Orthodox Christian monastery located at 188 Ștefan cel Mare Street, Tazlău, Neamț County, Romania. History and description Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, the monastery was esta ...
, he produced his final set of poems, ''Stihuri'' ("Verse"). These are patriotic in tone, but noticeably skeptical of nationalism, explaining that, even though the Phanariotes had lost power, bad customs survived through native boyars; unusually in his context, he sided with the lower classes against the aristocrats. Several lines refer to the harsh conditions faced by travelers, noting that rainstorms had rendered infernal his trip to Tazlău. Stylistically, the ''Stihuri'' resemble both Neoclassicism and early Romantic poetry, introducing elements later found in works by
Barbu Paris Mumuleanu Barbu Paris Mumuleanu (1794 – May 21, 1836) was a Wallachian poet. Born in Slatina, Romania, Slatina, his father was originally from a village and sold trinkets. Initially employed as a logothete to the ''vistier'' (treasurer),Alexandru Piru, ''I ...
.Marcu, p. 120 Beldiman was ultimately released and made a discreet return to politics, living in relative seclusion for the rest of his life. His last published translation came out in 1824. It was a first volume of William Coxe's ''Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden and Denmark'', taken from a French version by
Paul Henri Mallet Paul Henri Mallet (20 August 1730 – 8 February 1807) was a Genevan writer. Life He was born and educated in Geneva. He became tutor in the family of the count of Calenberg in Lower Saxony. In 1752 he was appointed professor of ''belles l ...
. He died in January 1826, or at, earliest, December 1825Iacob, p. 299—according to fellow writer Dimitrie Pastiescul, he still held a pen in his hand when this occurred. Buried at his family's favorite church of Talpalari, Beldiman left a large number of manuscripts, which were reportedly sold by the pound to a local collector. Both Dumitrache and Filip survived their brother's death, the former dying in 1831. Filip, better known under his monastic name "Filaret", was appointed Bishop of Roman and carateker of the Moldavian Metropolis. In 1842, he served as administrator of Moldavia, filling in for Prince Mihail Sturdza. From his Romano marriage, Alecu had a daughter. Known as either Pulheria or Profira, she married into the
Cantacuzino family The House of Cantacuzino (french: Cantacuzène) is a Romanian aristocratic family of Greek origin. The family gave a number of princes to Wallachia and Moldavia, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine Kantakouzenos family, specifica ...
. She was famous for raising her husband's illegitimate son, the half-Romani Dincă, who was formally her house slave. Her refusal to manumit him, and his subsequent suicide, resulted in mass support for abolitionism. Alecu's son, Vasile Beldiman, married a Mavrocordatos.Narcis Dorin Ion, "Istorie și genealogie. Convorbiri cu domnul Mihai Dim. Sturdza", in ''Cercetări Istorice'', Vol. XXXIV, 2015, p. 306 His only notable public office was that of Caretaker (''Epitrop'') of Moldavian schools. His wife Elena Greceanu sold the Beldiman house in Păcurari to boyar Lupu Balș. It was demolished to make way for the Jockey Club Palace, itself demolished in 1966. Vasile died in 1853, and was survived by a son, Alexandru Beldiman, who was the head of Romanian Police and close friend of the United Principalities' first '' Domnitor'', Alexandru Ioan Cuza. In this capacity, he failed to prevent Cuza's toppling by the " monstrous coalition" of February 1866, and came to oppose the regime of
Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...
, founding the left-wing newspaper ''
Adevărul ''Adevărul'' (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published dur ...
''. Cornești, still owned by this branch of the family, was passed to poet Dimitrie Anghel, and later to the Mavrocordatos. Iordachi Beldiman, sometimes described as Alecu's son, was in fact one of his nephews, born to Dumitrache Beldiman. Iordachi married Catinca Dimachi, daughter of the writer. She was made famous by her affair with poet Alexandru Hrisoverghi; according to one account, Hrisoverghi died after jumping out a window in Iordachi's townhouse. Also a ''Vornic'', Iordachi was noted for commissioning a gallery of portraits of Moldavian Princes. During the United Principalities era, he became a leading figure in Iași's conservative circles, helping Iacob Negruzzi establish the political review ''Constituțiunea''. Alecu's niece, Maria or Marghioala, was a locally famous philanthropist, married to politician Scarlat Miclescu. Their son, Dimitrie S. Miclescu (1820–1896), participated in the 1848 revolutionary movement, as well as being a published poet. He became a noted agitator on the far-left of Romanian liberalism and renounced all claim to boyar privilege, including his family name. Beldiman's translations continued to be read by young intellectuals in all Romanian-speaking areas:
Constantin N. Brăiloiu Constantin N. Brăiloiu (October 3, 1809 or 1810–June 19, 1889) was a Wallachian and Romanian politician. Born in Craiova, he was the oldest child of Nicolae Brăiloiu and his wife, Zoe or Zinca (''née'' Vlădăianu or Vlădoianu). He had tw ...
, who went abroad to study in 1828, ordered copies of ''Oreste'' and ''Istoria lui Numa Pompilie'', "so as not to forget his language". Ioniță Sion's manuscripts were preserved by his son, the poet-memoirist
Gheorghe Sion Gheorghe Sion (May 22, 1822 – October 1, 1892) was a Moldavian, later Romanian poet, playwright, translator and memoirist. He was born in Mamornița to '' paharnic'' (royal cup-bearer) Ioniță Sion and his wife Eufrosina (''née'' Schina), ...
. For decades, ''Tragodiea'' circulated in 23 handwritten copies, two of which were respectively owned by Nicolae Bălcescu and Alexandru Odobescu. In the 1840s, Mihail Kogălniceanu set himself the task of printing Beldiman's writings and documents as part of an anthology. As ''Eterie sau jalnicele scene'', ''Tragodiea'' was eventually printed in 1861, at the expense of an Alecu Balica; it was reissued in 1875 as ''Tragedia Moldovei''. By then, poet Vasile Alecsandri was actively campaigning for Beldiman to be included into the Romanian literary canon, while historian Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was drawing attention to him as the founder of Romania's epic literature. In 1862, Beldiman's style was copied by
Alexandru Pelimon Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu. Origin Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men" ...
, with his own versified account of the Vladimirescu revolt, published by
C. A. Rosetti Constantin Alexandru Rosetti (; 2 June 1816 – 8 April 1885) was a Romanian literary and political leader, born in Bucharest into the princely Rosetti family. Biography Before 1848 Constantin Alexandru Rosetti was born in Bucharest, the son ...
. In that context, philologist Alexandru Lambrior unsuccessfully proposed to set the Romanian literary standard exclusively on words used by Beldiman and Conachi. Beldiman's work was finally rediscovered in the 1890s. One of its promoters was the antiquarian George Ionescu-Gion, who insisted that Beldiman was without philosophical merit, but a genuine patriot. The same belief was expressed in 1910 by Xenopol, according to whom Beldiman was not significant as a poet, but voiced the "national sentiment in all its freedom". An unpublished set of Beldiman's poems, alongside similar samples by other Moldavians of his era, were collected for print by
Paul Cornea Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
and other literary scholars, and issued at Editura Minerva in 1982. Other texts included a Beldiman
acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...
, kept in the original manuscript by poet Emil Gârleanu, and then by the Romanian Academy Library, but still not published in 1987. Șerban Cioculescu, "Breviar. Literatura noastră modernă în ''Catalogul manuscriselor românești''", in '' România Literară'', Issue 28/1987, p. 8


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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beldiman, Alecu 1760 births 1826 deaths 18th-century politicians 19th-century Romanian politicians Postelnici of Moldavia Serdari of Moldavia 19th-century Romanian historians Moldavian and Wallachian chroniclers 19th-century Romanian poets Romanian-language poets Neoclassical writers Romantic poets Romanian translators French–Romanian translators Greek–Romanian translators Romanian nationalists Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Romanian people of Hungarian descent Romanian people of Greek descent Moldavian people of the Greek War of Independence Romanian refugees Romanian prisoners and detainees Forgers Businesspeople in the hospitality industry Romanian businesspeople Moldavian slave owners