Dimitrie Onciul (26 October / 7 November 1856 – 20 March 1923) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n historian. He was a member of the Romanian Academy and its president from 1920 until his death in 1923.

Biography

Onciul was born in Straja, at the time in the

Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918. Name The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, now in

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county (') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat and the ...

, Romania. He studied at the University of Czernowitz, where he was active in Arboroasa and then in Societatea Academică Junimea, and at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. In 1884, he received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Czernowitz. He became a professor at the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...

and director of the

National Archives of Romania The National Archives of Romania (), until 1996 the State Archives (''Arhivele Statului''), are the national archives of Romania, headquartered in Bucharest. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Romania), Ministry of Internal ...

. He was the first chairman of the Advisory Heraldic Commission. Together with Ioan Bogdan, Onciul founded a school-of-thought in Romanian historiography that approached history critically. He dealt with the issue of Romanian origin, demonstrating the formation of the Romanian people over a wide area on both sides of the Danube and rejected the theory of medieval migration of Romanians from the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

. Much of his work dealt with and documented the formation of the early Romanian feudal states. He sought to separate Medieval realities from 20th century politics.

Selected works

*''Teoria lui Roesler. Studii asupra stăruinții românilor în Dacia Traiană'' (''Roesler's theory: Studies on the Persistence of Romanians in Dacia Felix'') (1885) *''Radu Negru și originile Principatului Țării Românești'' (''

Radu Negru Negru Vodă (" heBlack Voivode" or " heBlack Prince"), also known as Radu Negru ("Radu heBlack"), was, according to the legend, the founder and the first Voievode of Wallachia. Traditions According to Romanian traditions, Negru Vodă wou ...

and Origins of the Principality of Wallachia'') (1890-1892) *''Originile Principatelor Române'' (''The Origins of the Romanian Principalities'') (1899) *''Ideea latinității și a unității naționale'' (''The Concept of Rome and National Unity'') (1919) *''Tradiția istorică în chestiunea originilor române'' (''Historical Tradition in the Issue of Romanian Origin'') (1906-1907)

Legacy

The Romanian Academy established an historiography prize in his name, known as the "Dimitrie Onciul Award". There are streets named after him in Sector 2 of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, and in the cities of

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...

, and

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

Notes

References

* Academia Republicii Popular Române - ''Dicționar Enciclopedic Român'' (''Romanian Encyclopedic Dictionary'') (ed. Bucharest, 1962-1964) {{DEFAULTSORT:Onciul, Dimitrie 19th-century Romanian historians 20th-century Romanian historians People from Suceava County 1856 births 1923 deaths Chernivtsi University alumni Academic staff of the University of Bucharest Presidents of the Romanian Academy Romanian medievalists Historians from Austria-Hungary