''Prince Domnitor'', in full ''Principe Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Principi Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of

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 ...

between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "

prince regnant A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

" in English and most other languages, and less often as "

grand duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

". "Domnitor" is an adjective derived from the Romanian word "''domn''" (''

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

'' or ''ruler'') and, in turn, from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

" Dominus". The title Domn had been in use since the Middle Ages and it is also the Romanian equivalent to the Slavic

Hospodar ''Gospodar'' or ''hospodar'', also ''gospodin'' as a diminutive, is a term of Slavic origin, meaning "lord" or " master". The compound (, , , sh-Latn-Cyrl, gospodar, господар, ) is a derivative of ''gospod'' / ''gospodin'', , or when spe ...

. Moldavian and Wallachian rulers had used this term for their title of authority as the head of state, while " voievod" represented the military rank as the head of the army. The title acquired an officially recognized meaning after

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

united to form the Romanian United Principalities under Alexander John I, who had become the ruler of both states since 1859. Alexander John abdicated in 1866 and was succeeded by

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...

, who promulgated the first constitution who officially used the name

for the country. He held the title until 1881. When Romania was proclaimed a kingdom in March 1881, Carol became its first king.

''Domnitori'' of the United Principalities (1862–1881)

Timeline of the lifespans of Domnitors

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of Domnitors of Romania. The domnitors are listed in order of office.

References

{{authority control Romanian monarchs Romanian words and phrases Titles of national or ethnic leadership 1862 establishments in Romania 1881 disestablishments in Romania

''Domnitori'' of the United Principalities (1862–1881)

Timeline of the lifespans of Domnitors

See also

References