Teodor Boldur-Lățescu
19th century Romanian politician, essayist and newspaper publisher / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teodor Boldur-Lățescu ([ˈteodor ˈboldur ləˈtsesku]; also written Teodor Boldour-Lățăscu, Boldour-Latzesko, Toderiță Lățescu, or T. B. Lățescu; 1837 – June 1891) was a Romanian politician, essayist and newspaper publisher, best known for his violent advocacy of Moldavian separatism. Born into an ancient clan of Moldavian boyars, and claiming Montenegrin Balšić descent on his maternal side, he was unable to maintain his economic status, and eventually had to work as a lawyer. In his late teens, he debuted in politics as an adherent of the National Party, which sought to establish political ties between the Romanian populations of Moldavia and Wallachia. Boldur-Lățescu was disenchanted with the single Romanian state formed in 1859, emerging as an outspoken adversary of its Domnitor, Alexandru Ioan Cuza. His embrace of political separatism took a radical and controversial form, which included stereotyping Wallachians as Gypsies and circulating a historical forgery, the Chronicle of Huru. During the interregnum which followed Cuza's toppling by the "monstrous coalition" in February 1866, he joined a separatist caucus in Iași, convincing Nicolae Rosetti-Rosnovanu to claim the Moldavian throne.
Teodor Boldur-Lățescu | |
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Prefect of Bolgrad County | |
In office 1872–1876 | |
In office 7 February – June 1877 | |
Prefect of Botoșani County | |
In office March 1887 – April 1888 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1837 |
Died | June 1891 (aged 53 or 54) Botoșani, Kingdom of Romania |
Nationality | Moldavian (to 1859) Romanian (1859–1891) |
Political party | National Party (1856) Free and Independent Faction (c. 1870) National Liberal Party (1881–1891) Conservative Party (1891) |
Spouse(s) | Olga Curt (div.?) Tereza Exarhu (div.) Ana Albu (div.) |
Children | Esmeralda Ceaur-Aslan Eugenia Brăilescu Olga Boldur-Lățescu |
Occupation | Lawyer, journalist, essayist, publisher, printer, satirist |
On 3 April 1866, Boldur-Lățescu helped instigate the Iași separatist revolt, personally commanding armed citizens in resisting the Princely Lieutenancy and a Romanian Army-led backlash. These events, which resulted in many casualties on both sides, were widely believed to have been stoked by the Russian Empire and the Lipovan colony, though Lățescu later stated his anti-Russian sentiment. Arrested, then released, he continued to advocate for separatism even as his co-conspirators decided to no longer support it. His anti-Wallachian propaganda and his unrestrained criticism of Domnitor Carol I were regular features of the gazettes Moldova and Boldul, which he published in the late 1860s. In September 1867, Lățescu was assaulted by two Wallachian officers. Earning much public sympathy for his status as a victim, he was able to preserve separatism as a political cause into the 1870s. He was assaulted again in 1870, by police, after allegedly engaging in cruelty to animals at the Iași menagerie.
Shortly before the Romanian War of Independence, Boldur-Lățescu relaunched his political career as an ally of the right-wing politico Lascăr Catargiu. This took him to southern Bessarabia, where he served as Prefect for Bolgrad County. While there, he became noted as an adversary of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, but also as a critic of administrative abuse against civilians. Boldur-Lățescu, who launched several other newspapers and printing offices, was rewarded by Catargiu with a directorial position at Monitorul Oficial, the Romanian government gazette. Distancing himself from the administration in late 1873, he became a local ally of the National Liberal Party, which he joined in the early 1880s. Reconfirmed as Bolgrad Prefect, he was depicted by his critics as a habitual embezzler and vote-rigger, losing both this position and his seat in the Deputies' Assembly. The Russian annexation of southern Bessarabia forced him out of Bolgrad and into Neamț County, which returned him as deputy and also awarded him a seat in the Senate.
Within the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Romania, Boldur-Lățescu was noted as a skeptic of Moldavian regionalism and expressed loyalty toward Carol and his court; he was also involved in debates of Jewish emancipation, supporting full naturalization for only economically useful Jews. He eventually moved to Botoșani County, becoming its Prefect in 1887–1888. Though he also served as the National Liberals' branch leader, his rejection of any alliances with his old adversaries at Junimea pushed him into a conflict with this party. By the time of his death at age 53 or 54, Lățescu had joined the Conservative Party. His daughter Olga was a courtesan, infamous for her participation in a blackmail affair, which ended with her imprisonment in 1896.