TheGreat National Assembly of Alba Iulia (Romanian:Marea Adunare Națională de la Alba Iulia) was an assembly held on 1 December 1918 in the city ofAlba Iulia in which a total of 1,228 delegates from several areas inhabited by ethnicRomanians declared theunion of Transylvania with Romania. It was summoned by theRomanian National Council. Regular ethnic Romanian civilians were also called to participate, and these came from all regions inhabited by Romanians; in total, the assembly was attended by some 100,000 people. The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared with the adoption of theDeclaration of Alba Iulia [ro] during the assembly.[1]
Although the assembly was announced for 1 December, debates on Transylvania's accession into Romania between prominent representatives of the Romanian National Central Council started already on 30 November. At the debate, chaired byȘtefan Cicio Pop, the presentsocial democrats, includingIoan Flueraș, argued in favour of autonomy for Transylvania within Greater Romania, while the majority ofnationalists and representatives of expatriates argued against autonomy and in favour of unconditional annexation.[2]
Even thoughBlaj andSibiu were considered as places where the assembly could take place, the city ofAlba Iulia ended up being chosen for this. This was because itsRomanian militia was the strongest ofTransylvania at the time and also because of the symbolic value of the city for having been a capital of the formerPrincipality of Transylvania and because of the actions in the city ofMichael the Brave, who united the principalities ofMoldavia, Transylvania andWallachia in 1600.[1]
The day after the Great National Assembly and the Declaration of Alba Iulia, theRuling Council of Transylvania, Banat and the Romanian Lands in Hungary [ro] was created for the administration of the lands that had been declared as having united withRomania.[3]
Today, the day of the Great National Assembly is commemorated as theGreat Union Day, the national day ofRomania.[3]
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