 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Nicolae Golescu" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Nicolae Golescu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Romania | |
| In office 1 May 1868 – 15 November 1868 | |
| Monarch | Carol I |
| Preceded by | Ștefan Golescu |
| Succeeded by | Dimitrie Ghica |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1809-12-06)December 6, 1809 |
| Died | December 10, 1877(1877-12-10) (aged 67–68) Bucharest,Kingdom of Romania |
| Party | National Liberal Party |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Ștefan Golescu |
| Occupation | Politician |
Nicolae Golescu (Romanian pronunciation:[nikoˈla.eɡoˈlesku]; 1810–1877) was aWallachianRomanian politician who served as thePrime Minister of Romania in 1860 and May–November 1868.[1]
A member of the Golescu family ofboyars, Nicolae was born inCâmpulung as the son ofDinicu Golescu; he was educated together with his other three brothers inSwitzerland. Nicolae and his brotherȘtefan returned in 1830 to join theWallachian Army, where Nicolae became a major in 1834.
In the same year he joined thePhilharmonic Society, a group similar to theFreemasonry. In 1840 he was aprosecutor in the trial of the participants in theMitică Filipescu plot, and later on he was Wallachia's Minister of Internal Affairs.
In 1842, Wallachia was under the protectorate ofImperial Russia, and Nicolae Golescu tried to obtain the mandate ofPrince of Wallachia fromEmperor Nicholas, but was denied and remained a Minister of Internal Affairs until 1847. In the meantime, he began taking part in gatherings of various revolutionary societies.
He joined theradicalliberals, being part of the 1848 revolutionary committee, together withIon Ghica,Nicolae Bălcescu,Ion Heliade Rădulescu and others (including his brother Ștefan and his cousinAlexandru G. Golescu).
Afterwards, on 11 June 1848, when theWallachian revolution started inBucharest, Nicolae Golescu was a Minister of Internal Affairs for the Provisional Government. The following week, he andAna Ipătescu took initiative in rallying civilians in defense of the revolutionary power, as it was threatened byconservative plot (June 19).
However, on 25 July, the government resigned on pressure from theOttoman Empire, and after the Ottoman intervention of September, Nicolae Golescu went into exile, to return in the 1850s and supportAlexandru Ioan Cuza's bid for the throne of a unitedDanubian Principalities (Wallachia andMoldavia).
In 1866, after joining the alliance of Liberals and Conservatives against Cuza's unsanctioned personal regime, he was for a short time one of theregents. He was thenForeign Minister and a member ofIon C. Brătianu'sLiberal Party, formed during the rule ofCarol I.[1]
