Description

This book looks at how Ferdinand I helped unite Romania. It traces his 13-year reign and the choices he faced. The union brought 17 million Romanians into one state. It joined Transylvania, Muntenia and Moldova with three other lands. These were Banat, Crișana and Bucovina.

Historian Cristian Mosneanu puts the king’s own losses first. Ferdinand chose Romania over ties to his German birthplace. Yet some in his new country had seen him as an outsider. The book says he achieved more than past rulers. These include Carol I and Alexandru Ioan Cuza. They also include Mihai Viteazul.

The book links this union to breaks with faith and family. Ferdinand had his heirs baptised in the Byzantine rite. For this, he faced excommunication, or exclusion from his church. He went to war against the land of his birth. He lost his place in the Hohenzollern dynasty too. His elder brother called him a traitor. For Mosneanu, these losses were the king’s cost of serving Romania.

This work of history is for readers drawn to Romania’s kings and queens. It also suits those who want to learn about its union. The book is part of the Centenarul Marii Uniri collection.