marți, 20 ianuarie 2009

Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol


Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol (March 23, 1847February 27, 1920) was a Romanian scholar, economist, philosopher, historian, professor, sociologist, and author. Among his many major accomplishments, he is credited with being the Romanian historian credited with authoring the first major synthesis of the history of the Romanian people.

Born in Iaşi, where he graduated from high school, he went on to Vienna in 1870 to study law and then to Berlin, where he studied philosophy. In 1868, he made his debut in Convorbiri Literare with a series of studies on Romanian traditions and on Romanian institutions.

At first, Xenopol served as a prosecutor in Iaşi, but he later decided to dedicate himself to the study of history. Starting in 1883, he was a professor of universal history at the University of Iaşi. He was named a member of the Romanian Academy in 1895.

In his 1899 French-languague "Les Principes fondamentaux de l'histoire" (The Fundamental Principles of History"), his work most well-known internationally, he argued for history being a true science which followes clearly defined laws and logic, through which the reasons for historical processes could be clearly defined.

His six-volume "Istoria românilor din Dacia-Traiană" ("The History of the Romanians in Trajan's Dacia"), completed between 1888 and 1893, strongly asserts that the Romanians are of predominantly Roman origin - a position further elaborated by the historian Nicolae Iorga, one of Xenopol's numerous pupils (see Origin of the Romanians).

Though concerning events nearly two millennia in the past, this was far from an abstract historical issue, having very concrete actual political implications - the Roman origin implying that Romanians are inherently different from - and in the minds of some Romanian Nationalists, superior to - their Slavic and Magyar neighors.

This, unfortunately, also translated to Xenopol being a noted anti-Semite and collaborator of A. C. Cuza. Though he died before the formation of the Iron Guard, Romania's notorious Fascist party, he is considered to be one of its sources of inspiration - according to the final report of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania.

Miron Costin

Miron Costin (March 30, 1633 - 1691, Roman) was a Moldavian political figure and chronicler. His main work, Letopiseţul Ţărâi Moldovei [de la Aron Vodă încoace] (The Chronicles of the land of Moldavia [from the rule of Aron Vodă]) was meant to extend Grigore Ureche's narrative, covering events from 1594 to 1660. The Chronicles were first published in 1675.
He also wrote Istoria în versuri polone despre Ţara Moldovei şi Munteniei (
Polish verse history of Moldavia and Wallachia), also known under the title Poema polonă (The Polish poem).
Life
Miron Costin was born as the son of a rich Moldavian boyar (Ion or Iancu). He spent his earliest years in Poland, where his family had taken refuge from Ottoman violence in Moldavia. His father had become a Polish magnate, which gave Miron the right to study at the Jesuit College in Bar, then at Chemnitz.
He returned to Moldavia in 1653, and became a trainee of the country's
treasury. Valued by the administration, he rose quickly, becoming Vornic in 1669 (i.e.: overseer of the Court, with several political responsibilities both inside the state and abroad).
In 1691 his relation with
Prince Constantin Cantemir deteriorated. He and his brother (Hatman Velicico) were believed to have tried to usurp the throne in Iaşi: both were executed.

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