United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia

United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (1859–1862) Romanian United Principalities (1862–1866) Romania (1866–1881) Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești (Romanian)
1859–1881
Flag Top: 1862-1866 Bottom: After 1866 Coat of arms
Motto:  "Toți în unu" "All for One" (1862–1866) "Nihil Sine Deo" "Nothing without God" (1866–1881)
Anthem:  "Marș triumfal" "Triumphant March" (1862–1881) "Hora Unirii" "Hora of the Union" (popular, unofficial)
The United Principalities (Romania) 1862–1878, shown in light yellow
Status	Vassal state of the Ottoman Empire (1859–1877)[a]
Capital	Iași and Bucharest (1859–1862) Bucharest (1862–1881)
Official languages	Romanian
Common languages	Hungarian, Yiddish, Romani, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Bulgarian
Religion	Eastern Orthodox, Catholicism, Judaism, Reformed Church
Demonym(s)	Romanian
Government	Constitutional monarchy[b]
Domnitor (Prince)
• 1859–1866	Alexandru Ioan Cuza
• 1866–1881	Carol I
Regency
• 1866	Lascăr Catargiu
• 1866	Nicolae Golescu
• 1866	Nicolae Haralambie
President of the Council of Ministers
• 1862	Barbu Catargiu (first)
• 1879–1881	Ion Brătianu (last)
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Assembly of Deputies
History
• Union between Moldavia and Wallachia	24 January 1859
• First common government	22 January 1862
• First Constitution	13 July 1866
• Independence from the Ottoman Empire[c]	9 May 1877
• Kingdom established	14 March 1881
Area
1860[1]	123,335 km2 (47,620 sq mi)
1881[1]	130,177 km2 (50,262 sq mi)
Population
• 1860[1]	3,917,541
• 1881[1]	4,545,821
Currency	florin kreutzer leu (from 1870)
Preceded by Succeeded by Moldavia Wallachia Northern Dobruja Kingdom of Romania Bessarabia Governorate
Today part of	Moldova Romania Ukraine
^ a. De facto independent state. ^ b. 1866 Constitution of Romania. ^ c. Independence internationally recognized in 1878.

The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (Romanian: Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești),^[2] commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed 5 February [O.S. 24 January] 1859 when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected as the Domnitor (Ruling Prince) of both principalities. Their separate autonomous vassalage in the Ottoman Empire continued with the unification of both principalities. On 3 February [O.S. 22 January] 1862, Moldavia and Wallachia formally united to create the Romanian United Principalities, the core of the Romanian nation state.^[3][4]

In February 1866, Prince Cuza was forced to abdicate and go into exile by a political coalition led by the Liberals; the German Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was offered the Throne and, on 22 May [O.S. 10 May] 1866 he entered Bucharest for the first time. In July the same year, a new constitution came into effect, giving the country the name of Romania; internationally, this name was used only after 1877, since at the time it shared a common foreign policy with the Ottoman Empire. Nominally, the new state remained a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. However, by this time the suzerainty of the Sublime Porte had become a legal fiction. Romania had its own flag and anthem; after 1867, it had its own currency as well.

On 21 May [O.S. 9 May] 1877, Romania proclaimed itself fully independent; the proclamation was sanctioned by the Domnitor the following day. Four years later, the 1866 constitution was modified and Romania became a kingdom, on 22 May [O.S. 10 May] 1881, Domnitor Carol I was crowned as the first King of Romania. After the First World War, Transylvania and other territories were also included.

For its triple symbolic meaning, the date of May 10 was celebrated as Romania's National Day until 1948, when the Communist regime installed the republic on 30 December 1947.