Domnitor (pl. domnitori) was the official title of the ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859 and 1866, and its successor state, the Kingdom of Romania, between 1866 and 1881.
It was used officially only after Wallachia and Moldavia chose the same ruler in 1859. Previously Wallachian and Moldavian rulers had sometimes been referred to by the term, though their official titles had been voivode and hospodar, especially after they began being officially nominated by the Ottoman Empire Sultans. The word itself is derived from the Romanian "domn" (lord), in turn originating in the Latin "''Dominus".
The only two domnitori of Romania were
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859–1866, deposed)
- Carol I of Romania (elected 1866–1881), of the new —and last— dynasty of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
In 1881, Carol was crowned as King of Romania, which had been recognized as an independent principality rather than an Ottoman vassal in 1877/78.
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Last updated on Thursday April 10, 2008 at 20:40:49 PDT (GMT -0700)
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