In 2025, 128 years were marked since the passing of one of the most fascinating political and diplomatic figures in the history of modern Romania: Prince Ion Ghica. Statesman, revolutionary, writer, and career diplomat, Ghica was a multifaceted character, able to stand out both in difficult international contexts and on the domestic political scene, where he played a decisive role at key moments.

A complex personality of the nineteenth century

He served five times as prime minister of Romania and was a prominent member of the “monstrous coalition” that forced Alexandru Ioan Cuza to abdicate.

At the same time, he became famous for an unusual mission in European diplomacy: eliminating piracy from the island of Samos, where he was sent by the Western powers during the Crimean War. What would have seemed an impossible task for others, he managed to complete brilliantly.

Ion Ghica’s personality cannot be understood without looking at his noble origins. He came from an old boyar family related to no fewer than 11 rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia.

Emperor Leopold I had officially recognized the princely lineage of the Ghica family, which gave him a distinguished coat of arms. Yet Ion Ghica preferred to earn his reputation through intelligence, devotion, and practical spirit rather than through the accumulation of wealth.

Education and the beginnings of an exceptional career

Ion Ghica was born on August 12, 1816, in Bucharest, at a time when the old Phanariot model was beginning to be replaced by the new ideas of the Enlightenment.

A precocious child, he stood out for his passion for science and literature, always ranking first in his class at the “Saint Sava” College. Among his classmates were figures who would later mark Romania’s cultural and political life: C.A. Rosetti and Grigore Alecsandrescu.

Continuing his studies in Paris proved decisive. He obtained his baccalaureate in both literature and mathematics, then enrolled at the School of Mines—an unusual choice for a young Romanian nobleman.

This training gave him a particular rigor and organizational spirit that he would demonstrate later. It was also in Paris that he befriended Nicolae Bălcescu, who drew him into the circles of the 1848 revolutionaries and into the secret society “Frăția” (“The Brotherhood”).

His contact with national ideas and ideals of liberty was decisive for his political career. Soon, Ion Ghica became a respected voice of the 1848 generation, and his destiny became intertwined with the revolutionary movement.

Revolutionary and unofficial ambassador of the Romanian cause

During the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, Ghica was among the leaders who laid the foundation of the revolutionary committee, alongside Bălcescu and Alexandru G. Golescu. His role was not marginal: he received the crucial mission of traveling to Constantinople to plead the cause of the revolution before the Ottoman Porte.

In Istanbul, he drafted a detailed memorandum denouncing the corruption of Gheorghe Bibescu’s reign, the excessive taxation, the lack of reforms, and the administrative abuses. His document demanded a modern government that would meet the real needs of the Romanian people.

Although the revolution was brutally crushed by Ottoman and Russian troops, Ion Ghica did not resign himself. He remained in exile and used every diplomatic contact to keep the Romanian issue on Europe’s agenda.

Thanks to his relations with the French and the British, he became an unofficial ambassador of the Principalities. This ability to act internationally would bring him one of the most spectacular missions of his career.

Governor of Samos and the fight against pirates

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Ion Ghica was appointed, at the proposal of the ambassadors of Great Britain and France, governor of the island of Samos. The situation was extremely delicate: the island had become a base for pirates who attacked allied ships, endangering the army’s supply lines.

At first, Ghica hesitated. Accepting the mission seemed risky, but the British ambassador’s argument—that his success would contribute to the future liberation of the Principalities—convinced him. Although he had initially been asked to serve for three months, he remained in charge of the island for four and a half years.

The results were remarkable: he managed to eliminate piracy, reorganize the local administration, and earn the respect of the inhabitants. In 1856, the sultan officially named him Bey of Samos and granted him a personal audience of congratulations, a rare gesture toward a Christian.

This experience earned Ion Ghica an international reputation as a skilled diplomat and energetic administrator, being considered by contemporaries a “diplomatic treasure of Europe.”

A complicated relationship with Alexandru Ioan Cuza

After the Crimean War and the Congress of Paris in 1856, Ion Ghica returned to the country, summoned by Mihail Kogălniceanu and Ion Ionescu de la Brad. In 1859, Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza appointed him president of the Council of Ministers in Moldavia, but their collaboration was short and tense.

Cuza always regarded him with suspicion, seeing him as closer to Vasile Alecsandri, the one who had insisted on his appointment. Although both supported the idea of unification and reforms, differences in vision led to a conflicted relationship.

Disappointed by Cuza’s authoritarian way of governing, Ghica joined the “monstrous coalition,” the alliance of conservatives and radical liberals. In February 1866, this coalition managed to force the ruler to abdicate. In his place came Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, the future King Carol I.

Political and diplomatic activity

Ion Ghica served five times as prime minister, but his terms were not marked by spectacular achievements in domestic policy. Instead, he shone on the diplomatic stage.

In 1881 he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to London, where he represented Romania for nearly a decade. He maintained cordial relations with the British elite and constantly promoted a positive image of his country.

Through letters and published articles, he managed to arouse interest in Romanian culture and history at a time when Romania was consolidating its international status.

Among his cultural contributions is the famous correspondence with Vasile Alecsandri, later published as “Letters to Vasile Alecsandri.”

These provide an authentic fresco of the era, offering details about the personalities of the time and Romania’s political and social life. Their ironic, penetrating, and lively style makes them a landmark of Romanian literature.

The legacy of a man of great beginnings

Although today Ion Ghica’s name is less publicized than that of his contemporaries—such as Nicolae Bălcescu, Ion C. Brătianu, or Mihail Kogălniceanu—his contribution remains essential.

He was the first professor to teach political economy in Romanian, the first modern governor of an Ottoman island, and one of the pioneers of Romanian diplomacy.

His courage in eliminating piracy in the Aegean Sea, his involvement in Cuza’s removal, and his role as an ambassador of the Romanian cause in Europe are proof of a unique career.

Today, his example represents a lesson in patriotism, vision, and character. Ion Ghica proved that history can be written not only through force of arms but also through intelligence, diplomacy, and organizational spirit.

At a time when national ideals seemed utopian, he had the strength to believe in them and to pursue them with tenacity.

Ion Ghica remains, without a doubt, a man of great beginnings and a figure who deserves to be brought back to the forefront of collective memory.

We also recommend: The story of Sărindar Church, the chapel were Mihail Kogălniceanu, former Romanian prime-minister, got married