Romania and the Franco-Prussian War
Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, better known as Napoleon III, who lived between 1808 and 1873, was one of Romania's greatest allies. His successful political career was mostly built on the fact that he was the nephew of emperor Napoleon the 1st and on France's need for political and economic reform at the time. In 1848 Charles Louis became President of the Second French Republic, only to become, four years later, Napoleon the 3rd, Emperor of France. During his reign, the economy of the Second French Empire developed significantly, with industry growing at a constant rate. France also regained its prestige at European level which it had lost in the first half of the century.
Napoleon III had a decisive role in the unification of the two Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia and the creation of the Romanian state. The French political system inspired Romanian lawmakers in their efforts to consolidate the newly formed state. In 1858, two years after the Crimean War, France hosted the peace conference which decided, among others, the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia. Napoleon the 3rd was also a supporter of Romanian prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. In the 1860s, however, France saw a slight decline. At European level, the country slowly began to give in to the pressure exerted by Germany. In Romania, prince Cuza was impeached on charges of corruption and abuse.
The effects of the crisis in France were felt in the young Romanian state as well. Political and economic instability threatened the future of the country, and Romanian politicians were desperately looking for solutions. The Romanian people were still fond of the French values and emperor Napoleon the 3rd. The accession of Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen to Romania's throne didn't make things better. On the contrary, tensions grew between the prince and the local political class.
This fracture between the two sides soon developed into political schizophrenia, so to speak. The Romanian society was forced to live under this divided leadership between 1866 and 1871. Members of the political class started several anti-dynastic actions which resulted in the Proclamation of the Republic on August 20th 1870 in Ploiesti. This showed that the Romanian people's hearts were with France and not with the Prussian prince. France itself was wondering if in the event of a conflict with Germany, the Prussian prince should not be removed from the throne in Bucharest. The Duke of Grammont, France's foreign minister, even encouraged from Paris Carol's hostile actions. He met the former ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza and told him that if France were to come out victorious from such as war, it would need a trustworthy ally in Eastern Europe, that is Cuza himself. Cuza replied, however, that whatever happened, he would never return to the throne through foreign intervention.
The prospect of France's collapse was not the only great threat facing Romania, but especially the separatist tendencies and intentions of Russia, Turkey and Austria-Hungary who wanted to undo the unification of the two Romanian principalities. Ever since Cuza's abdication, Russia wanted to annul the unification of January 24th 1859 and separate Moldavia and Wallachia. The Ottoman Empire saw this unification as a first step towards the independence of the country north of the Danube. Austria-Hungary also wished to divide Romania, fearing that it might encourage the Romanians living in its Empire to seek the independence of Transylvania.
"If France had won the war, the political crisis in Romania would have deepened. It was unlikely that prince Carol could remain king if France had defeated the Hohenzollern and the pro French trend in Romania would have triumphed. The defeat suffered by Napoleon the 3rd consolidated the throne of Carol the 1st. In 1859, the union of the Romanian principalities would not have been possible without France's support, while in 1871 the Romanian modern state would not have been consolidated without Napoleon's fall. In 1871 the Romanian modern state became an irreversible reality on Europe's map.
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