Alexandru Ioan Cuza

Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected Prince of Moldavia on January 5, 1859, following the deposition of Grigore Alexandru Ghica. This election was part of the movement for Romanian unification, as he was also elected Prince of Wallachia later that month.

On January 24, 1859, Cuza was elected Prince of Wallachia, completing the personal union of the two Danubian Principalities. This dual election, achieved through coordinated political maneuvering, created the United Principalities of Romania.

Cuza enacted a major land reform that abolished serfdom and redistributed land to peasants. The reform expropriated church and monastery lands, creating a class of small landowners and modernizing Romania's agricultural economy.

Cuza introduced a modern Civil Code based on the Napoleonic Code, along with a law establishing compulsory primary education. These reforms aimed to secularize and modernize Romanian society, reducing the influence of the Orthodox Church.

A coalition of conservative and liberal politicians, known as the 'Monstrous Coalition,' forced Cuza to abdicate on February 22, 1866. He was arrested and exiled, ending his reformist rule and paving the way for the installation of a foreign prince, Carol of Hohenzollern.