Gheorghe Chițu (first name also George or Giorgiu, last name also Chițiu, Chitzu, Kițu or Kitzu; Francized as Georges Kitzou"Roumanie", in La Justice, 7 July 1884, p. 2 or Quitzou;Pecican, p. 161 24 August 1828 – 27 October 1897) was a Wallachian, later Romanian lawyer, politician, and man of letters, whose activities were mostly centered on the region of Oltenia. The recipient of a classical education, which compensated for his middle-class background and allowed him to study at the University of Vienna, he was also deeply involved in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848 as an early adherent of "Red" liberalism. He became a propagandist and organizer for the National Party, founding Vocea Oltului gazette in 1857. Chițu was confirmed as the United Principalities' first-ever elected provincial mayor, at Craiova, where he also worked as a lawyer and prosecutor. His political radicalism and his participation in the Romanian Freemasonry were nuanced by his defense of the Romanian Orthodox Church against a reduction of its assets.
Serving for almost twenty years in the Assembly of Deputies and Senate, Chițu criticized Westernization and championed local political models, including Oltenia's Tudor Vladimirescu. His parallel work as a publicist and publisher resulted in noted collaborations with Constantin D. Aricescu, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, and Theodor Aman; it also contributed to his being inducted into the Romanian Academy in 1879. He is additionally remembered for his interest in the artistic reconstruction of two historical figures, Vladimirescu and Stephen the Great. Chițu fluctuated between the "Reds" and the Free and Independent Faction, being drawn into conspiratorial politics against Carol of Hohenzollern. With Alexandru Candiano-Popescu and Eugeniu Carada, he had a visible contribution to a failed insurrection in 1870. Some five years later, he joined Ion C. Brătianu in setting up the National Liberal Party, which seized power by peaceful means. He served Brătianu as an Education Minister, playing a part in the modernization and standardization of teaching, but also embracing controversy with his political favoritism.
Successively in the 1880s, in the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Romania, Chițu handled Finance, Justice, Internal Affairs, and again Education, earning respect for his indifference to graft and his hard stance on administrative incompetence. He also personally handled the repression of anti-Carol riots in 1884, after which, like Brătianu, he established a steady cooperation with conservatives grouped as the Junimea society. A lifelong alcoholic, Chițu reportedly had all his teeth extracted while inebriated, and was consequently struck by paralysis. He was left incapacitated and impoverished during the final decade of his life, which he spent on his only remaining estate, at Mirila. He had by then been shunned by the Craiova voters, as well as by his former friend Hasdeu, and had lost prospects of returning to the legal profession, ending his career as a representative of rural constituencies in Olt County. Oltenians honored his memory by assigning his name to Craiova's Commercial School. Several works of public arts were commissioned, including a since-lost bust by a young Constantin Brâncuși.
Biography Youth Chițu was a native of Oltenia region, in what was then western Wallachia. Sources diverge as to the exact location of his birth: while official biographies have Oboga, in Romanați County (presently Olt County),George Potra, "Curentul zilei. Evocări și comemorări. Gheorghe Chițu (1828–1897)", in Curentul, 2 November 1942, p. 2O. Gherghe, p. 69; Grigore & Șerbu, p. 99; Nichifor & Nichifor, p. 183; Petrescu, p. 72; Vintilă, p. 431 his friend and son-in-law Constantin M. Ciocazan reported Craiova, the capital of Dolj County and of Oltenia itself.Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 43. See also Demetrescu, pp. 405, 422 According to one detailed account, the family was in Oboga to escape from the ravages of a Russo-Turkish War.Nichifor & Nichifor, p. 183; Vintilă, p. 431 Craiova historian D. E. Petrescu, who relays a story ultimately originating with Grigore Tocilescu,Vintilă, p. 431 provides more context: One can find no better proof that men may rise from the lowest to the highest station in life, provided they display intelligence, willpower, and capacity for work. [...] He was born in 1828, in a bullock cart on the outskirts of Oboga village (just north of Balș), and was baptized by his father, for lack of a priest.Petrescu, p. 72
Throughout the 19th century, Craiova's burgeoning commercial and civic elite was largely of South Slavic, Greek, or Aromanian background.C. L. Gherghe, p. 89. See also Hâciu, pp. 175, 230, 473, 475, 478–483, 565 The Chițus were immigrants from Macedonia; records suggest that they came to Oltenia after a stay in Transylvania, moving to Teslui and finally Craiova before Gheorghe's birth. Researcher Anastase Hâciu traces them to the Aromanian clans of Neveska,Hâciu, pp. 442, 475, 595 even though Chițu's political adversaries claimed that the family was Bulgarian in origin.Pipĕrușŭ, "D'ale d̦ilei", in Ghimpele, Issue 21/1878, p. 2Candiano-Popescu, p. 164 The family surname is probably derived from the female name Paraschița, reflecting an onomastic tradition shared between Romanians and Bulgarians (see Paraskeva of the Balkans).Ilie Dumitru, "Oiconime din Olt și Romanați (II)", in Memoria Oltului și Romanaților, Vol. IX, Issue 6, June 2020, p. 7 Chițu's father, known as Theodor or Todoru (1786–1866),Vintilă, p. 432 was a waistcoat merchant with some knowledge of Greek literature.Grigore & Șerbu, p. 99 His shop was located on Copertarilor Street in Craiova, where Gheorghe would also own a townhouse in Podișor area.Theodorian-Carada, pp. 387–389 He was possibly the eldest of three sons born to Theodor and Florica (Floarea), who also had two daughters; Marin Chițu, credited by various biographers as Gheorghe's elder, was more likely born in 1830.Vintilă, pp. 431–432, 433–435 He was known locally as a dealer of art and bric-à-brac.C. D. Fortunescu, "Craiova — tablou de epocă (IV). File dintr-un jurnal manuscris", in Ramuri, Issue 9/1968, p. 18 Another one of Theodor's sons, Petre, had a controversial career as a lawyer in Oltenia,Candiano-Popescu, pp. 168–170; Demetrescu, pp. 49–50 and was additionally noted for his cultural Italophilia, including his friendship with sculptor Ettore Ferrari.Tomi, p. 79 Petre is thus recognized for his translation of Alessandro Manzoni's historical novel, The Betrothed.Ion Pătrașcu, "Confluențe. D. Tomescu și literatura italiană", in Ramuri, Issue 5/1982, p. 11
Young Gheorghe attended primary school in Craiova, after which he began his studies at Ioan Maiorescu's lyceum (the ancestor of Carol I National College) in that same city. It was at this stage that he debuted as a poet, with a French-language ode to the reigning Wallachian Prince, Alexandru II Ghica.Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 47; Vasculescu, p. 9 He had a hard time making ends meet, and had to support himself by tutoring less competent students, including a young Carada.Vasculescu, p. 7. See also Mirea, p. 89 As a protégé of Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, Chițu was finally sent to continue his studies at Saint Sava College in Bucharest.Demetrescu, pp. 405, 422; Grigore & Șerbu, p. 99; Vasculescu, p. 7. See also Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 43; Nichifor & Nichifor, p. 183; Teodorescu, p. 232 Upon graduation, between 1847 and 1848, Saint Sava employed him as part of its staff; he taught classical languages.Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 43; Nichifor & Nichifor, p. 183; Teodorescu, p. 232Dimitrie Rosetti, Dicționarul Contimporanilor, p. 53. Bucharest: Editura Lito-Tipografiei "Populara", 1897 Granted a "modest scholarship" to study abroad,Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 43 Chițu subsequently entered the University of Vienna law school. As noted by researcher George Mil. Demetrescu, he attended the classes and had a qualification certificate, but never took an actual graduation diploma.Demetrescu, pp. 24–25, 405–406 An active supporter of the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, Chițu joined a Revolutionaries' Club, formed around his former teacher Maiorescu.Popescu, pp. 22–23, 25. See also O. Gherghe, pp. 69–70 He was named Revolutionary Commissioner and director of propaganda for Oltenia, helping to raise soldiers for Gheorghe Magheru's National Guard.Nichifor & Nichifor, pp. 184–185. See also Demetrescu, pp. 405, 411; O. Gherghe, pp. 69–70; Hâciu, p. 595; Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 43; Popescu, p. 25; Preoteasa, p. 73; Teodorescu, p. 232; Vasculescu, p. 7 He wrote articles for Naționalul newspaper and may also be the author of two revolutionary manifestos that are also attributed to Maiorescu and Emanoil Quinezu.Nichifor & Nichifor, p. 184
On 18 July 1850, Chițu published in Vestitorul Românesc newspaper a piece announcing the creation of a National Theater Craiova, in its first incarnation.George Franga, "Cu privire la... Începuturile Teatrului Național craiovean", in Ramuri, Issue 11/1972, p. 18; Ilie Purcaru, "O sărbătoare a scenei românești. Teatrul Național din Craiova a împlinit 125 de ani", in Flacăra, Vol. XXIV, Issues 51–52, December 1975, p. 26 While still residing in the Austrian Empire, he took courses in Slavistics under Franz MiklosichNichifor & Nichifor, pp. 183–184 and printed his own "distinctly religious and patriotic" book, Oracolul anului 1851 ("An Oracle for the Year 1851").Vasculescu, p. 7 He greatly enjoyed his studies, and was congratulated by his professors; he also kept contact with Craiova's schoolteachers, offering to send them scientific literature.O. Gherghe, pp. 70, 74–76 Though he preferred Vienna after hearing of the anti-revolutionary repression in his native country, he was still persecuted in exile by Prince Schwarzenberg's government; Oracolul was read as urging for the liberation of all Romanians, including those in lands governed by Austria, resulting in Chițu being briefly detained as a political suspect during August 1851.O. Gherghe, pp. 70, 76 In one of his letters from the period, he recorded rumors that Wallachia and Moldavia were destined to be fused into a single Romanian state, as a project of the great powers, though he feared that the end result would be full-on exploitation by foreign capitalists.O. Gherghe, p. 74
By May 1851, Chițu had completed a play, which he hoped to see staged by the Craiova theater, and which he also presented for review to his Moldavian peer, Vasile Alecsandri.O. Gherghe, p. 75 After attending a Vienna concert by Ludwig Wiest, which included renditions of Romanian folklore, he was inspired to write a sonnet, published in 1853.Iorga, p. 14 According to bibliophile Avram Vasculescu, it is one of the finest by a Romanian,Vasculescu, pp. 9–10 while Ciocazan calls it "splendid";Laugier & Ciocazan, p. 47 it is in any case one of the first ever in the context of Romanian literature, alongside other samples by Radu Ionescu.Florea Ghiță, "Radu Ionescu — pionier al literaturii noastre moderne din epoca unirii", in Materiale de Istorie și Muzeografie, Vol. IV, 1966, p. 133 At home, the revolutionary cell had been inactive under the repressive regime of Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, but was revived by Chițu, Quinezu and Elefterie Cornetti in 1853, at the height of the Crimean War.C. L. Gherghe, pp. 88–89 In December of that year, he went public with his enduring admiration for Magheru (who had been banished from Wallachia following the 1848 events), writing the poem Essilatul ("The Exile"), written from Magheru's perspective; it concluded with the lines:
Nationalist campaigner and Craiova mayor