The hopes for a change in Wallachia found their expression in the revolution led by Tudor Vladimirescu (1821). Despite the fact that the Ottoman and Tsarist troops put down the movement, the revolution led, nevertheless, to the abolition of the Phanariote regime and the appointing of native princes to the thrones of Moldavia and Wallachia.
The Peace Treaty signed in Adrianople in 1829, putting an end to the Russian-Turkish conflict of 1828-1829, considerably diminished the Ottoman suzerainty in the Romanian principalities, enhancing, on the other hand, Russia’s “protectorate”. Freedom of trade regained impetus, the Romanian grains started to be bought on the European markets.
In 1848, the revolutionary movements extended to the Romanian principalities as well, bringing remarkable names to the forefront of the political scene: Ion Heliade-Radulescu, Nicolae Balcescu, Mihail Kogalniceanu, Simion Barnutiu, Avram Iancu a.o. In Moldavia the movements were soon stifled, but in Wallachia the revolutionaries actually stayed in power from June to September 1848. In Transylvania, the revolution lasted until 1849; the incapacity of the Magyar leaders to understand the justness of the Romanians’ demands, and the forementioned leaders’ decision to help Hungary annex Transylvania led to a split of the Romanian and Magyar revolutionary forces. The attempt of the Hungarian government to stop the Romanians’ struggle came up against the fierce armed resistance led by Avram Iancu in the Apuseni Mountains. Despite the brutal intervention by the Ottoman, Tsarist and Hapsburg armies, in 1848-1849, the renewing democratic ideas were assimilated all over the Romanian territories in the decade to follow.
After the War of Crimea (1853-1856), the status of the Romanian Principalities (Wallachia and Moldavia) acquired, at the Paris Peace Congress (February-March 1856), the dimensions of a European issue. Still under Ottoman suzeranity, Wallachia and Moldavia were placed under the guarantee of the seven powers signatories of the Paris Treaty. These decided to call a local meeting to pronounce on the future organization of the two principalities. The Paris Treaty also stipulated the retrocession, by Moldavia, of the southern part of Bassarabia. In 1857, the assemblies stipulated by the decisions of the 1856 Paris Peace Congress, were summoned in Bucharest and Iasi. They voted for the union of the two principalities. The seven protecting powers did, only to a small extent, endorse the Romanians claims. In Moldavia, on January 5-17, 1859, and in Wallachia, on January 24-February 5, 1859, the Romanians elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza as unique prince, achieving thus de facto, the union of the two principalities. On January 24-February 5, 1862, the Romanian nation state took the name of Romania, with Bucharest as the capital. Together with Mihail Kogalniceanu, his closest counsellor and co-worker, Alexandru Ioan Cuza initiated a programme of reforms to further update the structures of the Romanian society and state.
