1878: How a Hungarian count tried to keep Southern Bessarabia within Romania

Gyula Andrassy was the first Hungarian Prime Minister after the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867. He was the one under whom the autonomy of Transylvania was liquidated, being officially annexed to Hungary. Despite this fact, the Andrassy government promoted the Law of Nationalities in 1868, which allowed education and courts in the mother tongue for minorities, the existence of confessional schools and cultural associations (such as ASTRA). It was the concession he granted to the minorities, including the Romanians.

The aggressive Hungarianization of the Romanians in Transylvania began after Andrassy was no longer prime minister, and intensified during his Kalman Tisza, who was born in Oradea, btw.

From 1871, Andrassy gave up the seat of prime minister in favor of that of foreign minister of Austria-Hungary. Andrassy was a firm opponent of pan-Slavism, so he considered that an independent Romanian state between Austria-Hungary and Russia would be beneficial. In 1875, Andrassy and the Romanian government (which was still a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire) signed a commercial agreement, which brought the two countries closer, to the anger of Russia, Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire.

But the most important moment in the Andrassy-Romania relationship was at the Berlin Conference of 1878, after the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, in which Romania won its independence. At that congress, Russia annexed Southern Bessarabia from Romania, which received Dobrogea in return. Andrassy was the main opponent of the annexation of Southern Bessarabia by Russia. Not necessarily out of love for Romania, but because he did not want Russia to have access to the mouths of the Danube. But, even so, his positions were beneficial for Romania. He was, arguably, Romania’s most important conjuncture ally since that conference.

Romania, feeling totally betrayed by Russia, looked for new allies – and Andrassy intervened here, orienting the foreign policy of the regime of Charles I firmly towards Austria-Hungary and Germany. Even though Andrassy ended his mandate as foreign minister in 1879, and the secret Romania-Austria-Hungary-Germany alliance treaty was signed in 1883, Andrassy had an important role in the emergence of this treaty.

Bonus: Andrassy didn’t have estates in Transylvania, but in Slovakia, so he didn’t flog Romanian serfs.