Union of the Romanian Principalities commemorates the 1859 unification of Wallachia and Moldavia under Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Known as the Little Union, it marked the birth of modern Romania and the beginning of national unity.

When is Union of the Romanian Principalities?

Union of the Romanian Principalities is celebrated on January 24 every year.

The following is the list of Union of the Romanian Principalities from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Union of the Romanian Principalities?

Before unification, present-day Romania consisted of two main regions, Wallachia and Moldavia, each governed separately under Ottoman suzerainty but sharing a common language, culture, and Orthodox faith. For centuries, these lands had aspirations of unity. The 18th and early 19th centuries saw growing nationalist movements across Europe, and among Romanians, the idea of forming a single nation-state began to gain strength.

During the 1848 European revolutions, intellectuals and reformers in Wallachia and Moldavia called for political modernization and national unity. Though the revolutions were suppressed by foreign powers, they ignited a powerful sense of Romanian identity and laid the ideological foundation for unification.

The Crimean War (1853–1856) reshaped power dynamics in Eastern Europe. Following the war, the Treaty of Paris (1856) placed the Principalities under the collective guarantee of European powers giving them limited autonomy. The Paris Convention of 1858 allowed each principality to have its own assembly and prince , but many Romanians saw this as an opportunity to unite under a single ruler.

The turning point came in January 1859. On January 5, the Moldavian assembly elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza, a respected colonel and reformer, as Prince of Moldavia. Just 19 days later, on January 24, the Wallachian assembly also elected the same man, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, as their prince, a brilliant political move that achieved de facto unification despite European resistance. This act became known as "The Little Union", marking the first step toward the modern Romanian state.

As ruler of both principalities, Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859–1866) initiated sweeping reforms that modernized and unified the country. Cuza's leadership transformed the dual principalities into a cohesive entity officially known as the United Principalities of Romania.

Cuza was eventually forced to abdicate in 1866, but his reforms laid the groundwork for the next phase of unification. In 1866, Prince Carol I of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty was elected as ruler, further strengthening Romania's statehood. The Little Union of 1859 later paved the way for the Great Union of 1918, when Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina joined the Kingdom of Romania, forming the modern nation.

The Union of 1859 symbolizes the rebirth of a natio. It stands as a reminder of Romania's journey toward self-determination, modernization and European identity.