Alexandru Ioan Cuza

Alexandru Ioan Cuza, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 - 15 May 1873) was the first domnitor (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities after being elected prince of Moldavia on 5 January 1859 and prince of Wallachia on 24 January 1859, resulting in the unification of both states. He was a prominent figure in Moldavia's 1848 Revolution. Following his double election, he launched a series of reforms that helped to modernize Romanian society and state structures.

As ruler of the Romanian Principalities, Alexandru Ioan Cuza supported political and diplomatic efforts to have the suzerain Ottoman Empire recognize the union of Moldavia and Wallachia. He achieved constitutional and administrative unity between Moldavia and Wallachia in 1862, when the Romanian Principalities officially adopted the name Romanian United Principalities, with a single capital at Bucharest, a single national assembly, and a single government.

Alexandru's reform policies alienated a sizable coalition of conservatives and radical liberals, the majority of whom were landowners and business owners. He was forced to abdicate and leave the country on February 22, 1866. Today, he is widely regarded as a founding father of the modern Romanian state and a Romanian national hero.