Interese habsburgo-ţariste la graniţele Basarabiei şi Novorusiei la 1848. Cazul consulului general austriac de la Odesa, Ludwig von Gutmannsthal
Habsburg and Tzarist Interests at the Borders of Bessarabia and Novorussia in 1848. The Case of the Austrian Consul in Odesa, Ludwig von Gutmannsthal

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the Habsburg-Tzarist interests at the fronteers of Bessarabia and Novorussia in 1848-1849. It recalls the role played by Galaţi, the biggest Romanian harbor, and by Sulina, a harbor with increasing significance, in the mid 19th century Austro-Russian competition. The structure of the Austrian consular system in Russia, with a special view on Bessarabia and Novorussia, is shown for the first time. In comparison with the more privileged Habsburg consular agencies on Romanian soil, those in the Tzarist Empire were opened and functioned under harsh circumstances. The case study of the Austrian general consul in Odesa during the revolutionary years reveals a completely different and much worse situation in the Russian Empire, too. Ludwig von Gutmannsthal, who initially shared the same enthusiastic prorevolutionary opinions as his fellowmate from Galaţi, was for a whole year (1848-1849) continuously tracked and chased by the okhrana, until he finally left for ever his consular mission in Novorussia.

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