Une “pomme de discorde” – le testament d’Evángelos Záppas
A Reason to Quarrel – the Will of Evangelos Zappas

Summary/Abstract: No matter if we appreciate Evangelos Zappas for his achievements or if we blame him for his decisions concerning the fortune, we cannot contest the contribution to the development of the agriculture in Bărăgan in the 19th century. Along his activity, he had beside him his cousin, Constantine, a trustful person, who continued their work after Evangelos’s death. Aware that “discords and judgments” could appear among the relatives after he passes away, Evangelos tries to establish what was to happen with his fortune, and he did this in his will elaborated in 1860. It seems it wasn’t enough because three trials appeared in seventy years meantime. The most important of them started in 1892, when Constantine died, and ended in 1898. It was also the reason of the diplomatic relations interruption between Greece and Romania. The basis of the conflict was represented not only by the testamentary stipulations, but also by the issue of Romanian jurisdiction. The dispute type – juridical or diplomatic – and the statute of the Olympia Commission in Athens – juridical person or part of the Greek administration – had an important place in the fight for Evangelos’s fortune.

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