Memorie și politică la 1874: inaugurarea statuii lui Mihai Viteazul
Memory and politics in 1874: the inauguration of Michael the Brave’s statue

Summary/Abstract: The political regime established on February 11th, 1866, was under the necessity of facing several challenges in a short period of time. Beyond the need for blocking any plans settled within the European diplomacy and meant to loosen the Union of 1859, the new decision-making factors in Bucharest were equally interested in the drawing of a real dynastic sentiment. In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary to establish a direct channel of communication between the sovereign and the Romanians, to refer to classical themes of the Romanian political discourse and, not at least, to place Carol I in the descending line of the great rulers of the nation. During the nineteenth century the commemoration of a historical personality was a common practice with some strength resulting from the interaction of various social categories and which outlined the conduction of a real public spectacle. Despite the Conservative government of 1874’s effort to keep the events occasioned by the inauguration of Michael the Brave’s statue in peaceful surroundings, the political tension was to say its word finally. The inauguration of the statue of Michael the Brave had all the details required for a transmission from one generation to the next one of the memory of a historical figure whose evocation had a strong mobilizing valence. The unveiling of a monument gradually became also in the Romanian society an expression of artistic taste and of the desire to arrange a public space, as well as of the manifestation of a particular vision of how history can reach present times so as to achieve a greater political legitimization.

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