He was also interested in philosophy — studying, among others, Socrates, Vasile Conta, and the Stoics Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, and read works of history — the two Romanian historians who influenced him from early on were Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu and Nicolae Iorga.

Nicolae Iorga was a native of Botoşani, and is generally believed to have been born on January 17, 1871 ( although his birth certificate has June 6 ).

Details on the family's more distant origins remain uncertain: Iorga was widely reputed to be of partial Greek-Romanian descent ; the rumor, still credited by some commentators, was rejected by the historian.

Iorga also credited this earliest formative period with having shaped his lifelong views on Romanian language and local culture: " I learned Romanian [...] as it was spoken back in the day: plainly, beautifully and above all resolutely and colorfully, without the intrusions of newspapers and best-selling books ".

Its panelists, Ilarie Chendi and young Eugen Lovinescu, ridiculed Iorga's claim of superiority ; Chendi in particular criticized the rejection of writers based on their ethnic origin and not their ultimate merit ( while alleging, to Iorga's annoyance, that Iorga himself was a Greek ).

Iorga eventually parted with Sămănătorul in late 1906, moving on to set up his own tribune, Neamul Românesc.

In 1913, Iorga was in London for an International Congress of History, presenting a proposal for a new approach to medievalism and a paper discussing the sociocultural effects of the fall of Constantinople on Moldavia and Wallachia.

Iorga managed to publish roughly as many new titles in 1914, the year when he received a Romanian Bene Merenti distinction, and inaugurated the international Institute of South-East European Studies or ISSEE ( founded through his efforts ), with a lecture on Albanian history.

His attention was focused on the Albanians and Arbëreshë — Iorga soon discovered the oldest record of written Albanian, the 1462 Formula e pagëzimit.

Also in 1915, Iorga completed his economic history treatise, Istoria comerţului la români (" The History of Commerce among the Romanians "), as well as a volume on literary history and Romanian philosophy, Faze sufleteşti şi cărţi reprezentative la români (" Spiritual Phases and Relevant Books of the Romanians ").

Iorga, who reissued Neamul Românesc in Iaşi, resumed his activity at Iaşi University and began working on the war propaganda daily România, while contributing to R. W.

On December 1, later celebrated as Great Union Day, Iorga was participant in a seminal event of the union with Transylvania, as one of several thousand Romanians who gathered in Alba Iulia to demand union on the basis of self-determination.

Despite these successes, Iorga was reportedly snubbed by King Ferdinand, and only left to rely on Brătianu for support.

Shortly after the creation of Greater Romania, Iorga was focusing his public activity on exposing collaborators of the wartime occupiers.

Although very much opposed to the imprisoned Germanophile poet Tudor Arghezi, Iorga intervened on his behalf with Ferdinand.

Also in 1919, Iorga was elected chairman of the Cultural League, where he gave a speech on " the Romanians ' rights to their national territory ", was appointed head of the Historical Monuments ' Commission, and met the French academic mission to Romania ( Henri Mathias Berthelot, Charles Diehl, Emmanuel de Martonne and Raymond Poincaré, whom he greeted with a speech about the Romanians and the Romance peoples ).

Iorga was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa by the University of Strasbourg, while his lectures on Albania, collected by poet Lasgush Poradeci, became Brève histoire de l ' Albanie (" Concise History of Albania ").

In Bucharest, Iorga received as a gift from his admirers a new Bucharest home on Bonaparte Highway ( Iancu de Hunedoara Boulevard ).

In March 1921, Iorga again turned on Stere.

Iorga also resumed his writing for the stage, with two new drama plays: one centered on the Moldavian ruler Constantin Cantemir ( Cantemir bătrânul, " Cantemir the Elder "), the other dedicated to, and named after, Brâncoveanu.

In 1921, when his 50th birthday was celebrated at a national level, Iorga published a large number of volumes, including a bibliographic study on the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and its leader Tudor Vladimirescu, an essay on political history ( Dezvoltarea aşezămintelor politice, " The Development of Political Institutions "), Secretul culturii franceze (" The Secret of French Culture "), Războiul nostru în note zilnice (" Our War as Depicted in Daily Records ") and the French-language Les Latins de l ' Orient (" The Oriental Latins ").

In politics, Iorga began objecting to the National Liberals ' hold on power, denouncing the 1922 election as a fraud.

The two worked together on Cuget Românesc newspaper, but were again at odds when Iorga began criticizing modernist literature and " the world's spiritual crisis ".

In 1925, when he was elected a member of the Kraków Academy of Learning in Poland, Iorga gave conferences in various European countries, including Switzerland ( where he spoke at a League of Nations assembly on the state of Romania's minorities ).

The period was dominated by the overwhelming personality of the historian and politician Nicolae Iorga who, during his lifetime published over 1, 250 books and wrote more than 25, 000 articles.

Iorga was even called under arms in the Second Balkan War, during which Romania fought alongside Serbia and against the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

However, during the subsequent police round-ups of Guardist activists, Iorga intervened for the release of fascist philosopher Nae Ionescu, and still invited Guardist poet Radu Gyr to lecture at Vălenii.

Shortly after the beginning of World War I, during the Battle of the Frontiers, Iorga publicized his renewed love for France, claiming that she was the only belligerent engaged in a purely defensive war ; in the name of Pan-Latinism, he later chided Spain for keeping neutral.

Iorga also supposed that, during the 12th century, there was an additional symbiosis between settled Vlachs and their conquerors, the nomadic Cumans.

However, the Bonaparte Highway villa, bequeathed by Iorga to the state, was demolished during the Ceauşima campaign of 1986.

He was again in charge of Internal Affairs and Finance from 1931 to 1932, during the Iorga government, when he took a harsh stance against the fascist Iron Guard, outlawing it and arresting some of its members ( which led to a string of violent confrontations ).

The text, together with his program of agrarian conferences and his subscription lists for the benefit of victims ' relatives again made him an adversary of the National Liberals, who referred to Iorga as an instigator.

In 1910, the year when he toured the Old Kingdom's conference circuit, Nicolae Iorga again rallied with Cuza to establish the explicitly antisemitic Democratic Nationalist Party.

Iorga was again abroad in 1926 and 1927, lecturing on various subjects at reunions in France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Sweden and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, many of his works being by then translated into French, English, German and Italian.

Iorga again toured Europe in 1935, and, upon his return to Romania, gave a new set of conferences under the auspices of the Cultural League, inviting scholar Franz Babinger to lecture at the ISSEE.

Early in 1936, Nicolae Iorga was again lecturing at the University of Paris, and gave an additional conference at the Société des études historiques, before hosting the Bucharest session of the International Committee of Historians.

Iorga was again Romanian Commissioner of the Venice Biennale in 1940.

Also then, Iorga was appointed Aggregate Professor by the University of Paris, received the honor of having foreign scholars lecturing at the Vălenii de Munte school, and published a number of scientific works and essays, such as: Brève histoire des croissades (" A Short History of the Crusades "), Cărţi reprezentative din viaţa omenirii (" Books Significant for Mankind's Existence "), România pitorească (" Picturesque Romania ") and a volume of addresses to the Romanian American community.

Holding teaching positions at the University of Bucharest, the University of Paris and several other academic institutions, Iorga was founder of the International Congress of Byzantine Studies and the Institute of South-East European Studies ( ISSEE ).

Iorga at the University of Paris, receiving his Honoris Causa Doctorate

Nicolae Iorga (; sometimes Neculai Iorga, Nicolas Jorga, Nicolai Jorga or Nicola Jorga, born Nicu N. Iorga ; January 17, 1871 – November 27, 1940 ) was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright.

He soon became involved in a virulent dispute with historian Nicolae Iorga, when the latter issued harsh criticism regarding Carol's January 1939 initiative to dress large sections of the society, including Romanian Academy members, in various uniforms ( a measure backed by Călinescu ); Iorga remarked with irony: " I'm prepared to wear the FRN uniform, but allow me to wear a speared helmet on my head, on which to place is, to Impalement | impale the Minister of the Interior ".