Authors

Discussion

Part of the Principality of Moldavia, namely Bessarabia, the province between the Prut and the Dniester, was annexed by the Russian Empire in May 1812 following a treaty concluded in Bucharest with the Ottoman Empire, and it remained a part of this empire until 1918. Four decades later, following the Paris Peace Congress of March 1856, three counties of Southern Bessarabia—Cahul, Ismail, and Bolgrad — had returned to Moldavia. From 1857, they were part of Moldavia, then of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, and then of Romania until 1878. A Romanian administration and a Romanian administrative model were imposed. The Berlin Treaty, signed on July 13, recognized the independence of Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania. Article 45 provided for the retrocession of the counties of Southern Bessarabia to Russia. Thus, since 1878, they have been under Russian administration, but their administrative organization has been based on the Romanian model. Located on the periphery of the Russian Empire, the three counties in southern Bessarabia represent a special case. In this text, using documents from both Russian and Romanian archives, we will try to answer several questions: what was the reaction of the Russian central authorities regarding this situation? How did the provincial governors position themselves? When and in what context was the Romanian model of administration abandoned?