Inocentiu Micu-Klein
Encyclopedia
Iaoan Inocenţiu Micu-Klein (1692–1768) was a Bishop of Făgăraş and Primate of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1730 to his resignation in 1751. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of national rights for Romanians
in Transylvania
(part of the Habsburg Monarchy
at the time of his life).
transcription as Clain) in Sadu
, nowadays in Sibiu County
, in 1692 from a lower-class family. He studied by the Jesuits in Cluj
and trained in theology
in Trnava
.
On 18 November 1728, following the death of previous bishop Ioan Giurgiu Patachi, the electoral synod convened and Micu resulted the more voted, even if he was young and he had not yet terminated his studies. Accordingly, on 12 July 1729 the Hasburg monarch
, Emperor Charles VI
, designated him as new bishop of Făgăraş.
On 5 September 1729 he was awarded the title of Baron
and on 23 September of that year, Micu became a priest
and immediately he joined the Basilian Order
. Pope Clement XII
confirmed him on 11 September 1730, and accordingly he was consecrated a bishop on 5 November 1730 by Gennadius Bizanczy
, the Eparch of Mukachevo
. From Mukachevo he moved to Vienna
where he pleaded the Emperor for the rights of Transylvanian people. He made is formal enthronement in Făgăraş
on 28 September 1732, and, following his insistence, on 11 December 1732 he was given a seat in the Transylvanian Diet.
Immediately after his enthronement, he summoned an ecclesiastic synod which issued 20 decrees on administrative, disciplinary, sacrament
ary issues. In 1737, he moved the bishopric seat from Făgăraş
to Blaj
, and laid the foundations to the local cathedral in 1741.
As a member of the Diet (Parliament) of Transylvania, Inocenţiu Micu began to press the Habsburg Monarchy
to fulfill the Agreement that conversion to Greek Catholicism would bring with it Roman Catholic
-like privileges
for Romanian inhabitants also, and an end to serfdom
.
First pressing for rights for clergy and converts, he soon began to petition for freedom for all Romanians. Micu petitioned the Habsburg court for over forty years to this end. His perseverance ultimately made both the Austrian Empress Maria Theresia and Transylvania's Diet declare themselves offended - the Hungarian majority in the Diet opposed the liberation of the work force or the awarding of political rights to Romanians (Vlachs
), considered by the Diet as "moth for the cloth".
Exiled in 1744, Micu moved to Rome
and he had to resign a few years later, on 7 May 1751. He died in Rome 17 years later, on 22 September 1768.
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
(part of the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
at the time of his life).
Life
He was born as Ioan Micu (Inocenţiu being his clergy name, and Klein the German translation of his surname, sometimes rendered back into RomanianRomanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
transcription as Clain) in Sadu
Sadu
Sadu is a commune in Sibiu County, Transylvania, Romania, at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains, 27 km south of the county capital Sibiu, in the Mărginimea Sibiului ethnographic area...
, nowadays in Sibiu County
Sibiu County
Sibiu is a county of Romania, in the historical region Transylvania, with the capital city Sibiu.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 421,724 and the population density was 78/km²....
, in 1692 from a lower-class family. He studied by the Jesuits in Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
and trained in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Trnava
Trnava
Trnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
.
On 18 November 1728, following the death of previous bishop Ioan Giurgiu Patachi, the electoral synod convened and Micu resulted the more voted, even if he was young and he had not yet terminated his studies. Accordingly, on 12 July 1729 the Hasburg monarch
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
, Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
, designated him as new bishop of Făgăraş.
On 5 September 1729 he was awarded the title of Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
and on 23 September of that year, Micu became a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and immediately he joined the Basilian Order
Order of Saint Basil the Great
The Order of St. Basil the Great also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat is an monastic religious order of the Greek Catholic Churches that is present in many countries and that has its Mother House in Rome. The order received approbation on August 20, 1631...
. Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
confirmed him on 11 September 1730, and accordingly he was consecrated a bishop on 5 November 1730 by Gennadius Bizanczy
Gennadius Bizanczy
George Gennadius Bizanczy was the bishop of the Eparchy of Mukacheve from 1716 to his death in 1733.- Life :George Bizanczy was born in 1657. He completed his studies in the Jesuit college of Trnava and ordained as a priest in 1701...
, the Eparch of Mukachevo
Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Mukacheve
The Eparchy of Mukacheve is an eparchy of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, with territory located in the west of Ukraine.The eparchy, like the entire Ruthenian Catholic Church, is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church...
. From Mukachevo he moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
where he pleaded the Emperor for the rights of Transylvanian people. He made is formal enthronement in Făgăraş
Fagaras
Făgăraș is a city in central Romania, located in Braşov County . Another source of the name is alleged to derive from the Hungarian language word for "partridge" . A more plausible explanation is that the name is given by Fogaras river coming from the Pecheneg "Fagar šu", which means ash water...
on 28 September 1732, and, following his insistence, on 11 December 1732 he was given a seat in the Transylvanian Diet.
Immediately after his enthronement, he summoned an ecclesiastic synod which issued 20 decrees on administrative, disciplinary, sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
ary issues. In 1737, he moved the bishopric seat from Făgăraş
Fagaras
Făgăraș is a city in central Romania, located in Braşov County . Another source of the name is alleged to derive from the Hungarian language word for "partridge" . A more plausible explanation is that the name is given by Fogaras river coming from the Pecheneg "Fagar šu", which means ash water...
to Blaj
Blaj
Blaj is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,758 inhabitants.The landmark of the city is the fact that it was the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in Transylvania....
, and laid the foundations to the local cathedral in 1741.
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
to fulfill the Agreement that conversion to Greek Catholicism would bring with it Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
-like privileges
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
for Romanian inhabitants also, and an end to serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
.
First pressing for rights for clergy and converts, he soon began to petition for freedom for all Romanians. Micu petitioned the Habsburg court for over forty years to this end. His perseverance ultimately made both the Austrian Empress Maria Theresia and Transylvania's Diet declare themselves offended - the Hungarian majority in the Diet opposed the liberation of the work force or the awarding of political rights to Romanians (Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
), considered by the Diet as "moth for the cloth".
Exiled in 1744, Micu moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and he had to resign a few years later, on 7 May 1751. He died in Rome 17 years later, on 22 September 1768.