The Romanian Principalities saw a boost in trade in the first part of the 19th century.
The first half of the 19th century brought a strengthening of trade between the Romanian Principalities and their neighbours, as well as an increase in the number of merchants. In part, this was owing to a shift in the focus of trade in Moldavia and Wallachia from the Ottoman Empire to other countries. Obviously, an overwhelming majority of the merchants of that time were men, given that the role of women had long been confined to running the home and bringing up children. However, there have been women who, under certain circumstances, took over and successfully managed their husbands' businesses. Nicoleta Roman, a historian with the Nicolae Iorga History Institute, has researched the topic and has come to some conclusions:
"Women were not at the forefront of economic life, nor could they be in what was entirely 'a men's world'. However, we have examples of women purchasing, selling or entering trade partnerships on their own behalf or in their husbands' name. The husband would give her the authority to represent him in transactions with his partners. But in order to get to this position, the wife had to have been involved in the family business to such an extent that she would be familiar with the rhetoric of negotiations and would be able to keep the books. Coming from a merchant family was a strength, in that it would help her learn more quickly and put her experience to use."
There were three kinds of situations when, in the late 18th and early 19th Century, women would run trade businesses. They did that partly and temporarily, when their husbands were engaged in long-distance trade and were away from home. Secondly, they were fully in charge with a business during wartime, when their husbands were enrolled, and this was also a temporary position. And thirdly, women would completely and indefinitely take over a business when widowed. In all these situations, the respective women had long been familiar with the enterprise and, more importantly, they were already accepted by the other traders as business partners, which could only be based on extensive experience. And this proves that in many cases, traders' wives were significantly involved in the family business, even if not acknowledged as such.
Of the few women who paved their way into that world in the first half of the 19th Century, one of the best known was widow Safta Castrisiu. Nicoleta Roman told us her story:
"She was the wife of the Macedo-Romanian merchant Gheorghe Castrisiu, who came to Romania from Greece and opened a small shop in Bucharest. Soon, he proved his talent as a merchant and expanded his business to Sibiu and even Vienna. He imported from the West textiles, coffee, muslin, leather products and golden cigar cases encrusted with diamonds. There is no information about his family until 1810, and from that moment on correspondence with other merchants ceased. Nevertheless, information about his widow, Safta, started appearing, as she took over the family business and started focusing on Bucharest and the rest of Wallachia. In 1826 she bought small shops inside Zamfir's Inn. At the same time, she had her own inn in Bucharest, on Mogosoaia Bridge, which became known as the Castrisoaia's Inn. Also, she owned several small shops in the Izvor neighbourhood, on the bank of Dambovita River. One of them even had a terrace, which was apparently one of the meeting places of the 1848 revolutionaries. Along with taking over the family business, Safta became the head of the family. Just like many of the merchant families of that time, Safta and her husband had planned to establish a genuine commercial dynasty. Unfortunately, her son, Dimitrie, died young, at the age of only 31."
Her son's death may have triggered her wish to get involved in philanthropic and social activities. Thus, in 1833, she was among the donors of the first Romanian Theatre, and in 1846 she built a school and a church on one of her countryside properties. After her death, in 1862, her will revealed the influence that Safta, the woman merchant had in the Bucharest community of that time. A part of her fortune was donated to ensure the maintenance of some philanthropic institutions, such as the Philanthropy Hospital in Bucharest and the hospital in Pitesti. Also, some of the money went to the schools and churches that she had founded, helped a young student attend the university in Paris and covered the dowry of a young woman.
The destiny of Safta Castrisoaia and not only hers, is proof of the fact that starting the 19th century, an increasing number of women became active merchants, but only under certain circumstances. The main condition was for them to be widows and inherit the family fortune, so their role was that of a temporary substitute for their husbands.
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