Andrei Mureșanu

Who was Andrei Mureșanu?

Andrei Mureșianu was a Romanian poet and revolutionary of Transylvania.

Born to a family of peasants, he studied philosophy and theology in Blaj. Starting in 1838, Mureșianu was a professor at Brașov. He published his first poetry in the magazine Foaia pentru Minte, Inimă și Literatură.

He was one of the figures of the 1848 revolution in Transylvania, taking part in the Brașov delegation to the Blaj Assembly in May 1848. His poem Deșteaptă-te, române!, sang to a popular tune chosen by him and Gheorghe Ucenescu, became the hymn of the revolutionaries. Nicolae Bălcescu named it "La Marseillaise of Romanians" for its ability to mobilize the people to fight. The poem became the national anthem of Romania in 1989.

After the revolution, Mureșianu worked as a translator in Sibiu, had some patriotical works published in the Telegraful Român magazine. In 1862 his poetry was gathered in a single volume.