Asachi, Gheorghe (1788-1869)

Romanian teacher and writer. He was a leading figure in the Romanian cultural renaissance of the early 19th century. In 1813 Asachi introduced Romanian as the language of instruction in schools, and in 1829 he founded one of the first Romanian newspapers, Albina româneascǎ. He also helped to institute the Drama Conservatory at Iaşi in 1836 and wrote two historical dramas, Petru Rareş (1837) and Elena Dragoş de Moldavia (1863).