From Iaşi to Galaţi and from Galaţi to Iaşi. The activity of French consuls in Galaţi in the first half of the 19th century

From Iaşi to Galaţi and from Galaţi to Iaşi. The activity of French consuls in Galaţi in the first half of the 19th century

 

Author: Ana-Maria CHEŞCU
Keywords: commerce, navigation, consul, dragoman, representative office.

The purpose of this paper is to present a holistic view of consular activity in the Principality of Moldavia, with a particular focus on the activity of French consuls in the port city of Galaţi, during the first half of the 19th century.
Consulted material included archival sources, documentary sources, monographs and historical syntheses. Through the correlation of data extracted from historiographical and archival sources, we were able to make corrections and additions to existing material regarding the activities of French diplomatic agents in Galaţi. On the basis of these sources, we were able to reconstruct the activities of French diplomats in Galaţi, and also explore notions such as the mobility of consular positions, from Galaţi to Iaşi and vice versa.