Redgrave family. - The Adventures of Colonel Daffodil: Balkan Beginnings, Memorable Travels and Forgotten Conflicts

My Romanian grandfather, Mihai Capsa, was aged twenty-one when, long before dawn on 22 February, 1866, he joined a group of officers who forced their way into the royal palace in Bucharest. There was no bloodshed and complete surprise was achieved. Not unexpectedly, they found their ruler in bed with a lady whose notoriety was such that he was obliged to sign a document of abdication which the intruders had thoughtfully brought with them. One wonders what on earth had been going on in the royal bedchamber that proved so unacceptable to the exasperated officials of the fledgling country.

Nevertheless, within a very short time Colonel Alexander Cuza was on his way to Giurgiu on the Danube with a small travelling escort of cavalry to make sure he caught the next steamship back to Germany.

Six years earlier, in 1860, Moldavia and Wallachia had been granted independence within the Ottoman Empire. Both principalities chose the same man to be ruler and thus achieved an uncomplicated union to create a new Romania. Michael the Brave had tried to achieve this in 1600 and was sentenced to death by the Turks for daring to challenge their authority.

Colonel Alexander Cuza had been a popular choice to be the first ruler in 1859. Well aware of his own shortcomings, he warned his people, Gentlemen, I fear you will not be satisfied with me. Nevertheless, he started well. He removed all traces of feudalism, which still bound peasant farmers to their landlords. They were given plots of land based on the number of cattle they possessed. He secularized the Greek Orthodox monasteries which substantially increased the revenues to the State. This done, he decided to enjoy himself. He chose to ignore the corruption, favouritism, fraud and general ineptitude of his officials, which resulted in none of his reforms ever being successfully carried out. Very soon the new nation that had made such a promising start was heading towards economic disaster. Hence the dawn raid on the palace and his departure up the Danube.

Romania, then, was a difficult place to reach overland. There was no railway and the roads were awful. The only way to reach Bucharest from Central Europe in any comfort was down the River Danube. The Danube Steamship Company ( Donau Dampfschiffart Gesellschaft ) had been formed in 1829 by two British engineers.

There were many hazards, especially where the river breaks through the Carpathian Mountains at the Iron Gates. Negotiating the turbulent rapids, whirlpools and submerged rocks required ships captains with steady nerves. In winter the river remained frozen for up to two months. In summer the water level could drop so much that cargoes had to be off-loaded downstream to be collected later.

It is interesting to note that of the 1,190 vessels which travelled regularly between 1885 and 1895, the British owned 738. There were very few towns on the Romanian bank of the river because it flooded up to 15 miles inland, creating swamps in which millions of mosquitoes bred. The nearest landing point to Bucharest was Giurgiu where travellers gave up the comforts of the ship for a horsedrawn carriage which took two days to complete the journey.

Bucharest was founded by a legendary shepherd called Bucur who wandered across the plain with his family and flocks until he reached the River Dimbovitza where he set up camp. Bucur is said to have built a small church with a mushroom belfry. In so doing, he showed himself to be much more energetic than many of his successors. My Romanian great-grandfather was called Bucur or Bucus, a name supposed to have Albanian origins meaning Joy.