Domnitor (
pl. Domnitori) was the official title of the ruler of
Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as
prince in other languages. Derived from the
Romanian word "
domn" (
lord or
ruler) and, in turn, from the
Latin "
Dominus",
Domnitor had been in use since the Middle Ages. Moldavian and Wallachian rulers had sometimes been referred to by the term, though their official titles had been
voievod or
hospodar, especially after they were officially nominated by the
Sultans of the
Ottoman Empire. The title acquired an officially recognized meaning only after
Moldavia and
Wallachia united in 1862 to form the
United Romanian Principalities under
Alexander John I, who had been the ruler of states since 1859. Alexander John was deposed in 1866 and succeeded by
Carol I, who held the post until 1881. When Romania was
proclaimed a kingdom in 1881, Carol became its first king.