High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The beginnings of Freemasonry in the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (which would unite to form Romania in 1859) date to the 18th century and the activities of the humanist scholar Anton Maria del Chiaro, secretary to voivodes Constantin Brancoveanu (ruled Wallachia 1688-1714) and Constantine Mavrocordatos (alternately ruled both domains between 1730 and 1769). In 1734 or 1737, del Chiaro founded the first Masonic Lodge in the Principalities at Galati. Shortly thereafter, Mavrocordat founded a lodge at Iasi while ruler of Moldavia. During the same period in Transylvania, known Freemasons included Laszlo and Janos Kemeny, Count Gabriel Bethlen and Baron Samuel von Brukenthal. In 1753 lodges were set up at Kronstadt, Hermannstadt and at the military garrisons of Sepsiszentgyorgy and Csikszereda. On 23 February 1783 Horea, who led a peasant revolt the following year, gave a Romanian-language speech at the True Understanding...