A Short Note on Ratiu Family History
„Ratiu” (or ``Racz” as the name was typically spelled under Hungarian rule, or „Ratz” under Austrian rule) is one of the earliest documented Romanian family names in Transylvania. It first appeared in 1332 when Voivode Thomas Szeczenyi certified that Andrei (aka Indrei) is „Nobilis” (ie nobleman) of Nagylak and rightful owner of the lands around the village of Nagylak on the Mures river near present-day Alba Iulia. In mediaeval Transylvania, noble status such as Andrei’s entitled a man to many privileges, and especially to land.
In 1396, Thomas de Nagylak (Andrei’s grandson) and his men enlisted as crusaders in the army of the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg who had allied his forces with those of Romanian voevode Mircea the Old of Wallachia and other crusader armies from the West. This turned out to be the the Western powers’ last stand against the Ottoman Turks’ invasion of the Balkans which ended with the Europeans’ disastrous defeat at Nicopolis and the permanent loss of all lands south of the Danube to Islam.
Nevertheless, Thomas de Nagylak distinguished himself in the campaign. As a reward for his services, King Sigismund ennobled him. In Transylvania, Thomas’ neighbors nicknamed him ``Ratiu” or ``Racz” – ie „The Croat” („Hrvac”) because he had fought in the land of the Croats – and the name stuck: the family name became Racz de Nagylak.
From the 14th century onwards the family obtained several further titles of nobility. Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg appointed Petrus Ratz von Nagylak, (as the name was now spelled in German), „imperial translator for Romanian relations” . Petrus and his family settled in Rudolf’s chosen capital, Prague, and fought in a number of his campaigns. Eventually Petrus was appointed the emperor’s ambassador to the Court of Russia, in St Petersburg. These promotions are reflected in changes in the family coats of arms at this time; the family leopard not only gained a second head and a Mercury messenger stick reflecting the bearer’s ambassadorial status, but Petrus and his descendants also received a new, additional coat of arms in recognition of their Crusader heritage; it depicts a decapitated janissary head (which the family rarely shows).
Since the rights and privileges of nobility in this part of Europe were frequently contested, in 1625 Prince Gabriel Bethlen of Transylvania formally renewed Stefan Racz’s Nagylak title (note hungarian spelling again). 25 years later in the next electoral contest for the princely title to Transilvania, Stefan duly supported his Bethlen benefactors. But Bethlen lost, and in 1653 all Stefan Racz’s Nagylak lands were confiscated by the victorious contender, Prince George Rakoczi II.
Stefan Racz’s two eldest sons now headed west down the river Mures and settled in the present-day town of Teius. There they entered the service of the victorious Prince Rakoczi. In due course they were rewarded with lands and a title of their own: Ratz von Tövis (note German spelling). Stefan and his other children, including his youngest son Coman, headed north across the river Mures and settled inTurda, a „closed” city where only people of noble descent resided.
Somehow, the Nagylak Ratiu’s - nephews of Stefan and sons of Coman - were accepted in Turda and survived there. All the Turda Ratiu’s are descendants of these 18th century fugitives from Nagylak Eventually, in 1680, the Turda Ratius’ Nagylak title was reconfirmed by Prince Rakoczi’s successor, Prince Mihai Apafi I. This 1680 document mentions Ratiu descendants Vasile with his sons Ioan and Vasile.
18th century Ratiu family members also became closely identified with the Uniate Church (i.e. Greek- Catholic) part of the former Orthodox diocese of Transylvania that had united with Rome in exchange for civil rights under Austrian rule. But the promised civil rights were all too slow to materialize.
In 1829 Fr Basiliu Ratiu (1783-1870) a leading figure in the Romanian Uniate Church, countered yet another attempt to evict the family from Turda. This was a landmark settlement that complemented Fr Basiliu’s successful resolution of the family’s generational legal battle against the heirs of the family’s Nagylak lands – by this time the family’s former neighbours and friends in Nagylak, the Bethlens. Fr Basiliu was not able to recover the land itself but he obtained substantial compensation instead. To these funds other family members in turn made donations of their own so that in 1839 a new stone Uniate church and a school – both catering primarily to Romanians - could be built right in the centre of otherwise Hungarian Turda. Both structures have survived. The charitable foundation or ``Eforie” established by Fr Basiliu in 1867 with the balance of the Bethlen settlement later financed the construction of Turda’s central market place (which also survives) and granted scholarships to numerous young Romanians until as recently as 1948 when all assets of the Romanian Uniate church were finally confiscated by the Communist regime, and remain unreturned to this day.
The same ``Eforie” founded by Fr Basiliu Ratiu also supported the establishment in 1902 of Turda’s first ``College of Arts and Trades” which survives today as Turda’s ``Ratiu College” with buildings erected on Ratiu family land. During the 1930’s a leading role was played in equipping the school with adequate buildings and a spirit of enterprise by his descendent Augustin Ratiu.. Although for 40 years of communism the school was known as „Chemistry 2”, it has recently revived the family connection and (since 2004) Indrei Ratiu serves as President of the school board. Fr Basiliu Ratiu and his illustrious nephew, the lawyer Dr Ioan Ratiu, took part in and survived the bloody 1848 revolution in Transylvania. Dr Ioan Ratiu, whose statue can still be seen opposite Turda’s city hall, went on to champion civil rights for Romanians within Austro-Hungary’s officially multicultural empire, leading a 300 strong delegation of Transylvanians to petition emperor Franz-Joseph with a historic „Memorandum” of the civil rights they sought. Although Dr Ioan Ratiu and his colleagues were jailed for their pains, his memorable words at their trial were taken up by the press throughout Europe, serving as powerful encouragement to subject peoples everywhere: „Gentlemen” declared Dr Ioan Ratiu before his judges, „it is not we who are on trial here today, but yourselves. The existence of a people is not for discussion, but rather for affirmation...”
Dr Ioan Ratiu died in 1902, but his widow Emilia and his daughter Felicia continued his struggle for Romanian civil rights and, once Transylvania had united with Romania in 1918, implementing the14 principles of national self-determination that President Woodrow Wilson had laid out at the 1918 Paris peace conference, mother and daughter focussed more specifically on the cause of womens’ rights in Romania – in which they were pioneers - until their own deaths in 1929 and 1938 respectively.
Also in 1918, following Transylvania’s union with Romania, Dr Ioan Ratiu’s great-nephew, the young lawyer Augustin Ratiu was rewarded with the prestigious post of first Romanian prefect of Turda County. In addition to a successful law office, and his active involvement in the town’s College of Arts and Trades, he was also to hold office repeatedly as mayor and councillor at both county and municipal levels. In Turda, Augustin Ratiu’s civil administrations ushered in a period of prosperity (Turda’s great glassworks opened soon after WWI), The post WWI Turda of Augustin Ratiu’s day quickly became a cultural melting-pot (Romanian, Hungarian, German, Jewish and Rrom).
Also present throughout the historic process of Transylvania’s 1918 union with Romania were Dr Ioan Ratiu’s private secretary, protege and distant relative Iuliu Maniu, who was to serve many times as Romanian prime-minister during the interwar period, and his young grandson, Viorel Tilea. Tilea later went on to set up Romania’s first national tourist office, the „ONT”, and to serve as Romanian ambassador to Great Britain. Here in 1939, he was joined by another young lawyer, Augustin Ratiu’s own eldest son, Ioan (later changed to „Ion” which he considered more pleasing to British ears!).
On his recall to Marshall Antonescu’s nazi-allied Romania in 1941, Tilea and his entire embassy sought and received asylum in Britain. Ion immediately received a scholarship to Cambridge University where, already a qualified lawyer, he now committed himself to the study of comparative political systems and economics. Tilea was to die in London in 1974 while Ion’s exile from his native Romania was to last almost 50 years until his return home in 1990 after the fall of Ceausescu’s communist dictatorship to continue his lifelong campaign for Romanian democracy on home territory.
In London, Ion met and married Elisabeth, from the glass-manufacturing Pilkington family, who even boasted a crusader ancestor buried somewhere in Romania’s Olt valley on his way to Palestine. After the war, the young couple planned to return to Romania, but in 1946, soon after the birth of their first son Indrei, they were advised instead by Ion’s mentor Iuliu Maniu, to „continue the fight for Romanian democracy and freedom from abroad”. In 1948 Maniu and Romania’s entire democratic leadership as well as all loyal priests of the Romanian Uniate church were jailed by the newly installed communist regime. Most of those jailed, including Maniu and supporters such as Ratiu family member Liviu Cigareanu, died in prison, their bodies dumped in unmarked graves – in fields and on hillsides which can be visited to this day.
Maniu’s advice and a long fight with tuberculosis spared Ion and his own immediate family a similar fate. Ion now committed his life to the cause of unmasking the true nature of communism worldwide through numerous publications, broadcasts, demonstrations and the exhibition of political cartoons. He also engaged in activities specifically addressing the issue of a democratic future for Romania, such as the Cambridge University Romanian Students Association, the Free Romanian Press, (founded in 1957); ACARDA, the Anglo Romanian Cultural Association, and the World Union of Free Romanians, launched at the Geneva Congress of Free Romanians in 1984.
Like his ancestor Fr Basiliu Ratiu, Ion was also to demonstrate considerable business acumen, first in shipping, later in real estate and media. The family business, managed today by his son Nicolae was to be the platform for yet another development in the family tradition: a new family foundation:
In 1979, Ion and Elisabeth established a British successor foundation to Fr Basiliu Ratiu’s original 1867 Family Foundation, or „Eforie”. This was the Ratiu Family Foundation „ a British charitable trust, designed for „the promotion of Romanian language, culture and civilisation, and the relief of poor Romanians”. In 1987, 120 years after his ancestor Fr Basiliu had gathered members of his own generation in Turda to establish the first Ratiu Family Foundation - the „Eforie”, Ion presented his vision for the new Family Foundation to a London gathering of over 25 family members, inviting all to participate in the new foundation’s work, as volunteers.
Today, the Ratiu Family Foundation, is managed by his son Nicolae - partners with various institutions and organizations around the world in pursuit of its mission. The Foundation maintains offices in London, Turda and Bucharest that are jointly staffed by professionals and volunteers. Communications technology makes it possible for family members in present-day Turda, London and Bucharest to share in the organization of Foundation-sponsored programs and events as far afield as Phoenix (where the Foundation offers Romanian travel scholarships through Arizona State University) and Washington DC (where the Foundation has endowed the Ion Ratiu Chair of Romanian Studies, the only one of its kind on the American continent). Most recently, the Family Foundation has worked with the Center for Democracy and the Third Sector of Georgetown University and with the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, to develop and organize an innovative annual lecture entitled the Ion Ratiu Democrcay Lecture that seeks to recognize and reward men and women of principle struggling each in their own part of the world to promote democracy and freedom.
More recently in Romania, The Family Foundation funds organizations that include the Ratiu Center for Democracy with offices in Cluj as well as Turda, offering a historic library of 20th century political papers collected by Viorel Tilea and Ion Ratiu – soon to be transferred from London to Cluj; an annual series of open Democracy Lectures in the University city of Cluj; competitions that foster innovative democracy-related social science reseearch; the annual Turda Democracy Gatherings, and a multitude of civil society applications of democratic principles, such as Turda Fest – an annual agricultural fair; debating for young people; various campaigns, such as anti human trafficking – and a lively local volunteer program. Fundatia Ratiu Romania is a Romanian humanitarian foundation established by Ion’s widow Elisabeth to provide vital assistance for categories of Romanians that other agencies fail to reach, such as children with leukemia in the 1990s, or fostering chronically ill or handicapped homeless children” today.
When he died in 2000 Ion Ratiu left neither personal wealth nor major bequests....only family responsibilities: the responsibilities of managing and applying those resources that, like those of his 19th century ancestor, he had left in trust so that the family’s work might continue.
Appendix
Amongst those invited to Ion Ratiu’s 1987 Ratiu Family Foundation meeting and who today maintain the family tradition of public service in various capacities, are: - Alexandru Herlea, Romanian Minister for European integration and subsequently ambassador to Brussels, 1996-2000, Tudor Ratiu, Director of the Bernoulli Center of the Swiss Fedeeral Institute of Technology, who made a historic donation of an entire mathematics library to the Institute of Mathematics IMAR at the University of Bucharest,
Mircea Ratiu, author, engineer, inventor, who donated his library to the Polytechnic University,Timisoara. Also author: „Amintirii Graite”- A Ratiu Family Chronology, Radu Ratiu – medical doctor, family historian, deceased 1988, in France. Elisabeth Ratiu, Founder of the humanitarian agency Fundatia Ratiu Romania, Ioana Ratiu, Trustee, Ratiu Family Foundation Ileana Tilea, Trustee, Ratiu Family Foundation, author and editor Sherban Lupu, international concert violinist Nicolae Ratiu, President of Regent House Properties, Family Holding Company, President of the Ratiu Family Foundation and Democracy Center, Relief Fund for Romania and Pro Patrimonio Foundation. Indrei Ratiu, Ratiu Family Foundation representative in Romania, Director, Ratiu Democracy Center and co-founder, Pro Patrimonio Foundation, Turda Tourist Information Office, Turda’s annual Democracy Gatherings for young people. More recently this original group has expanded to include: Paula Bombosi, microbiologist Viena-Austria, author of the Ratiu Family of Turda Genealogical Tree, Petre Raileanu, author and editor Pamela Ratiu, President and Founder, Turda Fest; Marketing Director, Ratiu Democracy Center;Marketing director,Ratiu Foundation Romania, Executive Director, „FACT” programs for young people; Executive Director, Choose for your own sake” anti-trafficking campaign, Director Ion Ratiu Debating Club

Priest Baziliu RATIU (1783-1870)

Basiliu Ratiu followed his philosophical studies in Cluj and later his theologicals in Blaj and Viena. Basiliu became a priest in 1810. One year later he started teaching philosophy and also leading the Seminary of Blaj as principal. In 1813 he established himself in Uioara (Ocna Mures, today) as a priest. Because of his recognised qualities, Basilius became arch priest in 1819 until 1824. He continued his ascent as cannonichal theologist and finaly "preposite" of Blaj.

Basiliu Ratiu actively supported the community of Turda and in 1839 built the second romanian church of Turda.
Through his contributions the church was followed by a school and a house for priests and the employees of the church.

He supported the Romanian people's cause becoming an active participant of the 1848 events. Priest Ratiu led the conference of the cathedral of Blaj wjo hosted Simion Barnutiu's famous speech of the 2nd of May 1848.
At 85 years he also, signed the "Proonunciament" of Blaj, the 3rd of May 1868.

Bibliographical source: Nicolae Josan , "Un barbat pentru istorie- Dr. Ioan Ratiu " Editura Progresul Romanesc, Bucuresti ,1992

Dr. Ioan RATIU (1828-1902)

Ioan Ratiu was born in Turda on 19 august 1828 . In 1846 he married Emilia Orghidan from Brasov , the Orghidan's priest daughter .
The famous revolution of 1848 finds him in Pesta ( Budapest, today). The same year , in autoumn , at 20 years old , he started working for the most important institution of the Turda- Aries department . He continued his studies in Viena , obtaining , on 1958 , a doctor's in law degree . He returned to Cluj and he was asked to represent the romanian community of Transilvania in the Parliament of Budapest . He refuses the proposal because , at that time , the Austro-Hungarian Parliament wasn't representing the Romanian interest . The Hungarian policy were against any Romanian right .
Ioan Ratiu is known in history as the president- founder of The National Romanian Party (NRP) , a political organization fighting for equality between the Romanians and Hungarians .
His name is also associated with the Memorandist movement (between 1892 and 1894). The document , containing a list of requests for the romanian community was sent to the Austro-Hungarian emperor Francisc Joseph the first . Beside Ioan Ratiu , many important members of NRP put their signature on that famous "Memorandum" : George Pop de Basesti , Eugen Brote , Vasile Lucaciu , Septimiu Albini and Iuliu Coroianu . The Hungarian Government had immediately brought an action against all this politicians fighting for the Romanians rights. The court sentence wasn't at all right one . Ioan Ratiu spent two years in the prisone of Seghedin ( today Szeged- Hungary) .
He died in Sibiu on 4th of december 1902 . The famous politician's monument is in the grec-catholic cimitiry of Sibiu .

Bibliographical source: Nicolae Josan , "Un barbat pentru istorie- Dr. Ioan Ratiu " Editura Progresul Romanesc, Bucuresti ,1992

Viorel TILEA (1896-1972)

As a central - European politician, journalist, industrialist
and diplomat, born April 6, 1896, to father, Onoriu Tilea and mother, Emilia Ratiu (youngest daughter of Ioan Ratiu and Emilia Ratiu), Viorel Tilea's memoirs throw a revealing light on the troubled first half of this century. He was born in Sibiu (Hermannstadt) Transylvania, and was one of the unenthusiastic subjects and soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the empire collapsed in 1918, Viorel Tilea was in Vienna, in the thick of the activity which resulted in the union of Transylvania with
Romania.

Although only in his early twenties, he attended the Paris Peace Conference as representative of the Romanians in Transylvania before going to Britain as press attaché. When the prime Minister of the newly enlarged Romania came to London, Viorel Tilea acted as his right-hand man. Back in Romania, in the mid-1920s he organized the youth wing of the National Peasant Party, one truly committed to democracy, constantly struggling against intimidation, ballot rigging and corruption. After his party gained power in 1928 he was an influential junior minister,
often acting as trouble shooter or conciliator. In 1933 his Party's administration succumbed to centrifugal forces within and the Great Depression. Viorel Tilea devoted himself to his family forestry business though continuing to advise King Carol, as the last best hope against the excesses of the fascist Iron Guard. He also kept up his contacts with such friends as Harold Nicolson and R.W. Seton-Watson, the great expert on Central Europe.

At the start of 1939, as the Nazis threatened from one direction and Soviet Russia
from another, Viorel Tilea was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to London. His was an impossible hand to play, but his political rather than strictly diplomatic background enabled him to prevent Romania's oil wells falling to the Germans until nearly a year after the war had begun. The story of the manoeuvring and subterfuges involved makes for fascinating reading. Sacked from his post in July 1940 as his country was inexorably sucked into the German maelstrom he wisely remained in England with his family, founded the Free Romanian Committee, and ate the bread of exile for the rest of his life.

This great Romanian patriot and dedicated European had the rare distinction of losing his nationality twice, in the autumn of 1940 for attacking his country's fascist regime, and in 1948 for opposing the Communist takeover there. Viorel Tilea, died on September 20, 1972 and is buried in London.

Ion RATIU (1917-2000)(curriculum vitae)

Ion Ratiu was the most outspoken and consistent voice of opposition to Nicolae Ceausescu, whose regime he opposed for years from London as the democratically elected leader of the Free Romanian Movement.

Journalist, broadcaster and author, he was also a highly successful businessman in shipping and property, while simultaneously operating as a kind of Scarlet Pimpernel, assisting in the rescue of many democrats from Ceausescu’s dictatorship.

After 50 years in exile he returned to his homeland in 1990 to contest the presidency. He continued his war of words against the communists – who still (now as the National Salvation Front) owned all the Romanian media – by launching a daily newspaper of our own “Cotidianal” in Bucharest.

A man of physical courage, he stood alone in the Romanian Parliament chambers when in 1990 rioting miners backed by the Front invaded the building and pleaded with them to stop their violence. His life was threatened his home was sacked, his new printing presses destroyed.

Threats to his life were not new. Ion Ratiu had a place on Ceasescu’s death list; as late as August 1989 he was warned by Scotland Yard that two assassins had been sent from Bucharest to kill him.

Ion Augustin Nicolae Ratiu, born in Turda Transylvania on June 6, 1917, was the son of Augustin Ratiu, a successful lawyer, mayor, county prefect and great-grandnephew of Dr.Ioan Ratiu, the leader of the Romanian National Party who championed Romanian civil rights under the Austro – Hungarian regime from 1848 until his death in 1902. A promising law student, Ion Ratiu seemed destined for an academic career, but in 1938 he was commissioned as top cadet at the Artillery Military Academy in Craiova, and in April 1940 he joined Romania’s Foreign Service. He was sent to London. as a chancellor at the Romanian Legation under Minister V.V.Tilea. The decision of Romania’s leader Marshal Antonescu to align his country with the Axis powers appalled the young Ratiu, who resigned his post and obtained political asylum in Britain. He won a scholarship to study economics at St. John’s College, Cambridge. In 1945 Ion Ratiu married Elisabeth Pilkington in London.

He aimed to fight as the National Peasant Party candidate in Romania’s 1946 general election, but the party leader Iuliu Maniu urged him to stay in London. In exile Ion Ratiu threw himself into the struggle against communism, becoming a regular contributor to the Romanian Service of the BBC, Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. In 1957 his book “Policy for the West” was published, radically challenging contemporary western views of the nature of communism.

He then went into shipping and later into real estate, where he accumulated considerable wealth. However, in 1975, the year he published another work, Contemporary Romania, he decided to devote all his energy to the pursuit of a free Romania. When Ceausescu paid a visit to Britain in 1978 (and was invested by the Queen as an honorary Commander of the British Empire), Mr. Ratiu chained himself in protest to the railings outside the hotel where the Romanian leader was staying.

A keen sportsman, Ion Ratiu was also a handsome, dapper, softly spoken man, whose genteel demeanour after his return to Romania in 1990 earned him the affectionate sobriquet “Mr. Bow Tie” because of his English manners, born of his 50 year exile in Great Britain. Although in 1990 he became MP for his home town of Turda, Transilvania, and he was to serve his country for many years as both deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies as well as Romania’s roving ambassador to NATO, his failure to win the presidency was a grave disappointment to him. On Romanian streets today, Ion Ratiu is often referred to as the best president Romania never had.

Mr. Ratiu led the British – Romanian Association from 1965 to 1985 and played a key role in the setting up of the World Union of Free Romanians, of which he was elected president in 1984. After the fall of Ceausescu, he continued for some years to subsidize the publication outside Romania of the monthly Free Romanian, which he had launched in 1985.

Ion Ratiu died in London surrounded by his family after a short illness, and in accordance with his wishes, was buried in January 2000 in his home town of Turda. His funeral was attended by over 10,000 persons.