Carol I as Prince The new governing coalition appointed Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as the new Ruling Prince of Romania in a move initially rejected by the European powers but later on accepted. In the first year of Carol's reign Romania adopted its first constitution. This instrument provided for a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with a Parliament being elected through censitary suffrage although the country remained under Ottoman suzerainty. Carol was not unanimously accepted, and a rise in republican sentiment culminated with an uprising in Ploiești in 1870 and a revolt in Bucharest in 1871, both of which were quelled by the army. In April 1877, in the wake of a new Russo-Turkish war, Romania signed a convention by which Russian troops were allowed to pass through Romanian territory in their advance towards the Ottoman Empire. On May 9, the Romanian parliament declared the independence of the principality, and joined the war on the Russian side. After several Romanian victories south of the Danube and the ultimate victory of the Russian-led side in the war, the European powers recognized Romania's independence under the 1878 Treaty of Berlin. Nevertheless, Romania was made to exchange Southern Bessarabia for Northern Dobruja, and allow non-Christians living in Romania access to Romanian citizenship. In 1881, the country's parliament proclaimed Romania a kingdom. List of Princes of Romania Administrative division As of 1872, the Romanian Principality was organized into 33 counties of which 17 were in Wallachia (12 in Muntenia and 5 in Oltenia), and 16 were in Moldavia (13 in western Moldavia and 3 in southern Bessarabia). Demographics According to the 1859–1860 census, the United Principalities had a population of 3,864,848. Cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants, in 1859: Notes: 1 - data for 1856. See also Danubian Principalities Romanian Old Kingdom References Further reading Keith Hitchins, The Romanians, 1774–1866'' (1996) online Europa, Rusia si Romania, Ethnic and Political Studies, D. A. Sturdza, 1890 1859 establishments in Europe 1881 disestablishments in Europe History of Eastern Romance people History of Moldavia (1822–1859) History of Wallachia (1821–1859) Kingdom of Romania Vassal states of the Ottoman Empire Former principalities