Iorga, Nicolae (nē'kōlī yôr'gä) [key], 1871–1940, Romanian historian and statesman. A professor at the Univ. of Bucharest, he founded (1910) and later led the National Democratic party; after World War I he was president of the Romanian national assembly. In 1931–32 he was premier of a coalition government under King Carol II. In Nov., 1940, Iorga was murdered by the Iron Guard. His many fine historical works include detailed studies of Romanian religion, education, and literature, Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches (5 vol., 1908–13), and History of the Rumanians (10 vol., 1935–39, in Romanian). After 1965, Iorga's reputation as a great nationalist historian was acknowledged by the Romanian Communists, who had hitherto played down his work. His name also appears spelled as Nicolas Jorga.
