Romania's Enigmas

Was he murdered, was he the victim of a political plot, the victim of malpractice, or did he really die of syphilis and severe mental illness? Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889) is the most famous and influential Romanian poet and journalist. He is described as a genius. At the age of 33 he was committed to a mental asylum. Coincidentally or not, on the same day, Romania changed allies, which was vehemently criticised by the influential journalist Eminescu. He died six years later. During this time he was hospitalised many times by his friends. Most of them supported the country's new foreign policy orientation. Conspiracy theories stem from the mercury treatment he was given in the last years of his life. There are at least 3 theories as to how Mihai Eminescu died. The first: the writer was poisoned with mercury, at the behest of his opponents. A second theory leads to the conclusion that Mihai Eminescu was misdiagnosed with syphilis and mental alienation.