Iancu Jianu, our most legendary outlaw, was from a family of Oltenian boyars. Before becoming a leader of rebels, he had been a village chief and the future son-in-law of the local magistrate Calafeteanu. Since the main duty of these officials was the collection of taxes, and as taxes were often collected two or three times over, and since the peasants had no means to pay them — the most important task of the Phanariot officials was coercion, torture. Iancu Jianu, as a village chief, tried to “enforce the law” without abuse and violence. He will not succeed. Therefore, he switches sides of the barricade. But he does so only after the continuous failure of his efforts to enforce the law, to prevent injustices.”