He was born in Frâua (called Axente Sever since 1931), the son of Iacob Baciu and Ana, née Maxim. From 1831 to 1835 he studied in Blaj. He then returned to pursue his studies at the Gheorghe Lazăr Gymnasium in Sibiu, after which he returned in 1840 to Blaj to study theology and philosophy, having Simion Bărnuțiu as professor. He was in Bucharest as a professor when the Wallachian Revolution broke out in 1848, and he served as propaganda officer for the revolutionaries. After the defeat of the revolution, he returned to Transylvania to participate in the Blaj Assemblies.