Emil Rebreanu (December 17, 1891 – May 14, 1917) was an
Austro-Hungarian Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
military officer executed during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The protagonist in ''
Forest of the Hanged
''Forest of the Hanged'' ( ro, Pădurea spânzuraților) is a 1964 Romanian drama film directed by Liviu Ciulei, and based on the eponymous novel by Liviu Rebreanu. Ciulei won the award for Best Director at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.
''Fo ...
'', a 1922 novel by his brother
Liviu Rebreanu
Liviu Rebreanu (; November 27, 1885 – September 1, 1944) was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist.
Life
Born in Felsőilosva (now Târlișua, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania), then part of the Kingd ...
, is influenced by his experience.
Biography
Rebreanu was born into a
Greek-Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
family in Major,
Beszterce-Naszód County
Beszterce-Naszód was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Romania (north-eastern Transylvania). The capital of the county was Beszterce (now Bistrița).
Geography
Beszterce-Naszód cou ...
, now
Maieru
Maieru ( hu, Major; german: Meierhof) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Anieș (''Dombhát'') and Maieru.
People
* Emil Rebreanu
* Maria Cioncan
* Octavian Utalea
Octavian Utale ...
,
Bistrița-Năsăud County
Bistrița-Năsăud () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Bistrița.
Name
In Hungarian, it is known as ''Beszterce-Naszód megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Bistritz-Nassod''. The name is identical with ...
, the fifth of fourteen children. He graduated from high school in 1913 and entered the Law faculty of
Franz Joseph University
Royal Hungarian Franz Joseph University ( hu, Magyar Királyi Ferenc József Tudományegyetem) was the second modern university in the Hungarian realm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Founded in 1872, its seat was initially in Kolozsvár (Clu ...
in
Cluj
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Status
, subdivision_name2 = County seat
, settlement_type = City
, le ...
(''Kolozsvár''), but was forced to interrupt his studies upon the war's outbreak.
[ Bianca Sara]
"Cum și-a transformat Liviu Rebreanu execuția fratelui său de pe front într-un roman tradus în opt limbi"
'' Adevărul'', November 1, 2013; Retrieved December 13, 2013
Within a year of joining combat, he was made a
second lieutenant in the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
. He fought
in Russia and
Galicia, sustaining multiple injuries. Rebreanu also distinguished himself on the
Italian Front and was given the
Gold Medal for Bravery, the highest award granted by the Austrian command to a Romanian.
However, once he arrived on the
Romanian Front
The Romanian Front ( ro, Frontul Românesc, FR) was a moderate fascist party created in Romania in 1935. Led by former Prime Minister Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, it originated as a right-wing splinter group from the mainstream National Peasants' Part ...
, Rebreanu decided that rather than fight against his fellow Romanians, he would join them.
Constantin Kirițescu
Constantin Kirițescu (September 3, 1876 – August 12, 1965) was a Romanian zoologist, educator and historian. Born and schooled in Bucharest, he occupied successive posts in the Education Ministry, with education being a running theme of his di ...
wrote: "Approaching Romanian soil, Rebreanu heard the secret call of his brothers' souls, whispering from beyond the trenches. Between his unnatural soldierly duty and his holy duty as a Romanian, Rebreanu heeded the latter."
Thus, on the night of May 10–11, 1917,
having escaped from the infirmary where he was sequestered,
he tried to cross the front to the Romanian side, bringing with him the plans for dividing and positioning Austro-Hungarian troops in the area. He was found and arrested by a patrol of imperial officers. Tried by a military court of the 16th
Honvéd brigade, on May 12–13, on a charge of
desertion and
espionage
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
, he was stripped of his rank and sentenced to death. As an added humiliation, the method was specified as
hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
. According to eyewitnesses, before being executed at 10 p.m. on May 14, he pushed aside the executioner and before the multitude of soldiers, many of whom were Romanians brought there as a warning, shouted "Long live
Greater Romania
The term Greater Romania ( ro, România Mare) usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea.
As a concept, its main goal is the creation ...
!"
[''Revista de istorie militară'', 3/1996, p. 14. ]Ministry of National Defense
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
, 1996
Legacy
''
Forest of the Hanged
''Forest of the Hanged'' ( ro, Pădurea spânzuraților) is a 1964 Romanian drama film directed by Liviu Ciulei, and based on the eponymous novel by Liviu Rebreanu. Ciulei won the award for Best Director at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.
''Fo ...
'', a novel by his brother
Liviu Rebreanu
Liviu Rebreanu (; November 27, 1885 – September 1, 1944) was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist.
Life
Born in Felsőilosva (now Târlișua, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania), then part of the Kingd ...
, is dedicated: "To the memory of my brother Emil, executed by the Austro-Hungarians, on the Romanian Front, in 1917."
Liviu only learned of the execution in 1919, but quickly made several visits to the area, ultimately publishing the book in 1922. When he found out about the hanging, he had already been thinking of a novel drawing upon Emil's letters from the front describing the atmosphere there. Subsequently, he incorporated what Emil had undergone into the book.
Nevertheless, he made important changes, describing his brother as an "unscrupulous nationalist" whose true character would have inspired "at most a patriotic poem".
Among the individuals whom he fictionalized were successive love interests Elena Haliță ("Marta Domșa") and Ilona Lászlo ("Ilona Vidor", daughter of
Făget
Făget (; hu, Facsád; german: Fatschet) is a town in Timiș County, Romania, with a population of about 7,500. The town administers ten villages: Bătești, Begheiu Mic, Bichigi, Brănești, Bunea Mare, Bunea Mică (depopulated), Colonia Mică ...
's mayor in real life, but of a gravedigger in the book), as well as General Karg, who issued the death sentence. In October 1921, he was present at his brother's exhumation and reburial on the soil of the former
Romanian Old Kingdom
The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...
, which the latter had requested prior to being hanged.
A street in
Bistrița
(; german: link=no, Bistritz, archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , hu, Beszterce) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of approxima ...
bears Emil's name since 1995, one in
Năsăud
Năsăud (; german: Nassod, ''Nußdorf''; hu, Naszód) is a town in Bistrița-Năsăud County in Romania located in the historical region of Transylvania. The town administers two villages, Liviu Rebreanu (until 1958 ''Prislop''; ''Priszlop'') a ...
since 1996, and there is one in
Onești
Onești (; hu, Ónfalva) is a city in Bacău County, Romania, with a population of 39,172 inhabitants. It is situated in the historical region of Moldavia.
Administratively, the villages of Slobozia and Borzești form part of Onești.
Histor ...
as well. In 2012, a monument was unveiled in his memory at the border between
Ghimeș-Făget and
Palanca
Palanca may refer to:
People
* Bernard Palanca (born 1976), Filipino actor
*Massimo Palanca (born 1953), Italian footballer
* Mico Palanca (1978–2019), Filipino actor
* Miguel Palanca (born 1987), Spanish footballer
Places
* Palanca, Huíla, ...
in
Bacău County
Bacău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania.
Geography
This county has a total area of .
In the western part of the county the ...
, around the place where the hanging is believed to have occurred. Four meters high and made of stone and bronze, one side depicts him in effigy, while the other shows
Saint George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...
.
[Monumentul Emil Rebreanu]
at the Palanca Town Hall site
File:Romania-WW1-3.jpg, The Romanian Front in 1916-1917. Rebreanu was assigned to the Ghimeș Pass area and tried going from west to east.
File:Ezeréves határ.JPG, The former border between Romania and Hungary in Ghimeș-Făget, not far from where Rebreanu was caught.
Notes
References
*Liviu Rebreanu, edited by Niculae Gheran and Valeria Dumitrescu, ''Pădurea spînzuraților''. Editura Minerva, Bucharest, 1972
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebreanu, Emil
1891 births
1917 deaths
People from Bistrița-Năsăud County
Romanian Greek-Catholics
Romanian Austro-Hungarians
Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I
Recipients of the Medal for Bravery (Austria-Hungary)
Austro-Hungarian Army officers
Romanian spies
Executed spies
People executed for desertion
People executed by Austria-Hungary
People executed by Hungary by hanging