Eremia Teofil Grigorescu (28 November 1863 – 21 July 1919) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n artillery general 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 ...

, and Minister of War in the Constantin Coandă cabinet (October–November 1918).

Early life

Born in 1863 in the village Golășei (Bujor Sat) near

Târgu Bujor Târgu Bujor is a town in Galați County, Romania. It administers two villages, Moscu and Umbrărești. It is situated in the historical region of Western Moldavia. Natives * Iulian-Gabriel Bîrsan (1956–2022), engineer and politician *Eremia Gr ...

, in Covurlui County, now Galați County, he studied at the Vasile Alecsandri High School in Galați from 1870 to 1878, and then to the Costache Negruzzi National College in Iași from 1878 to 1881. He then attended for a year the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Iași, before transferring to the Military School for Infantry and Cavalry in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. After graduating in 1884 with the rank of second lieutenant, Grigorescu pursued his studies in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, taking mathematics courses at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. He also attended special artillery and administration courses at the Military School of Saint-Cyr and at the French Ministry of War. In 1903 he was appointed director of the Artillery section at the War Ministry, and from 1907 to 1910 commander of the Artillery Officer School.

World War I

In 1917, during the Romanian Campaign of

, Grigorescu was the commander of the Romanian armies in the

Battle of Mărășești The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. Romania was mostly occupied by the Central Powers, but t ...

. It was there that he achieved his greatest success, managing to defeat Imperial German troops led by General August von Mackensen. After the battle, Grigorescu was nicknamed the "hero of Mărășești". His victory was praised in Entente countries, and earned the general a sword sent to him by Yoshihito, the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

. He was also a recipient of the Order of Michael the Brave (the highest military decoration of Romania), 3rd Class in October 1916, and 2nd Class in February 1918, as well as the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, Grand Officer Class. Grigorescu died in Bucharest in July 1919 of the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

. He was initially buried at the Mărășești military cemetery; his remains were later moved to the Mausoleum of Mărășești. The inscription on his sarcophagus reads: "With the guards at the Gates of Moldavia, who put a stop to the enemy standing as rocks next to me, I wrote in blood on the ridges of Slănic,

Oituz Oituz (formerly ''Grozești''; hu, Gorzafalva) is a commune in Bacău County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi (''Zöldlonka''), Ferestrău-Oituz (''Fűrészfalva''), Hârja (''Herzsa''), Marginea, Oituz and Poi ...

, and Cașin: "You cannot pass through here."" Timisoara, bust Eremia Grigorescu

Personal life

While studying in Iași in 1881, he met Elena Arapu, a Mathematics student who later became the first female graduate of the University of Iași, and pursued a teaching career. The two married on 15 November 1886, and had five children: Traian (1887–1969, who continued in his footsteps and became a general), Romulus, Aurelian, Lucreția, and Margareta. While stationed in Oituz during the war, he met Elena Negropontes, whom he married in 1918 after divorcing his first wife; their son, (1917–1990), became a noted artist and photographer.

Legacy

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of Cluj-Napoca is named after him, and so was the village of Umbrărești-Deal between 1933 and 1950. There are also ''General Eremia Grigorescu'' streets in Brăila, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca,

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...

, and

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

. A bust of Grigorescu is displayed in Timișoara.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grigorescu, Eremia 1863 births 1919 deaths People from Târgu Bujor Costache Negruzzi National College alumni University of Paris alumni Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian Army World War I generals Romanian Ministers of Defence Romanian Ministers of Industry and Commerce Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Deaths from Spanish flu Infectious disease deaths in Romania Romanian expatriates in France