Gabriel Marinescu (first name also Gavril or Gavrilă; November 7, 1886 – November 26/27, 1940) 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 general. Born in

Tigveni Tigveni is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bădislava, Bălilești, Bălteni, Bârseștii de Jos, Bârseștii de Sus, Blaju, Tigveni, and Vlădești. The commune is located in the northwestern p ...

, Argeș County, he was the son of a teacher. He attended

Saint Sava National College The Saint Sava National College (Romanian: ''Colegiul Național Sfântul Sava''), Bucharest, named after Sabbas the Sanctified, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania. It was founded in 1694, under the name of t ...

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 ...

, the school for soldiers’ sons in Iași and the Bucharest military school, from which he graduated in 1907 as head of his class, with the rank of second lieutenant. After being promoted to lieutenant (1910) and then captain (1915), Marinescu served during the Romanian Campaign of

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 ...

in a ''

Vânători de munte Vânători may refer to several places: Romania * Vânători, Galați, a commune in Galați County * Vânători, Iași, a commune in Iaşi County * Vânători, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi County * Vânători, Mureș, a commune in Mureș Co ...

'' regiment. Promoted to major in April 1917, he distinguished himself in the

Battle of Mărăști The Battle of Mărăști ( ro, Bătălia de la Mărăști) was one of the main battles to take place on Romanian soil in World War I. It was fought between 22 July and 1 August 1917, and was an offensive operation of the Romanian and Russian arm ...

. For his valor displayed at engagements at Topești and Bârsești in the Putna River valley, on 11 August 1917 he was awarded the

Order of Michael the Brave The Order of Michael the Brave ( ro, Ordinul Mihai Viteazul) is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of the First World War, and was again awarded in the Second Wo ...

, 3rd class. In 1918 he became commanding officer of the 9th Mountain Troops Regiment. After the war, he joined the staff of the rural gendarmerie, becoming lieutenant colonel in 1921 and colonel in 1926.Grigore and Șerbu, p. 267 In June 1930, soon after assuming the throne,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

dismissed Bucharest's incumbent prefect of police, naming Marinescu, who held the office until November 1939. The deed was accomplished by royal decree without cabinet approval, signaling Carol's authoritarian tendencies. Marinescu thus became a founding member of the royal camarilla. As part of his duties, the general selected prostitutes appealing to the king. In 1934, Carol considered him to be his "personal guard", and a year later he told Nicolae Lupu that Marinescu was "the only man I trust". In 1935, the building of a new police headquarters began; it was completed two years later. This was initiated by Marinescu and financed by

Max Auschnitt Max Carol Auschnitt,Cerasela Moldoveanu, "În căutarea lui Schwartz... Contribuția evreilor la Războiul de Întregire Națională a României (1916–1919)", in ''Revista de Istorie Militară'', Issues 5–6/2017, p. 90 also known as Ausschnitt ...

. The same year, Marinescu co-authored a hagiographic volume on the king, and delivered a radio address attacking his opponent

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was an Austro-Hungarian-born lawyer and Romanian politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the U ...

. In February 1937, he was named state secretary at the Interior Ministry. As such, he took a number of harsh but unsuccessful measures against the Iron Guard, which in 1936 had already marked him for execution.Grigore and Șerbu, p. 268 On 10 May 1937 he was promoted to brigadier general. In January 1938, shortly before the

National Renaissance Front The National Renaissance Front ( ro, Frontul Renașterii Naționale, FRN; also translated as ''Front of National Regeneration'', ''Front of National Rebirth'', ''Front of National Resurrection'', or ''Front of National Renaissance'') was a Romani ...

regime was established, Marinescu returned to his Interior position. Following the assassination of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Armand Călinescu Armand Călinescu (4 June 1893 – 21 September 1939) was a Romanian economist and politician, who served as 39th Prime Minister from March 1939 until his assassination six months later. He was a staunch opponent of the fascist Iron Guard and m ...

, he was named Interior Minister. During the week he served (21–28 September 1939), his agents killed some 250 Guard members in reprisal. He was then named head of a new Public Order Ministry, where he was responsible for the police and gendarmerie. This was dissolved on October 3. In November, Marinescu was dismissed as prefect of police.Grigore and Șerbu, p. 269 In October 1940, during the

National Legionary State The National Legionary State was a totalitarian fascist regime which governed Romania for five months, from 14 September 1940 until its official dissolution on 14 February 1941. The regime was led by General Ion Antonescu in partnership with the ...

, Marinescu was arrested. He was assassinated the next month as part of the Jilava massacre. He is buried at

Bellu Cemetery Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania. It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. Th ...

Notes

References

*Constantin Grigore and Miliana Șerbu,
Miniștrii de interne (1862–2007)
'. Editura Ministerului Internelor și Reformei Administrative, Bucharest, 2007.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marinescu, Gabriel 1886 births 1940 deaths People from Argeș County Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian police chiefs Romanian military personnel of World War I Romanian Ministers of Interior Camarilla (Carol II of Romania) Romanian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Romanian detention People assassinated by the Romanian Iron Guard Prisoners murdered in custody People murdered in Romania Presidents of the Romanian Football Federation Romanian sports executives and administrators Saint Sava National College alumni Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Burials at Bellu Cemetery