Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919 (National Military Museum Collection) 24

Hungarian-Romanian War of 1919 (National Military Museum Collection) 26

Gheorghe D. Mărdărescu (4 August 1866 – 5 September 1938) 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 army

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

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 ...

, a commander during the

Hungarian–Romanian War The Hungarian–Romanian War was fought between Hungary and Romania from 13 November 1918 to 3 August 1919. The conflict had a complex background, with often contradictory motivations for the parties involved. The Allies of World War I intended ...

of 1919, and

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

from 1922 to 1926. Mărdărescu was born in Iași,

on 4 August 1866. In 1888 he graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry Military School 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 ...

with the rank of second lieutenant, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1891. He pursued his military studies at the Higher War School from 1892 to 1894. He advanced in rank to captain in 1896, and on 10 May 1906 he was promoted to major and named commandant of the Infantry Shooting School. After being promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1910 and colonel in 1913, he was appointed Chief of Staff of 1st Army Corps. In 1915 he became Commandant of the School of Cavalry Officers at the Military Academy. On 10 May 1916 he was promoted to brigadier general, and on 15 August he took command of the 18th Infantry Brigade. After Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies on 27 August, Mărdărescu was appointed Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army and then the 2nd Army. Under the command of General

Alexandru Averescu Alexandru Averescu (; 9 March 1859 – 2 October 1938) was a Romanian marshal, diplomat and populist politician. A Romanian Armed Forces Commander during World War I, he served as Prime Minister of three separate cabinets (as well as being ''inter ...

, he helped coordinate the Romanian Campaign of 1916, first in the

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...

, and then during the defense of the

Predeal Pass Predeal Pass (, hu, Tömösi-szoros) is a mountain pass (elevation ) in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. It connects the Prahova River valley to the south with the lowlands around Brașov to the north. It separates the Southern Carpathians (Bu ...

. Mărdărescu was later put in charge of 3rd Army Group (a command he held until 1917), and fought at the battles of Mărăști and

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 ...

in July–August 1917. In February 1918 he advanced to divisional general. On 11 April 1919 Mărdărescu took command of all Romanian forces in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, at the start of the

. For his actions during the war he was awarded by

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 ...

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

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 ...

, 2rd Class. He served as

in the cabinet of Ion I. C. Brătianu from 20 April 1922 to 29 March 1926. In 1927 he was promoted to army corps general. He died on 5 September 1938 in

Bad Nauheim Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. As of 2020, Bad Nauheim has a population of 32,493. The town is approximately north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a wor ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In August 2019, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his victory in the Hungarian–Romanian War, a statue of Mărdărescu was unveiled on the campus of

Babeș-Bolyai University The Babeș-Bolyai University ( ro, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai , hu, Babeș-Bolyai Tudományegyetem, commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. UBB has a long academic tradition, started by Universitas ...

in Cluj-Napoca. Streets in

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

and Oradea bear his name.

Publications

* (Originally published: București: Cartea Românească, 1922.)

References

1866 births 1938 deaths Military personnel from Iași Carol I National Defence University alumni Romanian Army World War I generals Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian Ministers of Defence Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 2nd class Romanian people of the Hungarian–Romanian War {{Romania-mil-bio-stub