Mihail Cerchez Cristodulo (1839–1885) was a

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

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Biography

Descended from an old

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

n family, Cerchez was colonel in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

during the

Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...

(1877–1878), and fought at the

Siege of Pleven The siege of Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russia and Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards ...

and the battles of Smârdan and

Vidin Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as o ...

. Cerchez gained fame for being the officer to whom

Osman Pasha Osman Pasha (also spelled ''Uthman Pasha'' or ''Othman Pasha'') may refer to: * Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha (1527–1585), Ottoman grand vizier * Bosniak Osman Pasha (died 1685), Ottoman governor of Egypt, Damascus, and Bosnia * Topal Osman Pasha (16 ...

surrendered and gave his sword on 28 November 1877 at Pleven. He is buried at

Eternitatea cemetery Eternitatea is the biggest cemetery in Iași, Romania. Notable interments * Vasile Adamachi, philanthropist * Petre Andrei, sociologist and politician * Dimitrie Anghel, poet and writer * Alexandru Bădărău, politician, academic, and journa ...

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

, next to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

General

Radu Korne Radu may refer to: People * Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name * Radu (surname), Romanian surname * Rulers of Wallachia, see * Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne Other uses * Radu ( ...

Legacy

The 85th Logistics Support Battalion for the 8th Mixed Artillery Brigade was named ''General Mihail Cerchez''. As a gratitude for his efforts toward the independence of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people built a bust of him in the Romanian Soldier Mausoleum at

Grivitsa Grivitsa ( bg, Гривица, ; also transliterated as ''Grivitza'' or ''Grivica'') is a village in Pleven Municipality, Pleven Province, central northern Bulgaria. It is primarily known as the site of one of the key engagements in the Siege of ...

References

1839 births 1885 deaths 19th-century Romanian people People of the Principality of Moldavia Romanian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Romanian people of Armenian descent People from Bârlad Burials at Eternitatea cemetery Romanian people of Circassian descent {{Romania-mil-bio-stub