Nicolae Condeescu
Nicolae Condeescu (February 27, 1876–July 11, 1936) was a
Romanian general.
Born in
Coșereni
Coșereni is a Commune in Romania, commune located in Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, about to the northeast of Bucharest. It is composed of a single village, Coșereni.
History
On October 30, 1992, the singers Doina Aldea Teodorovici, Do ...
,
Ialomița County, his parents were Grigore and Maria. Condeescu attended the officers’ school in
Bucharest from 1894 to 1896, following which he was enrolled in a regiment. He advanced to lieutenant in 1899 and attended the
Higher War School
The National Defence University of Warsaw ( – AON) was the civil-military highest defence academic institution in Poland, located in Warszawa–Rembertów. In 2016 it was succeeded by the War Studies University.
The National Defence Universit ...
from 1903 to 1905. Sent to work for the general staff in 1906, he became a captain the following year. For most of 1908, he was sent to train with an elite regiment of the
Austro-Hungarian Army, following which he returned to the general staff.
[Spânu, p. 215]
In August 1916, when Romania entered World War I, Condeescu was made lieutenant-colonel. During much of the war, he did not command battle troops, instead working in military intelligence.
He essentially built up this capacity of the Romanian Army from scratch, centralizing reports, studying the enemy armies, publishing orders and news bulletins, organizing espionage missions, identifying spies. The work eventually paid off with the victories at
Mărăști and
Mărășești, as the Romanian side was well informed about the position and plans of its adversaries. He also took measures to address the emerging threat of
Soviet Russia.
Made a colonel in 1917, he was placed in command of an infantry regiment in June 1918. In November, as the war wound down, he was named adjutant to
Crown Prince Carol, whose associate he would henceforth remain.
Condeescu continued his intelligence work through 1919, when he left on a world tour with the prince.
[Spânu, p. 217] He was an active
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
In 1926, Condeescu was made a brigadier general in charge of an infantry corps. In 1927, he returned to the general staff. Advanced to division general the following year, he also became head of the royal military guard.
From April 1930 to April 1931, he served as Army Minister under
Iuliu Maniu and
Gheorghe Mironescu. He subsequently became inspector general of the territorial command.
[Spânu, pp. 215-16] His awards included the
Order of the Crown, knight (1913) and commander; the
Order of Saint Anna and the
Order of Saint Vladimir; and the
Legion of Honour, officer.
[Spânu, p. 216]
Condeescu married Virginia Petrescu of
Târgoviște in 1907; their son Dan was born in 1911. In the summer of 1936, months after turning 60, Condeescu died on his estate in
Urlați.
Notes
References
*Alin Spânu, “Colonelul Nicolae Condeescu, șeful secției informații din Marele Cartier General în războiul de întregire (1916-1919)”, in Marian Moșneagu, Petrișor Florea, Cornel Țucă (eds.), ''Armata română și societatea civilă'', pp. 215–18. Brăila: Editura Istros, 2012,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Condeescu, Nicolae
1876 births
1936 deaths
People from Ialomița County
Romanian military personnel of World War I
Romanian Land Forces generals
Romanian Ministers of Defence
Romanian Freemasons
Carol I National Defence University alumni
Knights of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania)
Recipients of the Order of St. Anna
Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
