Alexandru Cernat (17 January 1828 – 8 December 1893) 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 ...

n general and politician. He was born in either

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

, or in nearby

Vârlezi Vârlezi is a commune in Galați County, Western Moldavia, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It border ...

according to other sources, the son of Eustațiu and Teodosia Cernat. After attending elementary school in Galați, he enrolled in the military school in

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 ...

. Upon graduation he entered the Moldavian Army in 1851 as a cadet, advancing in rank to second lieutenant (1852), lieutenant (1855), captain (1857). After the

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

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 ...

and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

in 1859 he joined 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 ...

. He was promoted then promoted as major (1860), lieutenant colonel (1863), colonel (1866). In 1869 he was awarded the silver 'Honorific Sign' for 18 years of continuous military service. He was then promoted as brigadier general in 1873. Also in 1873, Cernat was given command of the 4th Territorial Division, with headquarters in Iași. During this time he contributed to the creation of rules for the training of military units. In 1876 he was awarded the golden 'Honorific Sign' for 25 years of uninterrupted service in the army. In April 1877, he was named

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 ...

, serving until August, when he was made commander of operations 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 ...

. During this time he made sure that the mobilization of the

was carried out in good conditions and in good time. Cernat insured that the quality of the equipment would be improved, that portable weapons, cannons and ammunition would be provided, and sped up the instruction of reserves. In order that the

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...

would be protected and that any Ottoman incursions north of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

would be pushed back, he contributed to the organization of troops to cover the southern border Romania. Cernat personally led the units in successful battle a
Griviţa No. 1 Redoubt
As a reward for his skilfulness as a commander, the

Tsar of Russia This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the history of Russia. It includes the princes of medieval Rus′ state (both centralised, known as Kievan Rus', Kievan Rus′ and feudal, when the political center moved northeast to Grand Duke of Vl ...

, Alexander the IInd awarded him with the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

4th class. He then led the assault against the Ottoman troops stationed a
Griviţa No. 2 Redoubt
as well as other actions around Plevna, Bucov, Opanez,

Etropole Etropole ( bg, Етрополе, ) is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located close to the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the valley of the Iskar River, from Sofia. History The area was first settled by the ...

and the fortress of Oryahovo. At Plevna, he supported the successful strategy and carrying out of encircling the troops of

Osman Nuri Pasha Osman Nuri Pasha ( ota, عثمان نوری پاشا‎; 1832, Tokat, Ottoman Empire – 4 to 5 April 1900, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire), also known as Ghazi Osman Pasha ( tr, Gazi Osman Paşa), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman field mars ...

. Osman was then forced to capitulate. For the skilful way he carried out his duty on the battlefield, he was awarded the

Military Virtue Medal The Military Virtue Medal ( ro, Medalia "Virtutea Militară") is a Romanian military decoration, instituted on April 8, 1872, by King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I. A previous version, called ''Pro Virtute Militari'', was establis ...

1st class. On the 5th of December 1877 Cernat was promoted to major general. He received the task of coordinating the Romanian troops on both banks of the Danube in order to eliminate the last pockets of Ottoman resistance around the fortress of

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 ...

. Following the end of hostilities, he was again minister of war from February to November 1878. He resigned following disagreements with the government of the day and ''

domnitor ''Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince" in other languages and less often as "grand duke". Derived from the Romanian word "''domn''" ...

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (20 April 1839 – ), born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as King from 1881 to 1914. He w ...

, and, upon his own request, took command of the 2nd Infantry Division. From 1881 to 1882, he was

Chief of the Romanian General Staff The Chief of General Staff ( ro, Șeful Statului Major General) is the highest professional military authority in the Romanian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Romania, at the National Defense Minister's proposal (with the appro ...

. From 1882 to 1883 Cernat was the director of the National Military Circle. He commanded the 2nd Army Corps from March 1883 to December 1891, when he retired from the military after 40 years of service. During his career, he received numerous awards, including the

1st class (1877), the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

Grand Officer class, the

4th class (1877), and the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

, 2nd class. Cernat worked for the National Liberal Party, being elected as MP and senator in 1864–1888. He was deputy-president of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in several sessions. Cernat died on 8 December 1893 in Bucharest, and was 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. 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 ...

, his headstone being designed by the sculptor Ioan Georgescu. Streets in Bucharest, Galați, Iași, and

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 ...

bear his name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cernat, Alexandru 1828 births 1893 deaths People from Galați People of the Principality of Moldavia Romanian Ministers of Defence Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Burials at Bellu Cemetery National Liberal Party (Romania) politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Grand Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree