Constantin Cristescu (2 December 1866 — 9 May 1923) 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 ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

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 ...

, and Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army.

Biography

Early life

He was born on 2 December 1866 in Pădureți village, in Argeș County. He attended the gymnasium in Pitești and the School for Sons of Military in Craiova. In 1887 he graduated first in his class from the Infantry and Cavalry Officers 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. Cristescu pursued his studies at the

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1890, the School of Artillery and Engineering Application of Fontainebleau in 1892, and the Superior School of War in Paris in 1894.

Military career

Cristescu was promoted to lieutenant (1890), captain (1894), major (1902), lieutenant colonel (1907), and colonel (1910). He became

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 ...

on 2 December 1913, and served in this role until 1 April 1914. He played an important role in the development of the operational plans of the Romanian Army in the years prior to the entry of Romania in World War I, including the ''Hypothesis Z'' plan. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1914.

World War I

During the Romanian Campaign of World War I, Cristescu was Chief of Staff of the 2nd and 3rd Romanian Armies and later of Army Group General Averescu. From 10 November to 5 December 1916 he was Commander of the Northern Army. In 1917 he was promoted to major general. In June of that year he took command of the Romanian 1st Army, during the operations leading up to the

Battle of Mărășești The Battle of Mărășești (6 August 1917 – 3 September 1917) was the last major battle between the German Empire and the Kingdom of Romania on the Romanian front during World War I. Romania was mostly occupied by the Central Powers, but t ...

, against the German 9th Army. The German offensive began on 24 July with a sustained artillery bombardment. Despite the failure of large Russian units that refused to fight and retreated, the 1st Army together with the remaining troops of the Russian 4th Army fought back. Cristescu took upon himself the difficult task of reconstituting the front line; a single front was created through fierce fighting, supported by a strong artillery barrage, and by 6 August the German attack was repulsed. He continued to lead the 1st Army Mărășești until 11 August, when he was succeeded by General

Eremia Grigorescu Eremia Teofil Grigorescu (28 November 1863 – 21 July 1919) was a Romanian artillery general during World War I, and Minister of War in the Constantin Coandă cabinet (October–November 1918). Early life Born in 1863 in the village Golăș ...

. In 1918 Cristescu was promoted to Lieutenant General.Ministerul de Răsboiu, ''Anuarul Armatei Române pe anul 1916,'' Tipografia „Universala” Iancu Ionescu, București, 1916 He served for a second time as Chief of the General Staff from 1 April to 28 October 1918.

After the War

After the end of the War, Cristescu served for a third and final term as Chief of the General Staff (1 April 1920 to 8 May 1923), during which time he coordinated the organization of the new national Army of

Greater Romania The term Greater Romania ( ro, România Mare) usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea. As a concept, its main goal is the creation ...

. He died on 9 May 1923 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. Th ...

, in the same city.

Awards

* Officer of 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 ...

(1904) * Officer of the Order of the Crown (Romania, 1909) * Order of Bene Merenti of the Royal House, 1st class (Romania, 1910) * Grand officer of the

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (german: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden) was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes ...

(

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

) * Grand officer of the

Order of St. Sava The Royal Order of St. Sava is an Order of merit, first awarded by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1883 and later by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was awarded to nationals and foreigners for meritorious ach ...

(

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, 1913)

Legacy

In Bucharest, Pitești, and Slatina streets are named ''General Constantin Cristescu'' after him. Also, schools in

Bogați Bogați is a commune in Argeș County, Muntenia, 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 ...

and Lunca Corbului bear his name.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cristescu, Constantin 1866 births 1923 deaths People from Argeș County Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian Army World War I generals Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania École Polytechnique alumni Burials at Bellu Cemetery Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Recipients of the Order of Franz Joseph Great Officers of the Order of St. Sava Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania