Constantin Prezan (January 27, 1861 – August 27, 1943) 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 of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. In 1930 he was given the honorary title of Marshal of Romania, as a recognition of his merits during his command of the Northern Army and of the General Staff. Besides his participation in World War I, he also took part in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...

and the 1918–1920 military operations for safeguarding the Great Union. He avoided getting actively involved in politics, although he had a series of political titles, which were rather honorary in nature. For instance, he held the title of senator by right, based on his high rank in the army, and that of member of the

Crown Council of Romania The Crown Council ( ro, Consiliul de Coroană) was an institution that advised the King of Romania. Informal between 1866 and 1938, it was formalized by the 1938 Constitution, in effect for two years. The forum met on occasions of great national ...

Biography

He was born in the village of Sterianul de Mijloc, plasa Snagov,

Ilfov County Ilfov () is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but, after the fall of Communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs ...

, currently in Butimanu commune, Dâmbovița County. He graduated from the officers' infantry and cavalry 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 o ...

and the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto ...

. Made a second lieutenant in 1880, he rose to captain in 1887. A military engineering specialist, he took part in the

. General Prezan commanded the 4th Army Corps in 1915-1916, and then became head of the Romanian Fourth Army during the

Romanian Campaign The Kingdom of Romania was neutral for the first two years of World War I, entering on the side of the Allied powers from 27 August 1916 until Central Power occupation led to the Treaty of Bucharest in May 1918, before reentering the war on 1 ...

later in 1916, against the forces of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...

. Prezan led the

Romanian Armed Forces The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces ( ro, Forțele Armate Române or ''Armata Română''). The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu who is manage ...

in the

Battle of Bucharest The Battle of Bucharest, also known as the '' Argeş–Neajlov Defensive Operation'' in Romania, was the last battle of the Romanian Campaign of 1916 in World War I, in which the Central Powers' combatants, led by General Erich von Falkenhayn ...

(November–December 1916), and as those forces retreated into the northeastern part of

(

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 ...

). In July and August 1917, Prezan, who was by then

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

(and assisted by the then-Lieutenant-Colonel

Ion Antonescu Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and marshal who presided over two successive wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister and ''Conducător'' during most of World War II. A Romanian Army career officer who mad ...

) successfully stopped the German invasion led by Field Marshal

August von Mackensen Anton Ludwig Friedrich August von Mackensen (born Mackensen; 6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), ennobled as "von Mackensen" in 1899, was a German field marshal. He commanded successfully during World War I of 1914–1918 and became one of ...

. He continued serving in this position until 1920. Documents found in military archives have brought to light Prezan's role in creating the Romanian National State. In October 1916, Prezan was rewarded with 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 Wor ...

, Third Class for deeds of merit, courage, and devotion. In July 1917, when he commanded the General Army Quarters, Prezan was honoured with the Order of Michael the Brave, Second Class. 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 ...

(November 1918–March 1920), Prezan led the Romanian Armed Forces in the battles of

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter Berge ...

, and

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 A ...

. For his outstanding service,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

Ferdinand I awarded him in February 1920 the Order of Michael the Brave, First Class. Prezan was promoted to Marshal of Romania in 1930. In 1917 Prezan was awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

, Grand Officer. He was also awarded the

Order of the Cross of Takovo The Order of the Cross of Takovo was a Serbian state order. History It was instituted in the Principality of Serbia in 1865 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which had started in Takovo, Serbi ...

and a number of other decorations. In 1920 he was moved to the

military reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

, and spent most of his time at his villa in Schinetea,

Vaslui County Vaslui County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km². * Romanians - over 98% * ...

. He died în 1943 in Bucharest, and was buried at his residence in Schinetea. A major

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

in Bucharest (running from

Arcul de Triumf The Arcul de Triumf (Romanian; "Triumphal Arch") is a triumphal arch located in the northern part of Bucharest, Romania, on the Kiseleff Road. The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (18 ...

to Charles de Gaulle Square) is named after him.

References

Who's Who: Constantine Prezan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prezan, Constantin 1861 births 1943 deaths People from Dâmbovița County Field marshals of Romania Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian Army World War I generals Romanian people of the Hungarian–Romanian War Honorary members of the Romanian Academy Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Members of the Romanian Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave, 1st class Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur