Iacob N. Lahovary ( ro, Iacob N. Lahovari; 16 January 1846 – 7 February 1907) was a member of the

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 ...

n aristocracy, a general, politician and diplomat who served as the

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 ...

and

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

Life and career

Iacob Lahovary was the brother of Alexandru Lahovary and Ioan Lahovary both of whom served as foreign ministers. He attended the Bucharest School of Officers in 1859–1864,

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 1864–1870. He also graduated from

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sor ...

with a degree in mathematics in 1870. As soon as Lahovary entered military service, he quickly rose in the ranks of 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 became Second lieutenant in 1864,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in 1870, Captain in 1871, Major in 1874, Lieutenant Colonel in 1877,

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1883,

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in 1891, and

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.". OED ...

in 1900. 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 ...

of 1877–1878, Lahovary fought at the battle 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 ...

and at the Siege of Plevna. His awards include the War Medal of Military Virtue; 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 ...

, Commander class; and the Order of Carol I, Grand Officer class. His first wife was Elena Kretzulescu, with whom he had a daughter, Elena. Divorced in 1883, he remarried Alexandrina Cantacuzino, with whom he had two sons, Iacob and Leon. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for a little more than two years before he died in February 1907 and was replaced by his brother Ioan Lahovary. Lahovary died in Paris of colon cancer. He 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 Bucharest, in a tomb designed in 1905 by renowned architect

Ion Mincu Ion Mincu (; December 20, 1852 – December 6, 1912 in Bucharest) was a Romanian architect known for having a leading role in the development of the Romanian Revival style. Most of his projects are located in Bucharest, including his main work ...

Legacy

5-7, Strada Ion Movilă, Bucharest (Romania)

His resting place was vandalized in 1993, when his bust (the work of sculptor ) was stolen. In 2008,

Marian Vanghelie Daniel Marian Vanghelie (born 1968 in Bucharest, Romania) is a Romanian politician, the former mayor of the 5th Sector of Bucharest (2000–2016) and a former member of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD). He ran for a fifth term in 2016 ...

, the then-Mayor of Sector 5 of Bucharest had Lahovary's remains removed, and his grandfather was buried there, instead. A street in Galați is named after General Iacob Lahovary. The was built by Ion Mincu between 1884 and 1886, at his request. Registered now as a ''

monument istoric ''Monument istoric'' (plural: ''Monumente istorice''), a "historic monument", is the Romanian term of designation for national heritage sites in Romania. Classifications A ''Monument istoric'' is defined as: *an architectural or sculptural wor ...

'', the house is considered to be one of the first significant Romanian Revival style buildings in the history of Romanian architecture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahovary, Iacob 1846 births 1907 deaths Nobility from Bucharest Military personnel from Bucharest École Polytechnique alumni University of Paris alumni Romanian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Romanian Ministers of Defence Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Military Virtue Medal Deaths from colorectal cancer Deaths in Paris Burials at Bellu Cemetery