Constantin Cristescu (2 December 1866 — 9 May 1923) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army.

Biography

Early life

He was born on 2 December 1866 in Pădureți village, in

Argeș County Argeș County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Pitești. Demographics At the 2021 Romanian census, 2021 census, the county had a population of 569,932 and the population density was . At the 2011 Ro ...

. He attended the gymnasium in

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...

and the School for Sons of Military in

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

. In 1887 he graduated first in his class from the Infantry and Cavalry Officers School in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, with the rank of second lieutenant. Cristescu pursued his studies at the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1890, the School of Artillery and Engineering Application of

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

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 () is the highest professional military authority in the Romanian Armed Forces. He is appointed by the President of Romania, at the Ministry of National Defense (Romania), National Defense Minister's proposal (with the ...

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 fought by the Central Powers against the Kingdom of Romania and Russian Empire, Russia on the Romania in World War I, Romanian front during World War I. ...

, 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. 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 Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...

. He died on 9 May 1923 in Bucharest, and was buried at Bellu Cemetery, 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 Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

(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 () 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 The order was originally awarded in three classes: ''G ...

(

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

) * Grand officer of the Order of St. Sava (

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, 1913)

Legacy

In Bucharest,

, and Slatina streets are named ''General Constantin Cristescu'' after him. Also, schools in Bogați 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 People from the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia