The Royal Family in Oradea: “The joy of the population that gathered from all the surrounding villages to meet us was frenetic”
During their first visit to Transylvania, the royal couple, Ferdinand I and Marie, visited Oradea, recently liberated from the Bolsheviks. It was May 23, 1919 and the beautiful Transylvanian city was waiting for its guests. Queen Marie wrote the following in her...
1916. From the diary of an enlisted teacher: “Cannons and guns roared terribly, and after a while I saw houses burning”
Alexandru Vasiliu Tătăruși was a folklore collector, who dedicated his entire life to rural education. Between July 11, 1916 and January 25, 1918, A. Vasiliu fought on the frontlines of the First World War. He was wounded and was rewarded for his bravery with two...
“As a conspiracy between nature and humans, the winter of 1917 was particularly harsh. In Iași, the thermometer dropped to -20 °, to -30 ° and even to -40 °.”
In the winter of 1917, Bucharest was under occupation, and the inhabitants of Muntenia were forced to flee. Besides poverty and disease, the main enemy was the cold. Moldavia did not expect such a large number of refugees. One of the biggest problems facing Iași, the...
How the Russian army disintegrated in less than a month on the Romanian Front
The signing of the armistice between the Central Powers, on one side, and Russia and Romania, on the other, at Focșani had unexpected effects for the troops of the Russian army on the Romanian Front. In less than a month, Russian troops disappeared from the Romanian...
How the Bolsheviks tried to dismiss the commander of the Russian troops from Romania
Russian troops on the Romanian Front began to be infected with the Bolshevik virus as early as the spring of 1917. During the summer of that year, during the battles of Mărăști, Mărășești and Oituz, some of the Russian soldiers on the Romanian Front, influenced by...
Romania’s strategy in the Focșani negotiations
The autumn of 1917 on the Romanian Front did not announce major changes. Following the battles of Mărăști, Mărășești and Oituz, the front line stabilized. While the Central Powers no longer had enough troops to force a new offensive, the Romanian soldiers had high...
The mission of General Constantin Coandă, the Romanian military attaché at STAVKA
The revolution that started in Russia in early March 1917 caused deep concern among Romanian authorities, given that Russia was the only ally that could offer Romania significant support in the fight against the Central Powers. Under these conditions, General...
The reaction of France on the conclusion of the armistice on the Romanian Front
Lenin’s decision to conclude peace with the Central Powers directly affected Romania. The armistice led, among other things, to the dissolution of the Russian army, which meant that the Romanian army remained the only disciplined military force on the Eastern Front....
Nicolae Brăiloiu, hero at 23. “Projectiles were pouring all around, frightening us”
Nicolae Brăiloiu was a hero, dying in the first month of the war. He was very young, only 23 years old, but he already had a Bachelor’s Degree in Letters, a Doctorate in Law and was a practicing lawyer. He went to the front as a reserve lieutenant of the 10th Howitzer...
Lucian Blaga and the Great Union: “The act at the crossroads, with its strength and atmosphere, communicates a historical consciousness”
Lucian Blaga had just returned to Sebeș from his studies in Vienna on November 1, 1918. The Hungarians still did not believe in the collapse of the empire, but things changed from one day to another: the gendarmes who still displayed a calm air “[…] were still wearing...