The Serbian invasion of Banat (II)
Just a few days before the end of the First World War, newly liberated Serbia sent its units to occupy Banat, taking advantage of the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy. On November 15, 1918, the Serbs marched into Timișoara, inaugurating two and a half months of...
The Serbian invasion of Banat (I)
Just a few days before the end of the First World War, newly liberated Serbia sent its units to occupy Banat, taking advantage of the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy. On November 15, 1918, the Serbs marched into Timișoara, inaugurating two and a half months of...
Sabotaging the German war machine: The destruction of the Romanian oilfields in November 1916
In order to prevent the use of Romanian oil by the Germans in the First World War, the refineries, wells, as well as the installations in the south-east of the country were destroyed in the autumn of 1916 by British engineers, with the consent of a relunctant Romanian...
The mines of Messines: “We may not change history tomorrow, but we will certainly change geography”
In the summer of 1917 the battle of Messines begins. It was started by the detonation of 19 colossal mines, 500 tonnes each, placed beforehand by the British corps of engineers under the German positions. The fortified peak was destroyed, in what was called at that...
Romania’s objectives at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Romanian Prime Minister Ionel Brătianu presented himself at the Peace Conference with an extremely well-established and precise plan. On December 14th, 1918, King Ferdinand appointed Ionel Brătianu to head the government. The news was not well received by the Allies,...
Romania, dissatisfied with the way negotiations were handled at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Ionel Brătianu, the Romanian prime minister, had a tumultuous relationship in Paris with the leaders of the Great Powers. He was deeply dissatisfied with the fact that the Great Powers did not recognize Romania’s equal status that would allow it to better promote the...
23 July, 1914: The Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia
The Austro-Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Berchtold, to the Austro-Hungarian Minister at Belgrade, von Giesl: „Your Excellency will present the following note to the Royal [Serbian] Government on the afternoon of Thursday, July 23 [1914]” Baron Giesl von...
To My faithful Austrian peoples’ – Emperor Karl’s manifesto
On 16 October 1918, after it had become clear that the negotiations conducted by the imperial government with the deputies of the Reichsrat and the representatives of the nationalities would be unsuccessful, Emperor Karl published an appeal with an invitation to his...
October 27th, 1916: Reports about Romanian front
The past two days of blue skies and hard cold winds have resulted in a general drying of the ground in the Somme battle areas, again permitting activities. British troops have already taken advantage of the improvements. Advancing on a line of 5,000 yards on the...
Queen Marie on the Tutrakan military disaster. “It is said that they have been machine-gunned. If true, it’s downright monstrous!”
During the First World War, Queen Marie of Romania was involved in numerous relief actions, while also having an active role on the political stage. Immediately following the death of King Carol I and Romania’s subsequent entry into the war, the queen started keeping...
Lloyd George, the Russian Bolsheviks and the Paris Peace Conference
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, said during the Paris Peace Conference that Russia had become a land of the unknown: “Russia was a jungle where no one could say exactly what was happening”. The Great Powers did not understand what the situation in Russia...
The Paris Peace Conference, the leaders of the Great Powers and the Russian Bolsheviks
In January 1919, all roads led to Paris. After the greatest war that mankind had ever seen, the peace conference was the most discussed topic. The most powerful politicians and generals in the world arrived in Paris. Countries large and small had interests closely...
Spanish flu in the Romanian press of 1918
Even though the whole world had suffered since the spring of 1918 of the ravages caused by the Spanish flu it barely made headlines in the issue of October 9, 1918 of the “Epoca” newspaper. Penned under a pseudonym and included in the popular section “Moments and...
Misleading appearances: The military context in which Romania entered the First World War
Romania entered the First World War on August 27, 1916, after two years of hard negotiations with the Entente. Romanian Prime Minister Ionel Brătianu considered that the time had come for action for several reasons: the Entente had transmitted an ultimatum, it was now...
7 things you didn’t know about America’s entry and involvement in the First World War
American troops arrived on the western front in 1918 full of enthusiasm, and in the spirit of great adventure. Yet most of them were novices who, unlike their German counterparts, had seen practically no action. Determined to teach them this was no game, the Germans...
1917- The Bulgarians rob the Romanian Academy
In 1917, the whole of Muntenia was forced to go into exile, in Iași, leaving behind many assets and valuable goods. Among them were many important documents of the Romanian Academy. This time, however, the Germans were not guilty of theft, but the Bulgarians and it...