Constantin Poenaru (April 8, 1842–1912) 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 ...

n general. Born 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 ...

, Poenaru attended the local officers’ school from 1859 to 1861, followed by the

École supérieure de guerre École or Ecole 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 * Éco ...

in Paris. A second lieutenant from 1861, he rose to captain in 1867 and to major in 1872, and commanded the military engineers’ battalion from 1872 to 1877. When the

Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence () is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), in which Romania, fighting on the Russian side of the war, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On ...

broke out in 1877, he saw action during the

Siege of Plevna The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

. Gheorghe Șonțu and

Valter Mărăcineanu Nicolae Valter Mărăcineanu (May 30, 1840 — ) was a Romanian soldier. He was born in Craiova, in the Oltenia region of Wallachia. Entering the Romanian Land Forces, Land Forces as a volunteer Sergeant in 1858, he was promoted to 2nd Lieut ...

were under his command.Oroian, pp. 48-50 In 1880, Poenaru was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he became inspector of military engineers. In 1882, he was made commander of the first engineers’ regiment in the Romanian Army. In 1884, he was placed in charge of the officers’ school. Promoted to colonel in 1886 and to brigadier general in 1891, he headed an army corps from 1896. He taught strategy both at the officers’ academy and at the Higher War School. In June 1894 he became War Minister, serving until October 1895. Together with

Iacob Lahovary Iacob N. Lahovary (; 16 January 1846 – 7 February 1907) was a member of the Romanian aristocracy, a general, politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of War and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Romania. Life and care ...

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 ...

, he pursued institutional reform, modernizing the army's structure and cementing the special status of the general staff. From 1898 to 1901, Poenaru, from 1900 a division general, himself served as General Staff Chief, with Lahovary as War Minister. The two continued to collaborate, with Poenaru focused on updating mobilization plans and battle regulations. He also drew up plans for an eventual occupation of

Austro-Hungarian 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 between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

ruled

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, foreseeing a vigorous offensive from multiple directions. Finally, in the interests of monitoring the border with Austria-Hungary, he detached infantry battalions to the mountain passes of the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...

. Poenaru was awarded the Order of the Crown, commander, grand officer and grand cross; 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 ...

, officer and grand officer; 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 with the Tako ...

; and the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

Notes

References

*Teofil Oroian, ''Șefii statului major general român 1859-2000'', pp. 48–50. Bucharest: Editura Europa Nova, 2001, {{DEFAULTSORT:Poenaru, Constantin 1842 births 1912 deaths Military personnel from Bucharest Romanian Land Forces generals Romanian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Ministers of defence of Romania Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Academic staff of Carol I National Defence University Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Takovo Recipients of the Order of St. Anna