Nicolae Samsonovici (August 7, 1877–September 16, 1950) 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. He attended officer training school in Bucharest from 1897 and afterwards joined an infantry regiment in a Romanian Army regiment. Samsonovici commanded a battalion during the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

and during the

First World War 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 ...

served was chief of staff of, successively, a division, corps and army. He ended the war in command of the 77th Infantry Regiment. Samsonovici was promoted to general rank in 1919 and served on the army staff; in the 1930s, he served as Chief of the General Staff and as Defense Minister. He resigned from active duty in 1937 upon which he was promoted to the rank of army corps general. Samsonovici was arrested by the communist regime in 1950 and died in prison.

Origins through World War I

Born in

Dorohoi Dorohoi () is a city in Botoșani County, Romania, on the right bank of the river Jijia, which broadens into a lake on the north. The city administers three villages: Dealu Mare, Loturi Enescu, and Progresul. History Dorohoi used to be a market ...

to Costache and Agripina Samsonovici, he graduated from the soldiers’ sons’ school in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

in 1895 and from the

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 ...

officers’ school in 1897. He was then assigned as an infantry second lieutenant to a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

regiment. Samsonovici steadily rose through the ranks: lieutenant (1900), captain (1907) and major (1913). From 1910 to 1912, he attended the Higher War School, graduating first in his class. From June to August 1913, he commanded a battalion in the

. His next assignments were with the general staff and with a

Bacău Bacău ( ; , ; ; ) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. With a population of 136,087 (as of 2021 census), Bacău is the 14th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the ...

regiment. In August 1916, upon Romania’s entry into

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 ...

, Samsonovici was advanced to lieutenant colonel and made chief of staff of the 7th Infantry Division. As such, he coordinated offensive and defensive moves around Ghimeș,

Brețcu Brețcu ( ; , Hungarian pronunciation: ; ) is a commune in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania composed of three villages: Brețcu, Mărtănuș (''Kézdimartonos''), and Oituz (''Ojtoztelep''). The village has been recorded under different name ...

Târgu Secuiesc Târgu Secuiesc (; , ; ; ) is a city in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers one village, Lunga (''Nyújtód''). History The town was first mentioned in 1407 as ''Torjawasara'', meaning in Hungarian “Torja Market”. ( Torja ...

Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; ; ) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt River valley. The city administers three ...

, Vlăhița and

Odorheiu Secuiesc Odorheiu Secuiesc (; , ; ) is the second largest municipality in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania. In its short form, it is also known as ''Odorhei'' in Romanian and ''Udvarhely'' in Hungarian. The Hungarian name of the town "Udvarhely" mean ...

. He was also active on the Trotuș and Uz valleys; after two weeks of heavy fighting, the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

was prevented from taking Comănești,

Dărmănești Dărmănești (; ) is a town in eastern Romania, in Bacău County, in the valleys of the Trotuș and Uz rivers. The town is named after one of its leaders, "Dărman" and the earliest reference to the town is from the 16th century. As of 2021, ...

and Bacău, withdrawing into a defensive posture. Finally, he was active along the Cricovul Sărat line. For his merits, Samsonovici was made a colonel in April 1917. As Chief of Staff of the 6th Army Corps and then of the First Army, he played an important role in 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. ...

, drawing praise from commanders Eremia Grigorescu and Constantin Prezan. In October 1918 he took command of the 77th Infantry Regiment.

Postwar, recognition and aftermath

In March 1919, after the end of the war, Samsonovici was made a brigadier general, assigned to the general staff. From 1921 to 1926, he headed the Higher War School, where he was professor of tactics, strategy and military history. In the 1920s, he published several books related to the activity of general staffs, tactics, decisions, offensive and defensive principles. From 1926 to 1927, he commanded the 19th Infantry Division at

Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats lying on the river Danube. "Drobeta" is the name ...

. From 1927 to 1928, he was deputy chief of the general staff. During this time, he advanced to division general.Balanovici, p. 281 Samsonovici was twice

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 ...

: November 1928-August 1932, and December 1934-February 1937. From August 1932 to November 1933, he served as Defense Minister under

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was a Romanian lawyer and politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Union of Transylvania wi ...

and

Alexandru Vaida-Voevod Alexandru Vaida-Voevod or Vaida-Voievod (27 February 1872 – 19 March 1950) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician who was a supporter and promoter of the union of Transylvania (before 1920 part of Hungary) with the Romanian Old K ...

. During his time at the forefront of the army, he focused on improving its structure, equipment and training; and on developing ties with allied armies, particularly those of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, France, and Great Britain. He was especially noted for his Polonophile views. He signed numerous military agreements with other members of the

Little Entente The Little Entente was an alliance formed in 1920 and 1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia from 1929 on) with the purpose of common defense against Hungarian revisionism and the prospect of ...

and the

Balkan Entente The Balkan Pact, or Balkan Entente, was a treaty signed by Greece, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia on 9 February 1934

, amidst an increasingly tense situation in Europe.Balanovici, p. 282 He was part of the Romanian delegation to the

World Disarmament Conference The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, generally known as the Geneva Conference or World Disarmament Conference, was an international conference of states held in Geneva, Switzerland, between February 1932 and November 1934 ...

of 1932-1934.Balanovici, p. 283 Around 1936, he had an affair with Florica Titulescu, a high society lady related to

Nicolae Titulescu Nicolae Titulescu (; 4 March 1882 – 17 March 1941) was a Romanian politician and diplomat, at various times ambassador, finance minister, and foreign minister, and for two terms served as president of the General Assembly of the League of Nati ...

who passed military secrets to French intelligence. In February 1937, Samsonovici resigned from active duty, and was advanced to army corps general in 1938. His awards included 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 (1917) and commander;

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

, fourth class (1917);

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, second class (1918);

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

, knight commander (1918);

Order of Michael the Brave The Order of Michael the Brave () is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King of Romania, King Ferdinand I of Romania, Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign (World War I), Romanian Campaign of the World War I ...

, third class (1919);

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, officer (1920); Order of the Crown, commander (1920); ''Croix de guerre 1914–1918'' (1920); Victory Medal (1923). He was also made a commander of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

, and granted the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, second class, as well as the Order of the White Eagle. Arrested in May 1950 by the early

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

, Samsonovici died several months later at Sighet Prison. He was buried at the Paupers Cemetery in

Sighetu Marmației Sighetu Marmației (, also spelled ''Sighetul Marmației''; or ''Siget''; , ; ; ), until 1960 Sighet, is a city in Maramureș County near the Iza River, in northwestern Romania. Geography Sighetu Marmației is situated along the Tisa river o ...

, in a

common grave A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pur ...

on the banks of the

Tisza River The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...

. His widow Margareta and their daughter Lucia were both arrested in April 1952, spending two years in prison.Familia Samsonovici
at the Sighet Memorial site A younger daughter, ill and blind, was left alone. Margareta and Lucia later emigrated to Belgium.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samsonovici, Nicolae 1877 births 1950 deaths People from Dorohoi Romanian military personnel of the Second Balkan War Romanian military personnel of World War I Romanian Land Forces generals Ministers of defence of Romania Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania Carol I National Defence University alumni Academic staff of Carol I National Defence University Rectors of universities in Romania Romanian military historians Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania Commanders of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of Michael the Brave Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Commanders of the Order of the White Lion Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Inmates of Sighet prison Romanian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Securitate custody