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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Romania
Index
Colonel Alexandru Ioan Cuza, a hero of 1848 who became
prince
of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Walachia in
1859,
emphasized the establishment of a large, modern army on
the level
of the major powers of Europe. He believed that the
viability of
the first autonomous Romanian state depended on strong
armed
forces, under national control, that were capable of
deterring
would-be invaders. He formed a Ministry of War and a
general staff
to administer and train the army of the United
Principalities.
Cuza established a working military relationship with
France,
which had a tremendous influence on the development of the
modern
Romanian army. In 1859 the French emperor, Napoleon III,
sent a
ten-year military mission of instructors and specialists
to the
United Principalities. They trained the first Romanian
army and
directed the construction of factories and foundries to
manufacture
arms, equipment, ordnance, and other war matériel.
Napoleon III
accepted Moldavian and Walachian officers into French
military
academies at St. Cyr, Metz, Brest, and Saumur. Cuza also
established programs of military cooperation with Belgium
and
Serbia, and these programs supplied the United
Principalities with
several types of armaments. Cuza sent military attachés to
observe
combat around the world, including the battles of the
American
Civil War.
The Law on the Organization of the Army, drafted by
Cuza and
passed by the parliament of the United Principalities in
1864,
established three major divisions at Bucharest, Iasi, and
Craiova;
set up a regular standing army of 20,000 soldiers and
territorial
defense units with 25,000 reserves; and formed the first
Romanian
officer training college. Cuza's successor, a German
prince, who
ruled as Carol I (1866-1914), had served as an officer in
the
Prussian Army and experienced combat in Denmark in 1864.
Carol I
continued the military development initiated by Cuza; the
army
built by Cuza and Carol I played a decisive role in
achieving full
independence and sovereignty for Romania.
Data as of July 1989
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