Treaty of Bucharest, 1916
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Bucharest of 1916 was signed between Romania
and the Entente Powers
on 4 (Old Style)/17 (New Style) August 1916 in Bucharest
. The treaty stipulated the conditions under which Romania agreed to join the war on the side of the Entente, particularly territorial promises in Austro-Hungary. The signatories bound themselves to keep secret the contents of the treaty until a general peace was concluded.
, a fluent French speaker, was sent to Bucharest as British military attaché on Kitchener's initiative to bring Romania into the war. But when there he quickly formed the view that an unprepared and ill-armed Romania facing a war on three fronts against Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria would be a liability not an asset to the allies. This view was brushed aside by Whitehall, and he signed (with foreboding) a Military Convention with Romania on 13 August 1916. Thompson became head of the British Military Mission.
—in accordance with the stipulations in the military convention—on August 28 (new style) the latest, and according to the political treaty, in exchange it was to receive the following territories:
The exact borders stipulated by the treaty were those of prewar Romania (Article I) plus those it was allowed to annex from Austro-Hungaria, up to a line of demarcation described in Article IV:
In article IV Romania also bound itself not to construct fortifications opposite of Belgrade, and to indemnify
Serbs from Banat for their properties if they emigrated from Romania in the two years following the conclusion of peace.
In Article V of the political convention, the signatories promised not to make separate peace, and also bound Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia to let Romania annex the territories from article IV at an eventual Peace Treaty. The Entente also guaranteed Romania equal rights with its allies at the Peace Conference in article VI of the political treaty. Article VII bound the signatories to maintaining secrecy of the convention until a general peace was signed.
The military convention stated that Romania was to attack Austria-Hungary
from the south, while Russia committed itself to start an offensive on the Austrian front in order to support the Romanian advance into Transylvania. Also the Russian High Command promised to send two infantry divisions and one cavalry division into Dobruja
to protect the rear of the front from a Bulgarian attack. The French and the British pledged to start an offensive on the Thessaloniki
front in order to force Bulgaria out of the war.
, convened by King Ferdinand. The Council decided to honor the Treaty with the Entente Powers, and on 27 August, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, and launched three armies of 440,000 men the same night across the passages of the Southern Carpathians
.
The advance of the Romanian Army was unopposed, as Austria-Hungary did not station considerable forces along the Romanian border. By mid-September, however, the attack was halted, as German
-Bulgaria
n troops advanced into Dobruja
and threatened to outflank the Romanian Army from the south-east.
In October the Romanian Army was pushed out of Transylvania with the help of German reinforcements. By the end of 1916 the capital Bucharest
fell—along with Wallachia
and Dobruja—under the control of Central Powers
and the Romanian government retreated to Iaşi
. Thompson, now head of the British Military Mission, had to alleviate the consequences of Romania’s capitulation, and he personally supervised the destruction of the Romanian oil wells to deny them to Germany.
In 1917, the Romanian Army recovered and succeeded to stop the German attempts to break the front, in spite of the disintegration of the Russian Army after the February Revolution
. The toll of the campaign was approximately 100,000 dead for Romania, but in the end it gained Transylvania, Bukovina
and Bessarabia
.
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
and the Entente Powers
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
on 4 (Old Style)/17 (New Style) August 1916 in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. The treaty stipulated the conditions under which Romania agreed to join the war on the side of the Entente, particularly territorial promises in Austro-Hungary. The signatories bound themselves to keep secret the contents of the treaty until a general peace was concluded.
Negotiations
In 1915 Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher ThomsonChristopher Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson
Christopher Birdwood Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson PC was a British Army officer who went on to serve as a Labour minister and peer...
, a fluent French speaker, was sent to Bucharest as British military attaché on Kitchener's initiative to bring Romania into the war. But when there he quickly formed the view that an unprepared and ill-armed Romania facing a war on three fronts against Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria would be a liability not an asset to the allies. This view was brushed aside by Whitehall, and he signed (with foreboding) a Military Convention with Romania on 13 August 1916. Thompson became head of the British Military Mission.
Treaty
The treaty had two parts: a political treaty (seven articles) and a military convention (seventeen articles). The Romanian government was to declare war on Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
—in accordance with the stipulations in the military convention—on August 28 (new style) the latest, and according to the political treaty, in exchange it was to receive the following territories:
- TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, CrişanaCrisanaCrișana is a geographical and historical region divided today between Romania and Hungary, named after the Criș River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru and Crișul Repede....
and Maramureş, territories ruled by Hungary, but with an ethnic Romanian majority and Hungarian and GermanTransylvanian SaxonsThe Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
minorities, with its western border reaching the Tisza river. - the whole BanatBanatThe Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, territory ruled by Hungary, with a mixed Hungarian, Romanian, German and Serbian population. - BukovinaBukovinaBukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, territory ruled by Austria, with a mixed Romanian-Ukrainian population
The exact borders stipulated by the treaty were those of prewar Romania (Article I) plus those it was allowed to annex from Austro-Hungaria, up to a line of demarcation described in Article IV:
In article IV Romania also bound itself not to construct fortifications opposite of Belgrade, and to indemnify
Serbs from Banat for their properties if they emigrated from Romania in the two years following the conclusion of peace.
In Article V of the political convention, the signatories promised not to make separate peace, and also bound Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia to let Romania annex the territories from article IV at an eventual Peace Treaty. The Entente also guaranteed Romania equal rights with its allies at the Peace Conference in article VI of the political treaty. Article VII bound the signatories to maintaining secrecy of the convention until a general peace was signed.
The military convention stated that Romania was to attack Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
from the south, while Russia committed itself to start an offensive on the Austrian front in order to support the Romanian advance into Transylvania. Also the Russian High Command promised to send two infantry divisions and one cavalry division into Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
to protect the rear of the front from a Bulgarian attack. The French and the British pledged to start an offensive on the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
front in order to force Bulgaria out of the war.
Romania enters the war
In the morning of 14/27 August, a Crown Council was held at the Cotroceni PalaceCotroceni Palace
Cotroceni Palace is a palace in Bucharest which is the residence of the President of Romania, located at Bulevardul Geniului, nr. 1.On Cotroceni Hill, in 1679, Şerban Cantacuzino built a monastery...
, convened by King Ferdinand. The Council decided to honor the Treaty with the Entente Powers, and on 27 August, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, and launched three armies of 440,000 men the same night across the passages of the Southern Carpathians
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians or the Transylvanian Alps are a group of mountain ranges which divide central and southern Romania, on one side, and Serbia, on the other side. They cover part of the Carpathian Mountains that is located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and Cerna Rivers...
.
The advance of the Romanian Army was unopposed, as Austria-Hungary did not station considerable forces along the Romanian border. By mid-September, however, the attack was halted, as German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n troops advanced into Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
and threatened to outflank the Romanian Army from the south-east.
In October the Romanian Army was pushed out of Transylvania with the help of German reinforcements. By the end of 1916 the capital Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
fell—along with Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
and Dobruja—under the control of Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
and the Romanian government retreated to Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
. Thompson, now head of the British Military Mission, had to alleviate the consequences of Romania’s capitulation, and he personally supervised the destruction of the Romanian oil wells to deny them to Germany.
In 1917, the Romanian Army recovered and succeeded to stop the German attempts to break the front, in spite of the disintegration of the Russian Army after the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
. The toll of the campaign was approximately 100,000 dead for Romania, but in the end it gained Transylvania, Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
and Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.