Radu R. Rosetti

Radu R. Rosetti ( – June 2, 1949) was a Romanian brigadier general, military historian, librarian, and a titular member of the Romanian Academy.

Biography Early years Born in Căiuți, Bacău County, he was part of the old boyar Rosetti family. he and his wife, Emma Bogdan, had four children: Radu, Henri, Eugeniu, and Magdalena. Radu attended primary school in his native village; in 1888 the family moved to Târgu Ocna, and then to Brăila, where the father was named prefect of Brăila County.In late 1892, the Rosetti family moves yet again, after the father is named prefect of Bacău County.

World War I In August 1916, at the start of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, Rosetti was a major in the Romanian Army, serving as chief of the operations bureau for the general staff In this position, he objected to the numerous promotions made two days before the fall of Bucharest to the Central Powers, ostensibly to raise officer morale. He believed promotions for their own sake cheapened the meaning of rank and eroded respect for the hierarchy. Although he too was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 22 November,

In January 1917 Rosetti was put in command of the 55th/67th Infantry Regiment, with troops from Piatra Neamț and Bacău, and garrisoned at Vorniceni, near Botoșani. In April he fell ill with typhus, and was moved to the Charity Hospital in Iași, where he stayed until May. At the request of General Constantin Prezan, Rosetti took command on 4 June of the 4th/72nd Infantry Regiment, composed of units from Ploiești and Mizil. With this regiment he fought fiercely at the Battle of Mărășești, under the command of General Eremia Grigorescu. On 19 August he was badly wounded by machine gun fire at Răzoare. He was then transported to the French Hospital of Notre Dame de Sion in Iași, where he was treated by Dr. E. Sorrel, and was visited by Ion I. C. Brătianu, Barbu Știrbei, and the Royal Family.

The interwar

After the war, he served as military attaché in London, from 1 July 1919 to 1 October 1920. Subsequently, he was named commander of a brigade and head of training courses for high-level officers. In 1924, he was advanced to the rank of brigadier general. before being stripped of membership in 1948 by the new communist regime.

World War II In January 1941, immediately after the Legionnaires' rebellion was crushed, Conducător Ion Antonescu asked Rosetti to join a new government as Education Minister. A longtime opponent of totalitarianism, he reluctantly accepted, but resigned in November after ten months in office. He invoked health reasons, but the real cause of his departure was aggravation at the tension that had arisen between him and part of the ministerial staff, who found his inflexibility and integrity an inconvenience to their various arrangements. On 7 November 1941 he was awarded the Order of the Crown, Grand Cross class.

Last years

Rosetti subsequently returned as library director, where he continued researching military history and presented his findings in speeches before the academy or in published articles. Under the principle of collective responsibility, he was sentenced by the tribunal to two years' imprisonment in January 1949. Rosetti was sent to Jilava Prison, where he was severely beaten. He died that June at Văcărești Prison.

Legacy and appeal On October 26, 1998, the High Court of Cassation and Justice rejected the request to extend the annulment appeal, made by the Chief Prosecutor, Sorin Moisescu, in favor of Rosetti and several other member of the Antonescu cabinet who had been sentenced to between two and ten years of hard prison under the charges of war crimes, subordinating the national economy to fascism, and high treason.

In Onești, a street is named General Radu R. Rosetti after him. A school in Brusturoasa also bears his name.

In 2017, Poșta Română issued a 4.50 lei stamp in his honor, part of the "Eternal Glory to the First World War Heroes" series, which also includes Generals Ion Dragalina and David Praporgescu.

Awards Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd class (9 October 1917) , Knight class (7 June 1940) Order of the Crown (Romania), Grand Cross class (7 November 1941)

Publications