Soldatul român și atitudinea în fața morții (I): Războiul de Independență
The Romanian Soldier Facing Death (I): The War of Independence

Summary/Abstract: The Romanian Army was founded rather late when compared to other European armies. The Romanian countries under the Ottoman Porte did not benefit from a permanent professional army due to the imposed conditions. Until Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s enthronement, the situation evolved little by little toward a permanent army, but not enough to talk about a well-trained, modernized army according to the military principles of the era. Nevertheless, during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the Romanian soldiers entered the war at the Russians’ insistence, in the context of the latter’s losses. Moreover, they accomplished acts of bravery that persisted in the collective mentality for decades. Additionally, the Romanians obtained victories that contributed to the recognition of the Independence of the young state. The losses were significant for all the involved parties. Our study reveals the Romanian soldiers’ attitude toward death on the battlefield, based on the contemporary documents and testimonials. Our main interest is in the way in which the Romanians reacted to the imminent danger of death while facing the much more experienced Ottoman Army, accustomed to frequent wars.

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