Artur Georgescu (A Federation of Equals)

Artur Georgescu Chief of General Staff

Date of Birth: January 30th, 1810 Place of Birth: Sibiu, Transsylvania Culture: Romanian

Biography: Artur Petru Traian Georgescu was born on January 30th, 1810, in the city of Sibiu, part of the realm of Emperor Francis I. Son to a Major in the Imperial Army, it was clear from the moment that Artur was born that he would one day occupy a position as officer in that same army. Following an education at the Theresian Military Academy in Vienna, Georgescu was assigned to a post as Lieutenant overseeing a railway station. Unhappy with his position, he applied for a transfer. His request was denied.

In 1839, aged 29, the disillusioned Georgescu left the army, and became active in Transsylvanian politics. It was here that he met Catalin Luca, a fellow Transsylvanian fighting for the independence of his nation. Captivated by the ideals of a Transsylvanian republic, independent of either the Austrian or Romanian emperors, Georgescu joined the underground Romanian National Party. It were his position in this party, and his military background, that would determine his role in the uprising nine years later. As commander of a Transsylvanian militia, Artur Georgescu joined the Austrian Republicans in their fight against the Habsburgs, in command of soldiers for the first time in his life. The militia would be tested in battle soon enough, at the Battle of the Plains of Padua, and its success proved the competency and talent of its commander.

After the revolution, as the dust settled and military appointments were made, Georgescu was appointed Colonel in the newly formed Republican Army by acting President Metternich himself. Only weeks later, the latter was shot clean through the spine. Political events led to the Russian War, in which Colonel Georgescu played a major part. His military skill was famed - his political views, however, were not. In 1857, as the Military Neutrality Act was approved of, the Liberal-minded Colonel publicly disapproved. As a result, he was once again in his life side-tracked, by means of a “promotion” to Head of the Military Secretariat. Seeking a transfer to a military position, Georgescu sought an ally in the Chief of General Staff, Symon Revenjo. Although the General seemed to approve of his transfer to a proper military position, political events made the transfer impossible time and again. As a result, Georgescu was stuck commanding a secretariat while the Danubian Revolutionary Brigades conquered the city of Vienna in 1863. In fact, he was almost executed by the rebels, even though he was not one of the Conservatives who the DRB leadership so despised.

Ironically, while the Socialists had almost killed Georgescu, they helped his career a lot. First, as the famed General Revenjo was discredited for supposedly helping the rebels, his position as Chief of General Staff became vacant. Then, Georgescu finally found his ally in the new Minister of War, Aetios Spiros. With the blessing of Spiros and the re-elected President Valenta, General Georgescu was at last appointed to the most senior military position in the Republican Army.