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The Reflection in the Press of the Epoch of General Henri Mathias Berthelot Visit to Transylvania

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The Reflection in the Press of the Epoch of General Henri Mathias Berthelot Visit to Transylvania Iulian Boldea, Dumitru-Mircea Buda, Cornel Sigmirean (Editors) MEDIATING GLOBALIZATION: Identities in Dialogue Arhipelag XXI Press, 2018 THE REFLECTION IN THE PRESS OF THE EPOCH OF GENERAL HENRI MATHIAS BERTHELOT VISIT TO TRANSYLVANIA Gherghina Boda Scientific Researcher I, Musem of Dacian and Roman Civilisation, Deva Abstract. Having arrived in Romania in 1916 as head of the French Military Mission, General Henri Berthelot took a number of administrative and tactical-military measures which enabled him to reform, discipline and train the Romanian Army in the spirit of the French military doctrine as well as equip and mobilize it to win some important battles that undoubtedly contributed to the Great Union of 1 st December 1918. His outstanding military skills and personal qualities made this French general one of the most appreciated men in the military; this appreciation transcended the framework of the Romanian army, reaching the common people, who showed him great love and sincere gratitude. These feelings were demonstrated on the occasion of his visit to Transylvania, when the population cheered and welcomed him with great joy, honoring him as one of their great heroes. The Romanian people still has a fond memory of the man they used to call “papa Berthelot”, and therefore, he is celebrated or commemorated regularly, and his exploits are forever etched in the collective memory of the Romanians. Keywords: general Bethelot, Romanian Army, visits, Transylvania, Banat and Bihor, appreciation. Personalitate marcant ă a elitei armatei franceze, cu o via ţă exemplar ă şi o carier ă str ălucitoare, generalul Henri Mathias Berthelot este pu ţin cunoscut în Fran ţa sa natal ă, poate datorit ă faptului c ă a petrecut mult timp în afara Frontului de Vest pe care mul ţi contemporani s-au f ăcut remarca ţi, în schimb este foarte cunoscut şi onorat în România 1, ac ţiunile militare şi personalitatea sa dând na ştere unor adânci sentimente de recuno ştin ţă şi afec ţiune cald ă atât în rândurile armatei române, cât şi ale civililor. Dovada acestei recuno ştin ţe este relevat ă toponimic, prin str ăzi din localit ăţ i române şti purtând numele generalului, pie ţe, dar mai ales a satului hunedorean în care se află şi conacul primit de la autorit ăţ ile române şti drept recuno ştin ţă pentru aportul s ău deosebit la victoriile militare ale armatei române în perioada Primului R ăzboi Mondial. La 27 martie 1923, statul român îi atribuie generalului francez o proprietate în satul hunedorean F ărc ădinul de Jos, care de atunci se va numi General Bethelot, denumire care în 1965 se va schimba în Unirea, revenirea la vechiul nume al generalului având loc în 7 decembrie 2001, ca o dovad ă a sentimentelor vii pe care locuitorii acestei localit ăţ i înc ă le purtau amintirii eroului francez. Dup ă moartea sa, survenit ă în 1931, cl ădirea şi ferma agricol ă au fost l ăsate prin testament Academiei Române care trebuia s ă utilizeze veniturile ob ţinute la finan ţarea unei burse pentru tinerii care studiau la Şcoala Militar ă din Bucure şti şi care mergeau la perfec ţionare la Academia Militar ă din Nancy. Conacul, la fel ca alte re şedin ţe nobiliare, în perioada comunistă a fost transformat 1„Le général Berthelot, un Forézien héros national en... Roumanie”, în Forez info , 2007, f.p., https://www.forez- info.com/encyclopedie/histoire/174-le-general-berthelot-un-forezien-heros-national-en-roumanie.html Section: History, Political Sciences, International Relations 285 Iulian Boldea, Dumitru-Mircea Buda, Cornel Sigmirean (Editors) MEDIATING GLOBALIZATION: Identities in Dialogue Arhipelag XXI Press, 2018 în coperativ ă agricol ă, apoi în şcoal ă şi gr ădini ţă pentru copii, jefuit şi l ăsat în paragin ă2. În septembrie 2001, Academia român ă achizi ţioneaz ă conacul îns ă, din cauza lipsei banilor necesari, renovarea se definitiveaz ă abia în 2010, de când devine sediul Centrului de Dezvoltare Durabil ă a Țării Ha țegului . Generalul Berthelot s-a n ăscut la 7 decembrie 1861 la Feurs (regiunea Loirei), într-o familie modest ă dar onorabil ă, pentru care munca reprezenta un adev ărat cult, tat ăl s ău Claude, fost c ăpitan de jandarmi în Nervieux, exercitând o puternic ă influen ţă în alegerea viitoarei sale meserii 3. Împreun ă cu fratele s ău Joannès, locotenent în jandarmerie şi mort accidental în 1897, a urmat cursurile şcolii militare preg ătitoare de copii de trup ă din Billom 4. Între anii 1881-1883, urmeaz ă cursurile prestigioasei Şcoli militare de la Saint-Cyr, promo ţia „Egipt”, dup ă absolvire tân ărul sublocotenent de infanterie cerând s ă fie repartizat în Algeria, dup ă care ajunge în Indochina, locuri unde se remarc ă ca un soldat destoinic, dotatat cu reale calit ăţ i militare, pentru ca în anul 1887 s ă se reîntoarc ă în Fran ţa unde absolv ă Şcoala Superioar ă de R ăzboi din Paris, în 1889 intrând în corpul de stat-major în cadrul Statului Major General francez 5. Datorit ă calit ăţ ile sale excep ţionale, în decembrie 1913 este avansat la gradul de general de brigad ă iar în noiembrie 1914 la gradul de general de divizie. A participat activ la luptele de pe Marna şi a contribuit activ la victoria de la Verdun, a luptat pe fronturile din România, Fran ţa, Rusia şi Bulgaria, a cucerit victorii şi a pierdut b ătălii, toate îns ă îmbog ăţ indu-i experien ţa de lupt ă şi transformându-l în unul dintre militarii cei mai de seam ă ai armatei franceze. Având în vedere experien ţa sa de r ăzboi, în 1916 mare şalul Joffre a considerat c ă este cel mai potrivit s ă reorganizeze armata român ă, motiv pentru care l-a trimis în fruntea unei misiuni militare franceze în România, care a activat, în prima etap ă, între 15 octombrie 1916-9 martie 1918. Reîntors în Fran ţa, în perioada mai- iunie a fost trimis într-o misiune în S.U.A., dup ă care a activat pe Frontul de vest, iar în perioada octombrie 1918-mai 1919 a revenit în România unde şi-a adus contribu ţia la eliberarea ţă rii de trupele Puterilor Centrale, coordonând şi interven ţia alia ţilor în sudul Rusiei împotriva bol şevicilor 6. În octombrie 1919 a fost numit guvernator militar al Metzului, în 1923 devine guvernator militar al Strasburgului, între 1921-1925 a fost membru în consiliul superior de r ăzboi iar în 1926 se pensioneaz ă7. S-a stins din via ţă la 28 ianuarie 1931, în urma unei opera ţii de amputare a p ărţii inferioare a unui picior, funeraliile f ăcându-se în 31 ianuarie la capela Sainte Louise din Domul Invalizilor, într-o simplitate care îi era caracteristic ă, dup ă care a fost transportat la Nervieux, unde a fost înmormântat în p ământul natal 8. Participarea sa la evenimentele militare şi politice ale anilor 1916-1919, momente decisive pentru România care reu şise s ă-şi p ăstreze neutralitatea timp de doi ani, implicarea sa total ă în lupta, în primul rând na ţional ă, pe care o ducea ţara noastr ă care î şi dorea cu ardoare reîntregirea teritorial ă, curajul, onestitatea şi loialitatea fa ţă de un popor despre care nu ştia aproape nimic în momentul sosirii sale, implicarea necondi ţionat ă la reorganizarea armatei române, ajutorul material şi în special suportul 2 Grandhomme, J.N., „La mémoire roumaine de ma mission Berthelot (1918-2007)”, în Presses Universitaires de France , nr. 228, 2007/4, p. 34, https://www.cairn.info/revue-guerres-mondiales-et-conflitscontemporains-2007-4-page-23.htm 3 Preda, D., Moghior, N., Velter, T., Berthelot et la Roumanie. Album , Bucure şti, 1997, p. 10; Florescu Gh. I., în General Henri Berthelot, Jurnal şi coresponden ţă 1916-1919 , Cluj-Napoca, 2000, p. 11. 4 Nouzille, J., „Le general Berthelot et la mision militaire française en Roumanie 1916-1918”, în Cip ăianu, G., Vesa, V., La présence française en Roumanie pendant la Grande Guerre (1914-1918) , Cluj-Napoca, 1997, pp. 18-19. 5 Preda, D., Moghior, N., Velter, T., op. cit. , pp. 10-11; Grandhomme, Jean-Noël, „Generalul Berthelot, un francez cu suflet de român”, f.p., https://www.historia.ro/sectiune/general/articol/generalul-berthelot-un-francez-cu-suflet-de-roman 6 Florescu Gh. I., General Henri Berthelot. Jurnal şi coresponden ţă 1916-1919 , Cluj-Napoca, 2000, pp. 11-12. 7 Cerbulescu, N., Generalul Henri Berthelot. Spicuiri din marile ziare , Sibiu, 1931, p. 11. 8Ibidem , pp. 11-12. Section: History, Political Sciences, International Relations 286 Iulian Boldea, Dumitru-Mircea Buda, Cornel Sigmirean (Editors) MEDIATING GLOBALIZATION: Identities in Dialogue Arhipelag XXI Press, 2018 moral acordat acesteia l-au transformat în marele salvator al neamului românesc care a intrat în memoria colectiv ă ca un adev ărat erou şi a r ămas acolo pân ă ast ăzi. Înc ă din anii de şcoal ă, Henri Berthelot a ie şit în eviden ţă , atât prin statura sa uria şă de 1,80 m, fiind unul dintre cei mai mari elevi ai promo ţiei sale, cât mai ales prin calit ăţ ile sale, el frapând printr-o inteligen ţă vivace, printr-o cultur ă vast ă, sim ţ psihologic, calit ăţ i reale de organizator, spirit de adaptare, toate aceste înzestr ări psihice marcându-i cariera militar ă şi politic ă, el reu şind s ă intre în contact şi s ă colaboreze cu mari personalit ăţ i politice ale vremii 9. În persoana sa, generalul Berthelot întrunea „toate calit ăţ ile spiritului francez. Înfl ăcărat în sentimente, metodic în ac ţiune, a fost nepre ţuit prieten de zile rele, ca şi de zile bune.
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