Ecaterina Teodoroiu was born on January 15, 1894, in Vladeni, Oltenia, Romania. She studied in Targa Jiu, a city near where she was born & Bucharest, Hungary, to become a schoolteacher. Ecaterina joined the Scouts movement in 1913. When Romania joined WW1 in 1916, against the Central powers, she decided to join the war effort. Ecaterina first served as a nurse with the Scouts but after learning of her brother, Nicolae's, tragic death (he had been killed in action), Ecaterina made the decision to enlist as a soldier; which was certainly not an everyday occurrence back than. Her application to the military was denied at first but her persistence eventually paid off & she was accepted into the Romanian military.
Ecaterina distinguished herself by defending a strategic bridge during a campaign in Jiu Pass, where she acquired the famous nickname, "Heroine of the Jiu". Despite the Romanian's fierce resistance, the Germans broke through the front lines & Ecaterina was taken prisoner. She subsequently escaped from prison & went back into the thick of the fighting; her daring escape earned her even further notoriety. At the end of 1916, Ecaterina was severely wounded & spent several weeks in a military hospital in Iasi. In 1917, Ecaterina was awarded the gold Scout Virtue medal & 1st & 2nd class Military Virtue medals. She was also made a honorary 2nd lieutenant by Queen Marie & given command of a platoon of the 43/59 Infantry Regiment. Ecaterina was killed on September 3, 1917, during the Battle of Marasesti, as she lead her platoon into battle. Through her anguish, she was able to utter a few last words of encouragement to her comrades. She was originally buried close to the front, Ecaterina was later interred in Targa Jiu with military and civilian honors after the war. Her extraordinary bravery and patriotism has been commemorated with a number of public monuments all over Romania and she has become a beloved character in books & films.
Side notes:
Central powers- consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria.
Jiu Pass- located in southwestern Romania, the Jiu River flows between the Valcan mountains in the west & Parang mountains in the east.
Queen Marie- aka. Marie of Edinburgh, she was the last queen of Romania & wife of King Ferdinand I.
Battle of Marasesti- the last major battle between Germany & Romania, on the Romanian front during WW1, it prevented the northeastern region of Romania from being occupied by the aforementioned Central powers.
http://romaniancentenary.org/ecaterina-teodoroiu/
YOU ARE READING
Female Warriors
Non-FictionFrom Naotara li and Mulan to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Boudicca. Strong women throughout history who fought for the countries, families and beliefs; that made a stand against those who threatened to destroy them. They took charge when no else would.
