“My life was a continuous struggle in order to carve for Romania a place in the life of the world, while defending its national interests”
Nicolae Titulescu
Born on March 4, 1882 in Craiova, Nicolae Titulescu was a Romanian lawyer, university professor, diplomat and politician.
Between 1893 and 1900 he attended the “Carol I” High School in Craiova. Having exceptional results, obtaining the honorary prize at the baccalaureate exam, he receives a scholarship in Paris and for 5 years he will follow the courses of the Faculty of Law, obtaining the title of doctor in civil law. During this period he was initiated into Freemasonry in a Masonic lodge in Paris.
In 1905, Titulescu returned to Romania as a professor of law at the University of Iasi, and in 1907 he moved to Bucharest. He entered politics in 1909, and in 1912 became a member of the Romanian Parliament on the lists of the Conservative-Democratic Party.
As a politician, Titulescu supports the idea of uniting Transylvania with Romania, in a speech delivered in Ploiești entitled “The Heart of Romania”, he declares: “Romania cannot be whole without Transylvania …”
In the summer of 1918, together with other Romanian personalities, such as Take Ionescu, Octavian Goga, Traian Vuia or Constantin Mille, he set up the Romanian National Committee in Paris, in order to propagate in the international public opinion the right of the Romanian people to national unity. officially by the governments of the powers allied as a plenipotentiary body of the Romanian nation. These efforts of the Romanian patriots were not in vain, because on December 1, 1918 the Great Union took place, through which, after the unification of Bessarabia on March 27, 1918 and Bukovina on November 28, the union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania was declared in the great assembly of in Alba Iulia.
Nicolae Titulescu receives the diplomatic mission, being a delegate at the Paris Peace Conference, being also one of the peace mediators after the First World War. On March 4, 1920, he signed the peace treaty with Hungary at Trianon, which recognized the Union of Transylvania with Romania.
Between 1928 and 1936 he was several times Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance or Minister Plenipotentiary.
From 1921 he was Romania’s permanent delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva, being elected twice, in 1930 and 1931, President of this international organization. From this position, Titulescu campaigned against revisionism in Europe, supporting the preservation of the borders established by the peace treaties, he campaigned for good neighborly relations between large and small states, for respecting the sovereignty and equality of all states in international relations, for collective security and prevention. aggression.
From 1921 until 1936, Titulescu was Romania’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Titulescu, in his entire activity, focused on the major, fundamental issues of Romania’s foreign policy. When Nazism was established in Germany, Titulescu, realizing the danger it posed for Romania, but also for the entire European continent, undertook a sustained activity to strengthen international cooperation, in the interests of European peace and security.
On August 29, 1936, King Charles II, in line with pressure from the government and his pro-German entourage, as well as external pressure from Germany, removed Titulescu from all official positions and forced him into exile.
Having gone into exile, Titulescu settled first in Switzerland and then in France. Even under these conditions, he gave lectures and wrote articles in newspapers, which continued the idea of preserving peace, anticipating the danger of a new war.
His oratorical talent, his deep knowledge of legal notions, made Nicolae Titulescu always captivate the audience, who listened to him with great interest, these qualities made him extremely appreciated in all international forums. He also proved a talent by anticipating events, bringing up ideas that, over the years, would return to the public’s attention.
Titulescu also distinguished himself by his love for Romania, he sought and proposed solutions for solving some important historical moments for the Romanian interests on an international level.
Since 1935, Nicolae Titulescu has been a full member of the Romanian Academy.
Titulescu was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Cause of the universities of Athens and Bratislava, was president of the International Diplomatic Academy and honorary president of the Romanian Committee of the Universal Peace Conference.
Nicolae Titulescu died on March 17, 1941 in Cannes, France, at the age of 59. In 1992, according to his will in the will, his remains were brought to Romania and reburied in the courtyard of the “Sfântul Nicolae” Church in Șcheii Brașovului, after a long and difficult legal procedure.
“The whole foreign policy that we pursued … had only this goal: not to prepare for war, but to prepare a network of alliances in such a way that war becomes impossible,” Nicolae Titulescu said of his diplomatic thinking.
“History is the most beautiful story!” (Adrian Cioroianu)
