Romanian Land Forces in the context of Battle of Mărășești

Northern Transylvania (Romanian: Ardealul de Nord; Hungarian: Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of the Kingdom of Hungary. With an area of 43,104 km (16,643 sq mi), the population was largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians.

In October 1944, Soviet and Romanian forces gained control of the territory, and by March 1945 Northern Transylvania returned to Romanian administration. After the war, this was confirmed by the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947.

The 3rd Army (Romanian: Armata a 3-a) was a field army of the Romanian Land Forces active from 1916 to the 1990s. It fought as part of the German Army Group B during World War II, in Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. General Petre Dumitrescu commanded the 3rd Army for much of that time.

The 3rd Army contained the only Romanian divisions trained by the Germans, and as a result, it was a significantly better fighting force than the fellow 4th Army during the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Fourth Army (Romanian: Armata a 4-a) was a field army (a military formation) of the Romanian Land Forces active from 1916 to 2000. Its successor is the 4th Infantry Division.

The Peasant Uprising of 1907 (Romanian: Răscoala țărănească din 1907) took place in Romania between 21 February and 5 April 1907. It started in northern Moldavia and, after three weeks in which it was localized in that area, it quickly spread, reaching Wallachia, including as far as Oltenia. The main cause was the discontent of the peasants over the inequity of land ownership, which was mostly in the hands of just a few large landowners.

Following the fall of the Conservative Party government on March 12, the new Liberal government crushed the revolt violently with the help of the Romanian Army, killing thousands of peasants in the process.

The Romanian Armed Forces (Romanian: Forțele Armate Române or Armata Română) are the military forces of Romania. It comprises the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Force. The current Commander-in-chief is Lieutenant General Gheorghiță Vlad who is managed by the Minister of National Defence while the president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces during wartime.

As of 2025, the Armed Forces number around 90,000 active personnel and 55,000 reserves. In 2023, the Land Forces had a reported strength of 35,500, the Air Force 11,700, the Naval Forces 6,800, and Joint Forces 17,500. Total defence spending currently accounts for 2.24% of total national GDP, which represents approximately 9.331 billion US dollars. The Armed Forces are built for territorial defence, with support to NATO and EU missions, and contributions to regional and global stability and security.

The Battle of Mărăști (Romanian: Bătălia de la Mărăști) was one of the main battles to take place on Romanian soil in World War I. It was fought between 22 July and 1 August 1917, and was an offensive operation of the Romanian and Russian armies intended to encircle and destroy the German 9th Army. The operation was planned to occur in tandem with the Nămoloasa offensive; however, this operation was abandoned before it began.

According to General Alexandru Averescu, the commander of the Romanian Second Army at this major engagement, the Battle of Mărăști was the "first true victory in the history of the modern Romanian Army".

The Hungarian–Romanian War (Hungarian: magyar–román háború; Romanian: Războiul Româno-Ungar) was fought between Hungary and Romania from 13 November 1918 to 3 August 1919. The conflict had a complex background, with often contradictory motivations for the parties involved.

After the unilateral self-disarmament of the Hungarian army by the pacifist Hungarian prime minister Count Mihály Károlyi, the Allies of World War I intended that Romania's Army, the Czechoslovak army and the Franco-Serbian armies to occupy various parts of Kingdom of Hungary. At the same time, there was a reluctance to allow Romania to occupy Hungary fully, although their intention was to, at least in part, satisfy the Romanian claims in accordance with the Treaty of Bucharest (1916) which proposed that Hungary cede Transylvania, Partium and parts of Banat to Romania. The situation was further complicated by the strained relationship between the Romanian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference and the Great Powers. France, in particular, was keen on the participation of Romania in the intervention against the Bolshevik forces in Russia while the Romanian authorities conditioned this involvement on the fulfillment of the promises made by the Allies in 1916. Some Allied leaders in Paris supported the advance of the Romanian Army while the Council of Four withheld its approval of the military actions. The French General Staff encouraged a continued Romanian advance to Budapest, with Generals Ferdinand Foch, Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, and Henri Mathias Berthelot particularly in favor of this approach.

The 4th Infantry Division Gemina is one of the major units of the Romanian Land Forces, with its headquarters in Cluj-Napoca. Until 15 June 2008 it was designated as the 4th Territorial Army Corps "Mareșal Constantin Prezan" (Corpul 4 Armată Territorial "Mareșal Constantin Prezan"). It is the heraldic successor of the Fourth Army.

The honorary name of the division, Gemina, is a reference to the Roman Legio XIII Gemina which was stationed in Roman Dacia at Apulum (modern day Alba Iulia).