He was born in the village of Sterianul de Mijloc, plasa Snagov,
Ilfov County, currently in
Butimanu commune,
Dâmbovița County. He graduated from the officers' infantry and cavalry school in
Bucharest and the
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. Made a second lieutenant in 1880, he rose to captain in 1887. A military engineering specialist, he took part in the
Second Balkan War. General Prezan commanded the
4th Army Corps in 1915-1916, and then became head of the
Romanian Fourth Army during the
Romanian Campaign later in 1916, against the forces of the
Central Powers. Prezan led the
Romanian Armed Forces in the
Battle of Bucharest (November–December 1916), and as those forces retreated into the northeastern part of
Romania (
Moldavia). In July and August 1917, Prezan, who was by then
Chief of the General Staff (and assisted by the then-Lieutenant-Colonel
Ion Antonescu) successfully stopped the German invasion led by Field Marshal
August von Mackensen. He continued serving in this position until 1920. Documents found in military archives have brought to light Prezan's role in creating the Romanian National State. In October 1916, Prezan was rewarded with the
Order of Michael the Brave, Third Class for deeds of merit, courage, and devotion. In July 1917, when he commanded the General Army Quarters, Prezan was honoured with the Order of Michael the Brave, Second Class. During the
Hungarian–Romanian War (November 1918–March 1920), Prezan led the Romanian Armed Forces in the battles of
Bessarabia,
Bukovina, and
Transylvania. For his outstanding service,
King Ferdinand I awarded him in February 1920 the Order of Michael the Brave, First Class. Prezan was promoted to Marshal of Romania in 1930. In 1917 Prezan was awarded the
Legion of Honour, Grand Officer. He was also awarded the
Order of the Cross of Takovo and a number of other decorations. In 1920 he was moved to the
military reserve force, and spent most of his time at his villa in
Schinetea,
Vaslui County. He died în 1943 in Bucharest, and was buried at his residence in Schinetea. A major
boulevard in Bucharest (running from
Arcul de Triumf to
Charles de Gaulle Square) is named after him. ==References==