Ecaterina Teodoroiu – A symbol of female courage
In the world where fighting and bravery are typically associated with men, Ecaterina Teodoroiu proved everyone wrong. Her love for her country still inspires many young girls not to be ashamed to show their strength.
Her motive
She was born in 1894, in Vădeni, Gorj County in the Kingdom of Romania, in a family of farmers. After studying at a school in Targu Jiu, she went to a boarding school in Bucharest in order to become a teacher, which was her dream. However, her plans were destroyed by the start of World War 1, and she chose to work as a nurse to help her people in the army.
As usual, war affects simple, working people the most. A lot of Romanian families suffered and Ecaterina’s was no exception. After finding out her father had had been taken prisoner and that two of her brothers had died on the battlefield, she was heartbroken. The death of another brother, who fell on the front, was the reason Ecaterina decided to fight actively, out of a desire to avenge her destroyed family.
Her military story
At the age of 23, Ecaterina Teodoroiu was on the front lines in the first battle of Jiu. After some time of great effort and showing impressive fighting skills, she was taken prisoner in Cărbunești. From there, she escaped using a hidden revolver to shoot the soldier guarding her and her platoon commander, being slightly wounded in the leg.
Nevertheless, this didn’t stop her; upon returning to her unit, she continued the battles in the Filiasi City area and was hurt again, this time unfortunately more severely. Once again, she didn’t give up and as soon as she was discharged from the hospital she returned to the battlefield where she tended to countless of the company’s injured.
She returned to the front in the summer of 1917. On the night of the 22nd day of August, during an attack, Ecaterina Teodoroiu fell heroically in front of the platoon she was commanding, after being shot in the chest. Her powerful last words before dying were: “Forward, men, don’t give up, I’m still with you!”
Her impact
Fortunately, unlike other female historical heroes, Ecaterina was not forgotten and was celebrated even during her lifetime. She was personally visited by Queen Marie who awarded her with the Military Virtue Medal and made her honorary Second Lieutenant.
After her death, she became a hero of Greater Romania, and today she is known as an important historical figure and she was named the “Joan of Arc” of Romania for her patriotism. In 1921, the Regiment 43/59 Infantry became the honorary name “Ecaterina Teodoroiu”. In 1937, by Royal Decree, the Girls’ High School in Târgu-Jiu was given her name (currently the National College “Ecaterina Teodoroiu”). In 1938, her native home became a memorial house.
Amazingly, she also became the first woman to appear of a Romanian bill. From December 1st 2021, the 20 lei bill features the image of this WW1 veteran (a bill that is now very treasured! J)
Her extraordinary bravery and patriotism have been commemorated with an array of public monuments throughout Romania and she has become a beloved character in books and films.
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