Batalionul de Vânători și lovitura de stat din 11 februarie 1866
The Chasseurs’ Battalion and the Coup of 11 February 1866

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents the involvement of the Chasseurs’ Battalion officers in the coup of 11 February 1866, which resulted in the abdication of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The conditions in which the event occurred and the causes that determined the action of the officers are highlighted in detail. It also analyses the accusations brought against the military conspirators by some contemporaries and by most historians, according to whom their actions constituted a breach of their military oath. The paper presents the organisation of the Chasseurs’ Battalion, the way it ensured the guarding of the prince’s palace on the night of 11 February, as well as the fates of some of the military from that unit, officers and NCO’s, starting from a little-known photograph in which they were represented shortly after the action. The study tries to find an explanation for the motivation that led the military participants to act in the coup, the conflict that arose between them and the officers who remained loyal to the former Prince, as well as the way in which this conflict was resolved by the new ruler, Carol I, who sought to restore the cohesion of the army.

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