Journal Analele Banatului N.S. Archaeology-History

Costin Feneșan

Un erou uitat: Mihai Cavaler de Iacobici / A Forgotten Hero: Michael Knight of Iacobici

Jan. 1, 2015

Abstract

Michael Iacobici (1822–1892) is a typical example of social promotion granted to the Romanians in the Banatian Military Border by a career under arms. Born in the Banatian Military Border, Michael Iacobici graduated his first classes in his birthvillage of Armeniș. Therafter he studied probably at the Mathematical school or the Regimental school in Caransebeș, the main city of the 13th Wallachian-Illyric Border Regiment. After spending a time at home, young Michael Iacobici enlisted 1838 as an under-officer in the 13th Border-Regiment. Promoted as secondlieutenent at the beginning of 1849, he was dispatched with a battalion of his regiment in garrison at the fortress of Timișoara (Temesvar) besieged durig 107 days by the Hungarian revolutionary army. On August 8, a platoon of Romanian border-soldiers under the command of second-lieutenent Iacobici, having attacked by surprise a unit of Hungarian soldiers outside the fortress, seized two 3-pound guns and 54 rifles, taking over at the same time 55 prisoners of war. For his bravery performed in front of the garrison, Iacobici was awarded – though with delay due to internal intrigues – with the imperial order of the Iron Crown 3d class (1850) and promoted to the rank of a lieutenent (1852). 1853 Michael Iacobici was appointed as a citizen of honour by the Mayor and City-Council of Timișoara. The same year, according to the statute of the Iron Crown-Order, lieutenent Iacobici was promoted by an Imperial Diploma to the nobilitary rank of a knight (Ritter) and entitled to an coat of arms. Both nobility and coat of arms were to be transmitted to his legal male and female heirs. Retired in 1872 from his job in the army with the rank of a major, Iacobici involved himself in the struggle of the Banatian Romanians for national rights, as deputy of the former General Traian Doda. Michael Iacobici’ son, Ignatius (1845–1905) was lieutenent-colonel in the Austro-Hungarian Army and deputy-commander of a regiment in Transylvania; his grandson, Iosif Iacobici (1884–1952), started as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army and after the union of Transylvania and the Banat with Romania (1918) became in time a high ranking officer in the Romanian Royal Army as a three stars general, Minister of War and Chief of the Romanian Army’s General-Staff.