27th August 1916: Romania enters the First World War by declaring war on Austria-Hungary

**Scott Allsop** (0:00)
On the 27th of August 1916, Romania entered the First World War by declaring war on Austria-Hungary. Welcome to HistoryPod.
Although Romania had signed a secret treaty with the Triple Alliance in 1883, the agreement was defensive and did not oblige Romania to support Austria-Hungary after it initiated hostilities in 1914
While King Carol I of Romania wanted to honour the alliance, the Romanian government of Ion Brătianu chose neutrality. However, Carol died later that year, and his successor Ferdinand I was more open to cooperation with the Allies. Meanwhile, negotiations continued about uniting territories with Romanian-speaking populations, which at the time were part of Austria-Hungary. By 1916, the Allied governments had promised Romania control of Transylvania and other territories if the Central Powers were defeated. Encouraged by the Brusilov Offensive, which had inflicted heavy losses on Austria-Hungary, Romanian leaders concluded that the moment was favourable for intervention. On the evening of 27 August, Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, and Romanian forces crossed the Carpathian Mountains into Transylvania. In response, Germany reinforced its ally, and Bulgaria declared war on Romania from the south. By December 1916, Bucharest had fallen, and in 1918 the government was forced to sign a peace treaty. Nevertheless, Romania's entry into the war required the Central Powers to divert substantial forces, while Romania's oil fields and agricultural resources became military objectives. Although much of the country was occupied during the war, Romania re-entered the conflict shortly before the Armistice in 1918 The subsequent peace settlements awarded Romania Transylvania and several other territories, creating what became known as Greater Romania.