On 7 May 1918, at Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Prime Minister Alexandru Marghiloman signs the Treaty of Bucharest with the Central Powers — the forced peace after Russia’s exit from the war.

Romania, isolated after the Focșani Armistice and Brest-Litovsk, had accepted a preliminary peace at Buftea on 5 March. The final treaty cedes the Cadrilater and part of Northern Dobruja to Bulgaria, places the rest of Dobruja under Central Powers condominium, gives Austria-Hungary control of the Carpathian passes and demobilises the Romanian army.

Germany leases the Ploiești oil fields for 90 years; Austro-German occupation continues; “surplus” agriculture goes to Vienna and Berlin. The Central Powers nonetheless recognise the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.

The Chamber ratified on 28 June, the Senate on 4 July; King Ferdinand refused to sign or promulgate. The treaty was denounced in October 1918; Romania re-entered the war on 10 November.

The Armistice of 11 November and the treaties of Versailles, Saint-Germain, Neuilly and Trianon annulled the cessions. For Germany, Romanian oil and grain prolonged the war effort through late 1918.

The English text is in the State Department collection “Texts of the Roumanian Peace” (1918).

The Treaty of Bucharest of 7 May 1918 remains the humiliating peace Romania signed but the king never promulgated, and which Allied victory erased.

Image: Cotroceni / Bucharest; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Treaty of Bucharest (1918). Treaty text: Treaty of Bucharest 1918 (WWI Document Archive).