Treaty of Bucharest (1918)

Treaty of Bucharest

Romanian prime minister Alexandru Marghiloman signing the treaty
Signed	7 May 1918
Location	Cotroceni Palace, Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania (under Central Powers' occupation since December 1916)
Condition	Ratification by Romania and the Central Powers
Signatories	Richard von Kühlmann Paul von Koerner [de] Johannes Kriege Generalmajor Emil Hell [de] Kapitän zur See Hans Bene Stephan Burián von Rajecz Vasil Radoslavov Dimitar Tonchev [de] Major General Zanttloff Lyubomir Miletich Ahmed Nessimy Bey Ahmed Izzet Pasha Hikmet Bey Alexandru Marghiloman Constantin C. Arion I. Papiniu M. Burghele[1][2]
Parties	German Empire Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Romania
Languages	German, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish[3]

The Treaty of Bucharest (1918) was a peace treaty between Romania and the opposing Central Powers following the stalemate reached after the campaign of 1917. This left Romania isolated after Russia's unilateral exit from World War I (see the Armistice of Focșani and Treaty of Brest-Litovsk).

Following the Central Powers' ultimatum issued during the meeting [ro] between Ferdinand I of Romania and Ottokar Czernin, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, on 27 February [O.S. 14 February] 1918 at the Răcăciuni railway station, King Ferdinand summoned a Crown Council [ro] on 2 March [O.S. 17 February] in Iași, the Romanian capital-in-exile. After long and difficult discussions, which lasted 3 days, and despite the strong opposition of Queen Marie and General Constantin Prezan, the Crown Council decided to accept the ultimatum and send envoys to Buftea to negotiate a preliminary peace treaty. The preliminary peace treaty was concluded on 5 March [O.S. 20 February] 1918, by which Romania accepted frontier rectifications in favor of Austria-Hungary, to cede the whole of Dobruja, to demobilize at least 8 divisions, to evacuate the Austro-Hungarian territory still in its possession and to allow the transport of Central Powers' troops through Western Moldavia and Bessarabia towards Odessa.^[4]

Alexandru Marghiloman, then Prime Minister of Romania, signed the final treaty at the Cotroceni Palace, Bucharest, on 7 May [O.S. 25 April] 1918 and it was ratified by the Chamber of Deputies on 28 June and by the Senate on 4 July 1918.^[5] However, King Ferdinand refused to sign or promulgate it.