Gheorghe Magheru General Gheorghe Magheru ( ; 1802 , Bârzeiul de Gilort , Gorj County – March 23 , 1880 ) was a Romanian revolutionary and soldier from Wallachia , and political ally of Nicolae Bălcescu . A Pandur and radical conspirator . Magheru began his activities as an Oltenia n hajduk in the area around Băilești , and led his group into volunteering for the Imperial Russia n side in the Russo - Turkish War - playing a part in the capture of Băileşti during the maneuvers . For his personal contribution , Magheru was decorated with the Order of Saint Anne by Tsar Alexander I himself . He was one of the first Pandurs to join the Wallachian uprising of 1821 under the leadership of Tudor Vladimirescu . After the latter ' s assassination and the rebellion ' s failure , he returned to life as a local outlaw , only to join the Wallachian Army after a few years . A competent soldier , Magheru went through several ranks in quick succession ; at the same time , his past and career made him an important asset for the young radicals , who quickly won him for their side . He joined the Freemasonry - inspired " Frăţia " ( " Brotherhood " ) secret society , founded in 1834 by Bălcescu , Christian Tell , and Ion Ghica , one which aimed to counter the arbitrary rule of Alexandru Ghica , and then plotting against Gheorghe Bibescu . Râureni . After the outbreak of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution , Magheru served in the Provisional government formed by the radicals . He is noted for organizing the revolutionary and Pandur army camp in Râureni — on the grounds belonging to the Schitu Troianu Monastery , at the time near Râmnicu Vâlcea ( and now part of the city ) . Magheru intended to use the army camp as a base for opposing threats to the Revolution , as early as the summer of that year . However , when the Ottoman troops swept into Bucharest in September , he ordered his troops to disband . In this , he probably followed the advice of the United Kingdom consul in the Wallachian capital . The pro - Ottoman attitude remained prevalent among revolutionaries : they had been well received by the Turks , who saw them as a means to oppose the overwhelming Russian influence over the Danubian Principalities , and were probably right in seeing the Turkish move as prompted exclusively by Russian requests ( with Abd - ul - Mejid I careful not to leave the countries opened to the full force of Russian repression , which soon joined the Turkish armies in the occupation ) . This created the paradox of Russia enforcing conservative policies in Wallachia and Moldavia , while most revolutionaries were taking refuge in Istanbul . Magheru was very likely aware of such nuances , and he probably thought it best not to provoke a violent response . Exile . In exile in Paris ( mainly ) , Magheru was involved in many activities of the Wallachian émigrés . He expressed his concern that the Transylvanian Revolution of Romanian Austrian subjects , aimed at the separatist Hungarian government , was likely to provoke the Romanian fighters under Avram Iancu to side with a Russian intervention , thus making it impossible for Wallachia to negotiate or fight its way out of the occupation . He approached the Hungarian leader Lajos Kossuth in January 1849 , with a project that would have replaced the tight centralization with a confederation between Hungary and a more Romanian than not Transylvania . The project was ignored by both sides : the Transylvanian Romanians thought of themselves as loyal subjects of the Habsburg Crown , and had already suffered waves of violence after Józef Bem ' s armies marched into the region ( in the very same project , Magheru asked that Kossuth renounce the politics of repression and revolutionary terror ) . Later life and legacy . Magheru returned to Wallachia and was active in " Partida Naţională " , the movement working for the Union of Moldavia and Wallachia ( it was largely composed of former 1848 - activists in the two countries ) . Their political ideal was fulfilled on January 24 , 1859 , when the already Prince of Moldavia Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected in Bucharest . One of the main arteries in Bucharest bears Magheru ' s name ( " see Bulevardul Magheru " ) , and the campsite in Râureni is now a museum . He is honored on a postage stamp issued by the Romanian Postal Service .