Editing Ion Antonescu (section)

===Early life and career===
Born in the town of [[Pitești]], north-west of the capital [[Bucharest]], Antonescu was the [[Lineal descendant|scion]] of an [[upper-middle class]] [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romanian Orthodox]] family with some military tradition.<ref name="d372">Deletant, p. 37</ref> He was especially close to his mother, Lița Baranga, who survived his death.<ref>Deletant, pp. 70, 257</ref> His father, an army officer, wanted Ion to follow in his footsteps and thus sent him to attend the Infantry and Cavalry School in [[Craiova]].<ref name="d37">Deletant, p. 37</ref> During his childhood, his father divorced his mother to marry a woman who was a Jewish convert to Orthodoxy.<ref name="Ancel pages 463-479">Ancel, Jean "Antonescu and the Jews" pp. 463–479 from ''The Holocaust and History The Known, the Unknown, the Disputed and the Reexamined'' edited by Michael Berenbaum and Abraham Peck, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998 p. 465.</ref> The breakup of his parents' marriage was a traumatic event for the young Antonescu, and he made no secret of his dislike of his stepmother, whom he always depicted as a ''femme fatale'' who destroyed what he saw as his parents' happy marriage.<ref name="Ancel pages 463-479"/>

According to one account, Antonescu was briefly a classmate of [[Wilhelm Filderman]], the future [[History of the Jews in Romania|Romanian Jewish community]] activist whose interventions with ''Conducător'' Antonescu helped save a number of his coreligionists.<ref>Penkower, pp. 152–153</ref> After graduation, in 1904, Antonescu joined the Romanian Army with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He spent the following two years attending courses at the Special Cavalry Section in [[Târgoviște]].<ref name=d37/> Reportedly, Antonescu was a zealous and goal-setting student, upset by the slow pace of promotions, and compensated for his diminutive stature through toughness.<ref name="r1">Delia Radu, [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2008/08/080801_serial_antonescu_episod1.shtml "Serialul 'Ion Antonescu și asumarea istoriei' (1)"], [[BBC]], Romanian edition, 1 August 2008.</ref> In time, the reputation of being a tough and ruthless commander, together with his reddish hair, earned him the nickname ''Câinele Roșu'' ("The Red Dog").<ref name=r1/> Antonescu also developed a reputation for questioning his commanders and for appealing over their heads whenever he felt they were wrong.<ref name=r1/>

During the repression of the [[1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt|1907 peasants' revolt]], he headed a cavalry unit in [[Covurlui County]].<ref name=d37/><ref name=r1/> Opinions on his role in the events diverge: while some historians believe Antonescu was a particularly violent participant in quelling the revolt,<ref name=r1/><ref name=fv301>Veiga, p. 301</ref> others equate his participation with that of regular officers<ref name=r1/> or view it as outstandingly tactful.<ref name=d37/> In addition to restricting peasant protests, Antonescu's unit subdued [[Socialism|socialist]] activities in [[Galați]] port.<ref name=fv301/> His handling of the situation earned him praise from [[King of Romania|King]] [[Carol I of Romania|Carol I]], who sent Crown Prince (future monarch) [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand]] to congratulate him in front of the whole garrison.<ref name=d37/> The following year, Antonescu was promoted to Lieutenant, and, between 1911 and 1913, he attended the [[Carol I National Defence University|Advanced War School]], receiving the rank of Captain upon graduation.<ref name=d37/> In 1913, during the [[Second Balkan War]] against [[Bulgaria]], Antonescu served as a [[Staff (military)|staff officer]] in the First Cavalry Division in [[Dobruja]].<ref name=d37/>