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The Romanian Gendarmerie was founded on the 3 rd of April 1850, when the ruler Grigore Alexandru Ghica, approved the decision of People Assembly and promulgated "The Rule for Reform of the Corps Servants in Gendarmes".

This law granted the Gendarmerie a legal status and established the principles of organizing and functioning.

The law stated that the Gendarmes Regiment of Moldavia would split into 2 two structures, each one having 6 counties as area of responsibility. Each county had 1 Company of gendarmes and there were 2 more companies to the police and the authorities of Iasi City . These 14 companies consisted of 1433 mounted and dismounted gendarmes. This law also established the following attributions: surveillance of the public safety, maintaining order and law enforcement.

During the reign of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the Romanian Gendarmerie, as all the institutions of the state has been modernized. Thus, in the same time with the transformation of the Gendarmes Regiment into Gendarmes Legion, the process of replacing the Gendarmes Squadrons with Dorobants Squadrons begins. Then under The Law for Organizing of Military Forces from November 1864, the Gendarmerie is organized on new principles and put under the direct command of the Ministry of War, ceasing to be subordinated to the Ministry of Interior. The Law of Gendarmerie from 1850 and The City Gendarmes Regulations have been the main documents for organizing and functioning of the Gendarmerie and also, the base of the new law and regulations.

The period between 1866-1877 is characterized by transformation in the country's defense system, successively, in the years 1868, 1872, 1874, 1877, leading to modernization and training of the army, which by glorious actions during The Independence War from 1877 -1878, covered with glory, contributing decisively to the independence. By organization, training and functioning the Gendarmerie performed tasks as Military Police and in special situation was engaged in combat together with military units, or even independently. For the participation in the war, many gendarmes have been rewarded with "The Independence Defenders" medal, Russian medals and the medal of "Crossing the Danube ".

The need for a strong specialized force whose main attribution is guard and order, ensuring citizen's safety and freedoms and also law enforcement, determined an intensification of the activity of political and military leaders to elaborate a law for organizing the Gendarmerie on the whole territory of the country.

Thus, a first attempt was made in 1885, when Gl. Radu Mihail, the Chief of Bucharest Police, elaborated a project of law of Gendarmerie, but it wasn't adopted.

Two years later, during the debates on the "Rural Law", I.C. Bratianu said:" The Rural Gendarmerie will be better than the Rural Police that we've had so far!" The Article no. 82 of this law was mentioning the organization of the Rural Gendarmerie on the base of a special law, but the lack of the financial resources delayed the project until 1893.

The role, the position and the organization of Gendarmerie were clarified by the Conservatory Party and specially by its leader, Lascar Catargiu, who elaborated and presented to The Parliament, in February 1893, "The Law for Organizing the Rural Gendarmerie", which was promulgated by Royal Decree No. 2919 from the 30 th August 1893.

This law established a military structure with attributions in the field of guarding and order in every village in the country, because the previous unspecialized structures could not handle the complex situation in the ground and did not meet the requirements of institutions in a an European modern state of that time. It is to be mentioned that the law maker mainly insisted on maintaining and guarantying the public safety and on law enforcement, as well.

At September the 1 st 1893, also the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of Rural Gendarmerie were issued. The most important provision of this document was the following:"The organization of Gendarmerie, as stipulated in the law, makes this institution a military body at the Ministry of Interior's disposal, for ensuring public order and safety. It is also under the command of the Ministry of Justice concerning the police attributions and the Ministry of War for issues concerning the discipline, command ship and military training of the troops"( Art.1).

The bloody social Riot from 1907, put the political institutions, the institutions designated to maintain order and even the military institutions in a very difficult situation.

The lack of interest shown to the reinforcement of the Gendarmerie at the beginning of the 20 th century and especially to its preventive actions caused a lot of human and material losses. The situation required preparation and promulgation of some law in the years 1908, 1911, 1913 and also the organizational consolidation of the Gendarmerie.

The provisions of Articles 6 and 7 of Gendarmerie' s Law from March the 24 th 1908, are to be mentioned:

" Art.6 The Gendarmerie Corps is an integrate part of the army, and has to obey the provisions of the general laws and regulations.

Art. 7 The officer of the Gendarmerie Corps are recruited from any specialization of the army. The transfer of the officer from the army in the Gendarmerie is made by a High Decree, on the base of the report of the Ministry of Interior, at the recommendation of the Ministry of War."

During the military maneuvers the Rural Gendarmerie accomplished Military Police tasks, made the necessary requisitions, and functioned as a Military Police. During all exercises and maneuvers the gendarmes units were considered components of the regular army having the same rights as the military units and subunits.

The Independence War from 1877 - 1878 signifies Romanian Gendarmerie's first engagement in a modern war. The experience gained will be used and improved during the 2 nd Balkans War and during the military operation of The Great War.

During the 2nd Balkans War the Gendarmerie acted as a force of the National Defense System, together with the forces engaged in battles accomplishing very well its missions. After The Peace from Bucharest , 1913, until Romania 's engagement in the 1 st World War, some changes concerning the organization and the attributions have been made. The changes aimed the forces enlargement, bringing into existence new special gendarmes stations for the factories from Bucharest involved in war support, new special guard and check points in mountain crosses, from Vatra Dornei up to Turnu Severin, creating a special detachment for guarding oil fields.

The 1st World War has given Romania the chance to use all political and military means to restore the ancient borders. The Romanian Gendarmerie, as component of the National Military System, totally engaged to serve the National Flag and the national interests. From the multitude of actions carried out in the 1916 Campaign, we mention the actions for ensuring the police of the front and also administrative organizing of the territories taken of the hand of Hungarians. The importance of organizing the gendarmes' stations in freed towns (Bifilar, Barsta, Satu-Lung, Tarlungeni, Sfantu Gheorghe, Covasna, Miercurea Ciuc) is revealed by Prahova Gendarmes Company Commander, in the telegram sent to General Inspector of Gendarmerie: " Today, for the first time and for ever, the Romanian Gendarmerie replace the Hungarian Gendarmerie, on the beloved territory of Transylvania ".

The following course of events was unfavorable for the Romanian Army, which, under the enemy' s pressure had to withdraw, giving a part of the national territory, until the front was stabilized in South Moldova.

During withdrawing the gendarmes participated in combat operations and strengthened the police of the front, the communications, the necessary order measures for military convoys movement, during the evacuations of the administration, of some objectives, and the evacuation of the population, which took refuge in Moldavia .

At the beginning of the year 1917, the Gendarmerie is reorganized in the same time with the army. At the Army Corps and Joint Brigades' headquarters a detachment of gendarmes has been constituted. This detachment was lead by an infantry commanding officer and has fewer men than before. The Prahova Gendarmes Detachment has been renamed: "The Mobile Police Detachment of Great General HQ". Other gendarmerie subunits have been, also, allocated to guard services, for the infrastructure assets, fortifications and some to Moldavia main cities, as reinforcements.

In July the 1st 1918 the Army is demobilized and the gendarmes organize check-points for the demobilized soldiers, posts, patrols and detachments to observe their behavior and ensure a peaceful demobilization.

Romanian Gendarmerie has contributed to the 2 nd mobilization declared in 1918 in the same time, organizing new services and ensuring order in the country. The Army engages itself again in the operations to free the entire national territory and the Gendarmerie starts restoring peace and order, creating police companies in the freed districts.

The creation of the Great Romania, by unifying all the historical regions, inaugurated in our society's life a large process of remodeling the antebellum structures, including those designated to maintain and defend internal order.

At 23 rd of April 1929, the Parliament set the bases of a new modern and complete law of Rural Gendarmerie. In the same year The Rural Gendarmerie Status is promulgated by under aged King Mihai I. This status granted stability, promotion, salaries and other wages, retirement pensions, conditions for marriage, rewards, etc.

In July, the 12 th , 1940, King Carol II unifies The General Directorate of Police, Bucharest City Police and Gendarmerie Corps. Later, in September the 12 th 1940 General Ion Antonescu re-enforced the 1929's legislation.

The most important law was Law no 264 from April the 22 nd 1943 for organizing and functioning of Gendarmerie. According to this law, the Gendarmerie was a military structure, trained to ensure military and general police assignments. It was also very important the provision that stated that the Gendarmerie belonged to the Ministry of Defense and was at Ministry of Interior disposal only concerning its police attributions.

After Romania 's engagement in the 2nd World War, the gendarmes' troops got specific assignments: combating terrorist attacks, guarding economic key assets, enhancing the internal order measures, countering landing or paratroops actions, monitoring the political opponents etc.

The Gendarmerie organized in units and subunits have proved a lot of energy, courage, spirit of sacrifice and high patriotism. Besides the situations when the gendarmes had to fight together with the army units, forced by the course of events, there were a numerous situations when some gendarmes requested to join the infantry regiments to fight.

His Royal Majesty's Proclamation and the directives of the Government have assigned new tasks, according to the new situation in the country. The Gendarmerie had a remarkable contribution during the 2 nd period of Romania 's participation in the 2nd World War, after the " coup d'etat" from August the 23rd 1944 when leaving the alliance with the " Axis " and continued the war together with the Allies, to free the North- West Transylvania and further on in Hungary and Czechoslovakia .

After declaring war to Germany , in the context of German attacks and action of disarmament against Romanian Army units, the Gendarmerie units started to fight the remnants of German army in order to neutralize and disarm them.

The main missions of gendarmes were:

• to identify all German soldiers, their hiding places, ammunition and vehicles
• to forbid the traffic on roads and main roads to any German vehicle by organizing check points, obstacles
• to support the Army to disarm the German troops
• to capture German paratroop who were trying to save themselves after they had been shot down by the Romanian or Allied Air Force
• to identify and guard German armory stocks and the telephones networks
• to carry out raids, in order to find German soldiers that were trying to escape
• to arrest the Germans partisans that were acting in Ardeal and Banat
• to gather and destroy propaganda hand bills thrown from the air planes
• in cooperation with border guard troops, to stop the Germano -Hungarian elements that were tying to get in the area where Romanian troops had' t been concentrated.

The Gendarmerie posts around the Capital City integrated in defensive system opposing a strong resistance to German troops. Mainly, the mission of gendarmes was to maintain the public order and to block the main routes for entering in the capital city.

The Order no.10052 of the Secretary for Troops of Ministry of Interior stated the foundation of The Security Troops. Later on, the gendarmerie troops and the training centers will be subordinated to the Security troops HQ and the Rural Gendarmerie will be subordinated to the General Directorate of Militia.

These have put an end, for a while, to the existence of democratic Romania 's only military institution assigned to guard, to maintain and protect constitutional order, to defend citizen's rights, the property.

The transformation process of Romanian society marked by December 1989 Revolution and re-setting of democratic institutions have decisively contributed to reformation of Gendarmerie and elaboration of a new concept concerning the position and the role of public order forces at the end of 20 th and the beginning of the 21 st century.

According to the Government Decision no. 0749, from July the 5th 1990, concerning increasing the action ability and enhancing the structure of the Ministry of Interior, The Guard and Order Troops HQ, changed in Gendarme Troops HQ. Afterwards, the Law no 40 in December the 18th 1990 granted legal status to the structure and the attributions of Gendarmes troops, trained to enforce the law, to observe and report to higher structures about situations that can threaten public safety and order in case of internal disorder and act to restore order.

The Law 116/1998, concerning organizing and functioning of Romanian Gendarmerie was an important moment in the process of reconstruction of democratic Romania . The act may be considered as a decisive moment in the process of reformation of our institution and stabilization of Romania , on its democratic course.

Being accepted as member of European and Mediterranean Polices and Gendarmeries Association, (F.I.E.P.) our institution became a European institution and the missions accomplished abroad, in the Ex-Yugoslavian space are the best argument of gendarmes' professionalism that are trained and educated to provide, ensure and defend order and democratic values.