Ceausescu family
Encyclopedia
Nicolae Ceauşescu
, who led Romania
from 1965 to 1989, had a large family, several members of which wielded influence in Communist Romania
. Below are given outlines of his immediate family members' lives, with links to those who have separate articles about them.
Nicolae's father was Andruţă Ceauşescu (1886-1969), descendant of a family of shepherds from Polovragi
, in Gorj County
. Andruţă Ceauşescu owned a modest house in Scorniceşti
, Olt County
. A supporter of Ion Mihalache
and the Peasants' Party
, he was for a while mayor of Scorniceşti. After the fall and execution of Nicolae, some people from Scorniceşti claimed Andruţă used to beat
his wife and children, while the Romanian media alleged that he was an alcoholic.
Nicolae's mother was Alexandrina (née Lixandra) (1888-1977), descendant of an officer in Tudor Vladimirescu
's army. She was a very religious
woman, and after his parents died, Nicolae Ceauşescu, an atheist, ordered that a church be built in their memory in Scorniceşti; their portraits still adorn its walls.
In order of birth, their children were:
Additionally, one child did not survive to adulthood.
Nicolae's parents had 18 grandchildren: 7 boys and 11 girls.
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
, who led Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
from 1965 to 1989, had a large family, several members of which wielded influence in Communist Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
. Below are given outlines of his immediate family members' lives, with links to those who have separate articles about them.
Nicolae's father was Andruţă Ceauşescu (1886-1969), descendant of a family of shepherds from Polovragi
Polovragi
Polovragi is a commune in Gorj County, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Polovragi and Racoviţa....
, in Gorj County
Gorj County
Gorj is a county of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 387,308 and its population density was 69/km².* Romanians – over 98%* Rromas, others.- Geography :...
. Andruţă Ceauşescu owned a modest house in Scorniceşti
Scornicesti
Scornicești is a town in Olt County, Romania with a population of 12,802. The town administers 13 villages and has a total area of 170 km², being the locality with the largest area in the county of Olt, surpassing even its capital...
, Olt County
Olt County
Olt is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia . The capital city is Slatina.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 489,274 and the population density was 89/km²....
. A supporter of Ion Mihalache
Ion Mihalache
Ion Mihalache was a Romanian agrarian politician, the founder and leader of the Peasants' Party and a main figure of its successor, the National Peasants' Party .-Early life:...
and the Peasants' Party
Peasants' Party (Romania)
The Peasants' Party was a political party in post-World War I Romania that espoused a left-wing ideology partly connected with Agrarianism and Populism, and aimed to represent the interests of the Romanian peasantry. Through many of its leaders, the party was connected with Romanian populism , a...
, he was for a while mayor of Scorniceşti. After the fall and execution of Nicolae, some people from Scorniceşti claimed Andruţă used to beat
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
his wife and children, while the Romanian media alleged that he was an alcoholic.
Nicolae's mother was Alexandrina (née Lixandra) (1888-1977), descendant of an officer in Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu was a Wallachian Romanian revolutionary hero, the leader of the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and of the Pandur militia. He is also known as Tudor din Vladimiri or — occasionally — as Domnul Tudor .-Background:Tudor was born in Vladimiri, Gorj County in a family of landed peasants...
's army. She was a very religious
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
woman, and after his parents died, Nicolae Ceauşescu, an atheist, ordered that a church be built in their memory in Scorniceşti; their portraits still adorn its walls.
In order of birth, their children were:
- Niculina Ceauşescu, born in 1914. She was the first in her family to leave for BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, seeking work. There, she kept Nicolae in her home in 1929 when he started work as a shoemaker's apprentice.
- Marin CeauşescuMarin CeausescuMarin Ceauşescu was a Romanian economist and diplomat, the older brother of Communist Romania's President Nicolae Ceauşescu....
(1916-1989).
- Nicolae CeauşescuNicolae CeausescuNicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
(1918-1989). In 1946, he married Elena PetrescuElena CeausescuElena Ceaușescu was the wife of Romania's Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu, and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania.-Background:She was born Elena Petrescu into a peasant family in Petrești commune, Dâmboviţa County, in the informal region of Wallachia. Her family was supported by her father's job...
. They had three children:- Valentin CeauşescuValentin CeausescuValentin Ceaușescu is a Romanian physicist.Valentin is the son of former President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu...
(b. 1948) (one son, Daniel, and one daughter, Alexandra). - Zoia CeauşescuZoia CeausescuElena Zoia Ceaușescu was a Romanian mathematician, the daughter of Communist leader Nicolae and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu.She did her studies at the University of Bucharest. After completing her Ph.D. in mathematics, she worked as a researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian...
(1949-2006). - Nicu CeauşescuNicu CeausescuNicu Ceaușescu was the youngest child of Romanian leader Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. He was a close associate of his father's political regime and considered the President's heir apparent.-Life during Communism:...
(1951-1996).
- Valentin Ceauşescu
- Florea Ceauşescu (2 August 1922–21 October 2006). He was reportedly an Iron GuardIron GuardThe Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
sympathizer as a young man, although this cannot be confirmed, as his Romanian Communist PartyRomanian Communist PartyThe Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
cadre file is missing from the National ArchivesNational Archives of RomaniaThe National Archives of Romania , until 1996 the State Archives , are the national archives of Romania, headquartered in Bucharest and headed by Dorin Dobrincu since 2007. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform...
. He married Scorniceşti native Ioana Necă in 1946, and according to his brother Ilie, worked in Bucharest as a waiter in 1946 and as a merchant in 1949. That year, he joined the party and began working for its Bucharest newspaper, Steagul Roşu, later joining ScînteiaScînteiaScînteia was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history...
. Of his relatives, he got on best with Marin, and he closely resembled Nicolae, with whom he was sometimes confused.
- Nicolae Andruţă Ceauşescu (1924-2000). Supposedly, his drunken father declared his name as Nicolae at town hall, despite having another son by that name. Once his brother came to power, his father's name was made his middle name in order to distinguish the two. At one time, he was chief of cadres at the Ministry of the InteriorMinistry of Administration and Interior of RomaniaThe Ministry of Administration and Interior of Romania is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania.From 23 August 1944 to 18 March 1975 the minister held the title of Minister of Internal Affairs, between 2004 and 2007, held the title of Minister of Administration and Interior,...
. Due to a disagreement with his brother, he was later sent to head the SecuritateSecuritateThe Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
officers' school in BăneasaBaneasaBăneasa is a borough in the north side of Bucharest, near the Băneasa Lake . Like all north-side districts of Bucharest, it is relatively sparsely populated, with large areas of parkland...
. He was arrested during the Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian Revolution of 1989The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
by Aurel Ceciu, one of the people he had promoted from that school. Nicolae Andruţă Ceauşescu had two children, Cristian and Claudia.
- Ilie CeauşescuIlie CeausescuIlie Ceauşescu was a Romanian army general and communist politician who served as Deputy Defence Minister of Communist Romania during the rule of his older brother, Nicolae Ceauşescu....
(1926-2002).
- Maria Ceauşescu, later Maria Agachi, worked at Electromagnetica, eventually becoming section chief at that factory due to her family connections.
- Elena Ceauşescu, later Elena Bărbulescu (1928-2001), was a history teacher at Scorniceşti High School. Due to her famous brother, she rapidly advanced in her career, quickly becoming head of her school and then school inspector for the whole of Olt County. She had two daughters, Eugenia and Nadia, and a son, Emil, who held a leadership position at the Ministry of the Interior in Olt County before 1989.
- Ion Ceauşescu taught at the Agronomic Institute of Bucharest and headed the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. After the Revolution of 1989, he established a firm and wrote horticultural works.
Additionally, one child did not survive to adulthood.
Nicolae's parents had 18 grandchildren: 7 boys and 11 girls.