Romania, a nation with a diverse historical background, is evidence of the persistence of the civilizations that have left their imprints on its land. Romania is a nation in the heart of Europe with a distinct identity that has been shaped over millennia by a variety of historical and cultural influences.
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Ancient Romania history
Romanian territory was once occupied by several prehistoric cultures. About 2000 years ago the Dacian Empire dominated the area which was conquered about 100 AD by the Romans. Following Dacia became a Roman province (called Roman Dacia) for 169 years.
Trajan's war on the Dacians was a defining event in Romanians history. Trajan's Column, one of the most remarkable colossal sculptures to have survived Rome's destruction, shows a visual narrative of the Roman-Dacian wars, with Trajan as the hero and Decebalus, the Dacian ruler. The column has stood for more than 1,900 years. A replica of Trajan’s Column is shown in the National Museum of History of Romania in Bucharest.[1]
The Roman Empire made heavy efforts to seize the territory from King Decebalus, resulting in the formation of Roman Dacia in 106, after Trajan's costly and bloody wars. During Roman rule, the territory, depleted of its indigenous population, was repopulated with Latin colonists. Ruins of sanctuaries at Sarmizegetusa Regia (Rom. "Sarmisegetusa")(Dacia's capital during the reigns of Burebista and Decebalus) are located in Hunedoara county - central Transylvania. The Roman capital of Dacia, Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, was built during the time of Roman Emperor Trajan.
History of Wallachia (Rom. “Țara Românească”)
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During the Middle Ages Romanians were also known as Walach, Olach or Vlachs, a blanket term ultimately of Germanic origin, from the word Walha, used by ancient Germanic peoples to refer to Romance-speaking and Celtic neighbours.
In late 13th century the independent Wallachia was created from unification of many small landlords under one ruler Basarab as reaction to Ottoman threat. It had been bordering the Ottoman Empire since the 14th century until it had gradually succumbed to the Ottomans’ pressure during the next centuries becoming a vassal state with brief periods of independence. Vlad III the Impaler was a Prince of Wallachia in 1448, 1456–62, and 1476. Vlad III is remembered for his raids against the Ottoman Empire and his initial success of keeping his small country free for a short time.
Initially profiting from Ottoman support, Michael the Brave ascended to the throne in 1593. For a brief period, Michael the Brave ruled (in a personal, but not formal, union) most of the territories where Romanians lived, rebuilding the base of the ancient Kingdom of Dacia. In parallel, Wallachia became the battleground in a succession of wars between the Ottomans on one side and Russia or the Habsburg monarchy on the other.
Following the Treaty of Passarovitz in 1718, Oltenia came under Habsburg rule, which they called “Kleine Walachei” (meaning "Little Wallachia", compared to Muntenia, which was "Great Wallachia"). The occupation lasted almost 20 years, ending at the Battle of Grotka in Serbia, where Austria was defeated by the Turks. Following the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, Oltenia is rejoined to Wallachia. The early capitals of Wallachia were Curtea de Argeș, then Târgoviște and later București.[2] [3]
History of Transylvania (Rom. “Transilvania” or “Ardeal” )
The meaning of the word "Transylvania" is the land beyond the forest and was first used in mid 11th century in hungarian royal documents.
The Roman Empire and many other later invading empires, were interested in the large natural resources of Transylvania such as salt, gold, silver, copper and other minerals, coal and lumber. Also, Transylvania had a magnitude on agricultural sources including grain, cows and sheep were needed to feed the armies.
During the late 9th century, Transylvania’s population encountered Hungarian tribes. By end of 11th century, the Hungarian crown conquered most of Transylvania. In the 12th and 13th centuries, German immigrants (known as Saxons or "Siebenbürger Sachsen") colonized southeast and northeast Transylvania and built fortifications to protect against foreign invasions, as ordered by the Hungarian crown. Local non-Catholic Romanians lost their right to own land and other property, with serious socioeconomic implications.
After the battle of Mohacs in 1526 and 1570 Treaty of Steyer, Transylvania and Crișana form the Principality of Transylvania. During most of the 16th and 17th centuries, the principality was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire; however, the principality had dual suzerainty (Ottoman and Habsburg).
In 1690, the Habsburg monarchy gained possession of Transylvania. After the 1848 revolution, the March Constitution of Austria decreed that the Principality of Transylvania be a separate crown land entirely independent of Hungary. The separate status of Transylvania ended with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.
Following defeat in World War I, Austria-Hungary disintegrated. Elected representatives of the ethnic Romanians from Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș proclaimed Union with Romania on December 1, 1918. The Proclamation of Union of Alba Iulia was adopted by the Deputies of the Romanians from Transylvania and supported one month later by the vote of the Deputies of the Saxons from Transylvania.[4]
History of Bucovina and Moldavia (Rom. “Moldova”)
The territory of modern Moldavia experienced many invasions in late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, notably by Goths, Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Mongols and Tatars. About 1349 Moldavia achieved its independence under its Prince, Bogdan I. At its greatest extent, Moldavia included Bessarabia and Bucovina and was bounded on the north and northeast by the Nistru (Dniester) River, on the south by the Black Sea and Dobruja and Walachia, and on the west by Transylvania.
The new principality successfully resisted pressures from Hungary and Poland. Stephen the Great (Rom. “Ștefan cel Mare”) defeated a large Ottoman army in the Battle of Vaslui in 1475. He was referred to as Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") by Pope Sixtus IV, even though Moldavia's hopes for military support went unfulfilled. After Stephen’s death, however, his son and successor, Bogdan III the One-Eyed (reigned 1504–17), was compelled to pay tribute to the Sultan. By the middle of the 16th century Moldavia had become an autonomous, tribute-paying vassal-state of the Ottoman Empire and remained so over the next 300 years except of very short interruptions.
The castle of Suceava was built during the late 14th century. During the Late Middle Ages, it was part of a system of medieval strongholds built by the Moldavian monarchs in order to withstand the expansionist threat of the Ottoman Empire and Tatar invasions from the East . Suceava served as Moldavia's capital from 1388 to 1565 and later Iaşi became the new capital.
During the 18th century, although Moldavia remained nominally subject to the Ottoman Empire, Russian influence in the principality increased, and the region became a source of contention between the Turks and the Russians, then embroiled in the Russo-Turkish wars. In 1774 Moldavia lost its northwestern territory of Bucovina to Austria; in 1812 it gave up its eastern portion, Bessarabia, to Russia in the Treaty of Bucharest. The territory of Bucovina also extends into present Ukraine, known as "Northern Bucovina".[5]
History of Crişana
Banat, Crişana, and Transylvania were integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century. These regions were subject to plundering raids by the nomadic Pechenegs and Cumans, who dominated the lowlands east of the mountains.
In 1552, the Ottoman Empire occupied the southern part of Crișana and included it in the newly established the Province of Temeşvar. According to the Treaty of Speyer (1570), the rest of Crișana became part of the Principality of Transylvania.
The Ottoman Varat Eyalet that was formed in the second half of the 17th century was centered on Crișana. Since the end of the 17th century, the whole region became part of the lands of the Habsburg monarchy and was administratively divided between the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. After disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Crișana was divided between Romania (eastern part) and Hungary (western part).[6]
History of Banat
At the beginning of the next Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718), Prince Eugene of Savoy took the Banat region from the Turks. After the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), the region became a province of the Habsburg Monarchy. It was not incorporated into the Kingdom of Hungary. Special provincial administration was established, centered in Timişoara.
Emporer Maria Theresa also took a direct interest in Banat; she colonized the region with large numbers of German farmers of roman catholic faith, who were granted special rights. She encouraged mining explorations for minerals. German settlers arrived from Swabia, Alsace (French region), Bavaria and Austria and were called Banat Swabians or Danube Swabians.
History of Maramureş
In 1199, the region is first attested. In 1241 the Tatar invasion decimated about half of the local population. In the 14th century, Duke (knyaz) Bogdan of Maramureş crossed the Carpathians and founded the Principality of Moldavia. The Voivodeship of Maramureş, dominated by Romanian nobility, was formed in 1343 and lasted until 1402. In the Middle Ages, the historical region of Maramureş was known for its salt mines and later for its lumber.
In 1920, under the Treaty of Trianon, the northern part of the county became part of newly-formed Czechoslovakia, while the southern part (including Sighetu Marmației) became part of the Kingdom of Romania.
The famous wooden churches of the region were built starting from the 17th century all the way to 19th century. Some were erected on the place of older churches. They were a response to the prohibition against the erection of stone Orthodox churches by the Catholic Austro-Hungarian authorities.
History of Dobruja (Rom. “Dobrogea”)
After the division of the Roman Empire, Dobruja was absorbed into the Eastern Roman Empire. In 1187 the Byzantines lost control of Dobruja to the restored Bulgarian Empire. Arab chronicles of the 13th century mentioned Dobruja under the name "Şakji" and the Vlachs inhabitants under the names "al-Awalak". In 1388/1389 Dobruja and Dristra (Dârstor) came under the control of Mircea the Elder, ruler of Wallachia with a small interruption until 1420. Annexed by the Ottoman Empire in 1420, the region remained under Ottoman control until the late 19th century.
During the Russo-Turkish wars, the Russian Empire invaded Dobruja many times, including in 1771-1774, 1790-1791, 1809-1810, 1829-1853. The most violent invasion was in 1829, which caused the depopulation of numerous villages and cities. After the 1878 war, the Treaty of San Stefano awarded Dobruja to Russia and the newly established Principality of Bulgaria. The northern portion, held by Russia, was ceded to Romania in exchange for Russia obtaining territories in Southern Bessarabia.
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After 1878, the Romanian government encouraged Romanians from other regions to settle in Northern Dobruja and accepted refugees from Transylvania which made up the majorities of new settlers between 1879 to 1882. The people of Dobruja named these new settlers from Transylvania “Mocans” which means mountain shepherds. Indeed, most of the new settlers coming from the area of Brasov, Fagaras and the river Olt were peasants and typically related to keeping flocks of sheep but among them came also people from urban areas, other occupations and trades. The Romanian population in Transylvania had all the reasons to leave their homeland. For 700 years, they were under to Hungarian Rule and had few privileges, including little access to land ownership and formal education. They had faced cultural and religious pressure.[7] [8]
Modern history up to end of WWII
1859 to 1862
Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877.
1878 to 1881
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. The 1878 Treaty of Berlin formally recognized the independence of the de facto sovereign principalities of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. The three newly independent states subsequently proclaimed themselves kingdoms: Romania in 1881, Serbia in 1882 and Montenegro in 1910.
Post World War 1 Annexation of Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bucovina
On March 27, 1918, the Country Council of Bessarabia voted in favor of the unification with Romania. It was one of the few major successes Romania had obtained in the Great War up to that point. Bessarabia declared its independence from Russia a few months before, in January 1918. It was the first historical Romanian province that united with the Kingdom of Romania.
The 1st of December, 1918 is Unification Day, a major moment in Romanian history. On this date, more than 100,000 people were present in the citadel of Alba Iulia. Their 1,228 delegates adopted the resolution that ratified the unification of Transylvania (including the regions of Banat, Crişana, Maramureş) with the Romanian Kingdom. The General Congress of Bucovina had decided as well, a few days before, on November 28, the unification with Romania.
During World War 2
The King Carol the 2nd’s lack of reaction to the ultimatums led to his abdication in September 1940. His son, Mihai, followed to the throne for the second time in Romanian history. One year later, the country’s neutrality ended and entered WW2, against the Soviet Union, under pressure from Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria.
1940 Bessarabia and N. Bucovina ceded to Soviet Union as result of Soviet’s Ultimatum
1940 Northen Transylvania and Crișana ceded to Hungary as result of Germany’s Ultimatum
1940 South Dobruja ceded to Bulgaria as result of Germany’s Ultimatum
August 23, 1944, a key date in the history of Romania as King Mihai decided to make Romania an ally of the Soviet Army.
King Mihai arrested General Antonescu who was the de facto ruler of Romania after 1940. On the same day, he announced that Romania was turning the weapons against its ally, Nazi Germany.
After 1947 the current territory of Republic of Romania was established
The Soviet army occupied Romania immediately after the arrest of General Antonescu. The Russians took 100,000 prisoners from the allied Romanian army stationed on the Eastern border. More people were arrested and deported to Siberia in the following months. Moscow only agreed to withdraw its army from Romania in 1958.
King Mihai abdicated on December 31, 1947. The abdication marked the destruction of democracy in Romania. The takeover of power by the communists was complete for the following 42 years.[9]
Communist Era
Following World War II, Soviets occupied Romania and facilitated the rise of the Communist Party as the main political force. Leading ultimately to the forced abdication of the King and the establishment of a one-party rule People's Republic in 1947. Romania's leader from 1948 to his death in 1965 was Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej. According to data, 73,334 persons were arrested between 1945 and 1964 and between 60,000 and 80,000 political prisoners were detained.
In 1958 Soviet Union did withdraw troops from Romania which achieved some independence but also isolated from other communistic countries. Nicolae Ceauşescu became head of state in 1965. He continued the iron fist policies of his predecessor but developed industrialization, access to higher education for all citizen and improved international relations. As a result, Romania experienced an economical boom end of the 70th, which did by far exceed other communist countries at this time. Poor economical decisions resulted in the 80th to a reverse of the economy. Ceauşescu eventually initiated a project of full reimbursement of the foreign debt; by imposing austerity policies that impoverished Romanians and exhausted the nation's economy. Finally, the population's supply with food and consumer goods had completely collapsed. The Revolution in December 1989 was a direct result.
Transition after the Revolution
Ion Iliescu, a former Communist Party official marginalized by Ceaușescu, attained national recognition as the leader of an impromptu governing coalition, the National Salvation Front (FSN) that proclaimed the establishment of democracy and civil liberties on 22 December 1989.
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held on 20 May 1990. In December 1991, a new constitution was drafted and subsequently adopted, after a popular referendum. During the first years of the newly formed state, huge economic and political obstacles arose, including the establishment of new government institutions and the fight against corruption.
In June 1993, the country applied for membership in the European Union (EU). It became an Associated State of the EU in 1995, and a full member on 1 January 2007. Romania developed closer ties with Western Europe, eventually joining NATO in 2004.
See also
References
- ↑ Trajan’s Dacian War https://www.thecollector.com/emperor-trajan-dacian-war/
- ↑ Wallachia https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wallachia
- ↑ A Guide to Visiting Historical Wallachia https://untravelledpaths.com/blog/guide-visiting-wallachia
- ↑ Transylvania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transylvania
- ↑ Moldovia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldavia
- ↑ Crisana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cri%C8%99ana
- ↑ Dobruja https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobruja
- ↑ D. Şandru, Mocanii în Dobrogea 1946
- ↑ 100 Years in the History of Romania