#18

                       History of Romania

                      Early modern period

By 1541, the entire Balkan peninsula and most of Hungary became Ottoman provinces.

In contrast, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania, came under Ottoman suzerainty, but conserved fully internal autonomy and, until the 18th century, some external independence.

During this period, also called the Phanariot Epoch, the Romanian lands were characterised by the slow disappearance of the feudal system and the distinguishment of some rulers like Vasile Lupu and Dimitrie Cantemir in Moldavia, Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu in Wallachia, and Gabriel Bethlen in Transylvania.

At that time the Russian Empire appeared to become the political and military power which threatened the Romanian principalities.

 

John II, the non-Habsburg king of Hungary, moved his royal court to Alba Iulia in Transylvania, and after his

abdication from the Hungarian throne, he became the first "Prince of Transylvania".

His Edict of Turda was the first decree of religious freedom in the modern European history (1568).

In the aftermath Transylvania was ruled by mostly Calvinist Hungarian princes (until the end of the 17th century), and Protestantism flourished in the region.

 

Michael the Brave (Romanian: Mihai Viteazul) was the Prince of Wallachia (1593–1601), of Transylvania (1599–1600), and of Moldavia (1600).

 

For a short time during his reign Transylvania was ruled together with Moldavia and Wallachia in a personal union.

After his death the union dissolved and as vassal tributary states Moldavia and Wallachia still had an internal autonomy and some external independence, which was finally lost in the 18th century.

 

The Principality of Transylvania reached its golden age under the absolutist rule of Gabor Bethlen (1613–1629).

 

In 1699, Transylvania became a part of the Habsburgs' Austrian Empire, following the Austrian victory over the Turks.

The Austrians, in their turn, rapidly expanded their empire: in 1718 a major part of Wallachia, Oltenia, was annexed to the Austrian monarchy and was only returned in 1739.

In 1775, the Austrian empire occupied the north-western part of Moldavia, later on called Bukovina, while the eastern half of the principality (by the name of Bessarabia) was occupied in 1812 by Russia.

 

During the Austro-Hungarian rule in Transylvania, and the Ottoman suzerainty over Wallachia and Moldavia, most Romanians were actually second-class citizens (or even non-citizens) in a territory where in fact they constituted the majority of the population.

In some Transylvanian cities like Brașov (at that time the Transylvanian Saxon citadel of Kronstadt), Romanians were not even allowed to reside within the city walls.

 

                              Revolutions of 1848

 

As in other European countries, 1848 brought up the revolution upon Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania, through Tudor Vladimirescu and his Pandurs in the Wallachian uprising of 1821.

The goals of the revolutionaries - full independence for Moldavia and Wallachia, and national emancipation in Transylvania - remained unfulfilled, but were the basis of the subsequent evolutions.

The uprising helped the population of all three principalities recognise their unity of language and interests; all three Romanian principalities were very close, not only in language, but also geographically.

 

After the unsuccessful 1848 Revolution, the Great Powers rejected the Romanians' expressed desire to officially unite in a single state, forcing the Romanians to proceed alone their struggle against the Turks.

Heavily taxed and badly administered under the Ottoman Empire, in 1859, people's representatives in both Moldavia and Wallachia elected the same "Domnitor" (ruling Prince of the Romanians) : Alexandru Ioan Cuza.

 

Thus, Romania was created as a personal union albeit that did not include Transylvania, where the upper class and the aristocracy remained mainly Hungarian, although Romanian nationalist spirit inevitably ran up against the Hungarian nationalism at the end of the 19th century.

As in the previous 900 years, Austria-Hungary, especially under the Dual Monarchy of 1867, kept the territory firmly in control, even in parts of Transylvania where Romanians constituted a vast majority.

 

      Independence and Kingdom of Romania

In an 1866 coup d'état, Cuza was exiled and replaced by Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, who became known as Prince Carol of Romania.

He was appointed Domnitor - Ruling Prince of the United Principality of Romania, as Prince Carol of Romania.

 

      King Carol I

Romania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire after the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 in which she fought on the Russian side.

In the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, Romania was finally officially recognized as an independent state by the Great Powers.

In return, Romania ceded the district of Bessarabia to Russia "in exchange" for the access to the ports on the Black Sea shore, and acquired Dobruja.

In 1881, the Romanian principality was raised to a kingdom and Prince Carol became on the 26 of March King Carol I of Romania.

United Principalities (Romania) 1859–1878, shown in lighter shade

National Costumes Of Romania

 

Thanks to wiki.