Quite at the beginning of the year I had a discussion with a Romanian about why Romania - in some areas - has such a hard time keeping up with Western Europe. In his argumentation he blamed the geographic location of Romania. As far as the researches go back, the territory of today`s Romania has always been torn between two or more forces, passed along, treaten like a puppet, reigned from here then there.
Romania`s position in Europe is very important because it is like a pass-through from Asia, perfectly located at the Black Sea, which offers the possibility for oversea trade. Also, Romania has a very diverse landscape with seaside, as already mentioned, plain and the Carpathian arc which covers most of the country, has very fertile ground and a gold stock in the north-west.
Its busy history with the coming and going of all thinkable peoples, oppression and war and various religions, all that makes Romania what it is now, gives the people their mentality and their appearance.
The Dacians - main actors in early Romanian history
Circa 3500 BC the first notable population occures by the Thracians. About 1500 years later the Dacians develope from a side branch of the Thracians and spread in many areas of the Carpathians where they find fertile ground and gold. Ca. 700 BC the Greeks start to settle down at the Black Sea cost and establish the first cities, like Istros (today`s Histria in the Danube Delta, 657 BC), Tomis (today`s Constanta, 550 BC) and Kallatis (today`s Mangalia, 281 BC). They maintain a constant business with the Dacians with whom they exchange wine, oil, spices and olives for gold, wood, honey, cereal, salt and slaves.
But the apparent harmony and peaceful cooperation shouldn`t last forever.
Admittedly, the Romans are also a popular trade partner for the Dacians, which even have adopted their currency. But the knonowledge of the gold reserves spreads fast in Rome, thus more and more people set off for dacia felix, the happy Dacia, as they use to call it. The first military quarrels between the two peoples already happen in 61 BC, but the Dacians defend their territory successfully throughout anno domini. Only in the Dacian wars in 101/102 and 105 AD the locals are not able anymore to retain Dacia, because emperor Trajan attacks with an army of 60.000 men. He makes it his principal duty to conquer today`s Romania, but for him the gold stocks are second rate, he wants to extend the Roman Empire to Mesopotamia. Trajan actually reaches Mesopotamia; extensively, he is considered as the best emperor of the Roman Empire, among other things because during his reign the empire underwent the biggest expansion ever.
Romania`s position in Europe is very important because it is like a pass-through from Asia, perfectly located at the Black Sea, which offers the possibility for oversea trade. Also, Romania has a very diverse landscape with seaside, as already mentioned, plain and the Carpathian arc which covers most of the country, has very fertile ground and a gold stock in the north-west.
Its busy history with the coming and going of all thinkable peoples, oppression and war and various religions, all that makes Romania what it is now, gives the people their mentality and their appearance.
The Dacians - main actors in early Romanian history
Circa 3500 BC the first notable population occures by the Thracians. About 1500 years later the Dacians develope from a side branch of the Thracians and spread in many areas of the Carpathians where they find fertile ground and gold. Ca. 700 BC the Greeks start to settle down at the Black Sea cost and establish the first cities, like Istros (today`s Histria in the Danube Delta, 657 BC), Tomis (today`s Constanta, 550 BC) and Kallatis (today`s Mangalia, 281 BC). They maintain a constant business with the Dacians with whom they exchange wine, oil, spices and olives for gold, wood, honey, cereal, salt and slaves.
But the apparent harmony and peaceful cooperation shouldn`t last forever.
Admittedly, the Romans are also a popular trade partner for the Dacians, which even have adopted their currency. But the knonowledge of the gold reserves spreads fast in Rome, thus more and more people set off for dacia felix, the happy Dacia, as they use to call it. The first military quarrels between the two peoples already happen in 61 BC, but the Dacians defend their territory successfully throughout anno domini. Only in the Dacian wars in 101/102 and 105 AD the locals are not able anymore to retain Dacia, because emperor Trajan attacks with an army of 60.000 men. He makes it his principal duty to conquer today`s Romania, but for him the gold stocks are second rate, he wants to extend the Roman Empire to Mesopotamia. Trajan actually reaches Mesopotamia; extensively, he is considered as the best emperor of the Roman Empire, among other things because during his reign the empire underwent the biggest expansion ever.
After the fierce wars the Dacian population is heavily depleted, but the gaps are filled fast by settlers of all over the empire. Since they all speak Latin, Dacia is romanised as fast as no other province.
I`m aware that the development of languages is highly complex and I`m not informed well about this topic, but I assume that this event was the very basis for Romanian language (if there are no influences of the Thracian language).
In the 3rd century increasingly Gothic troops attack the Romans, so that emperor Aurelian pulls back behind the Danube. In the left-behind areas is coming up a power vacuum which is only temporarily filled by Asian horse peoples and Slavic tribes.
Almost thousand years later, in 1241, an attack by the Mongols destroys two thirds of Transylvania`s cities and villages and leads to one hundred years of brutal leadership. This event can be seen as incisive break for further development of the country, because it causes the concentration of all Christian powers.
Together they fight against Turkish and Asian horse people and try to protect especially the thinly populated area of Transylvania. Already since 1150 the Hungarian aristocracy starts to populate this territory with German settlers who are soon called Saxones. They do not only defend Transylvania from offenders, but also establish their own culture and cities, e.g. Cluj, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara and Medias. For a defence strategy, which they know from Franconia and Thuringia, they build around 150 church castles which partially are still well-preserved today. Sometimes up to 1000 persons have to find shelter behind the protecting walls for weeks and are nourished from the big pantries with cereals. Usually most of the men are sent out to fight and the women have to defend the walls by theirselves. Those are rarely uncreative in their duty and put their enemies to flight with cheeky manoeuvres.
The more Saxons and Hungarian aristocracy increase western influences in Transylvania, the bigger grows the gap between them and the Romanians who mostly are adscript peasants. In 1330 Walachia can free itself from the Hungarian sovereignty and soon after also the principality Moldavia gains its independence.
But it`s not granted them to enjoy their freedom for long ...
What happens next you will be able to read in my next history release, stay tuned!
Miriam
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