Roman colonisation and inter-marriage followed and the resulting population became Christian. In 271 the Legions withdrew and 1,000 years of sporadic invasion ensued, followed by several centuries of Turkish and Russian aggression. The Daco-Roman civilisation and Romania's Latin inheritance survived.
The Rise of the Principalities
"Romanians" were first mentioned in documents in the 1160s, soon after which Wallachia and Moldavia emerged as principalities. A succession of noble leaders held of the Turks, namely Prince Mircea the Old, Prince Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) and Stephen the Great of Moldavia, who built close to 50 monasteries and churches and moulded Moldavian culture. In the 16th century Michael the Brave united all these three provinces and chased away the Turks. In many respects the 15th and 16th centuries were a golden age of architecture and art.
Emergence of a Nation
After Michael the Brave's death in 1601, two and a half centuries of conflicts followed, during which a Romanian sense of nationhood developed little by little. In 1859 the two principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia united in the name of Romania as of 1862. The country became a monarchy in 1881, but it was only in 1918 that union took place between the three Romanian provinces.
After 1945 the Russians deposed the king and imposed communism. The revolution of December 1989 brought Romania firmly back into democratic Europe. The most obvios result is that the age-old friendliness and generosity of Romanians have been asserted again, as visitors will soon appreciate.
Romanian village architecture
is imaginative and colourful
Exquisite churches and monasteries adorn
Bucovina's countryside
Inspiring Cultural Diversity
Such a past was bound to create a great range of artistic and cultural achievements.
