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101–6 AD
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Romans conquer Dacia, then the area roughly covered by modern Rumania. Present-day Rumanians believe cross-breeding produced Daco-Romans, their ancestors.
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271
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Emperor Aurelian withdraws legions from Dacia; too costly to defend against nomadic tribes.
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271–896
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A historical blank; only known that migrating hordes (Goths, Gepids, Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Petchenegs, Cumins) cross Dacia on the way south.
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c. 896
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Magyars from Hungary begin gradual settlement and development of Transylvania.
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c. 1000
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Szekelys posted by King Stephen of Hungary to Harghita Mountains to defend Transylvania’s border.
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1141–61
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Saxons arrive in southern Transylvania from Flanders and Lower Rhine; invited by King Geza of Hungary to colonise strategic areas and given many privileges.
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c. 1290
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Principality of Wallachia, south of Carpathians, founded.
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c. 1360
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Bogdan Voda, a Rumanian boyar, refuses to submit to Magyar expansion into Maramures and leads followers over Carpathians to found Principality of Moldavia.
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1374
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Othodox Church’s first Rumanian episcopate established; previously, imported Slav priesthood was ruled from Ochrid.
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1437
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Prolonged peasant uprising in Transylvania prompts Magyar, Szekely, Saxon nobles to unite to protect their privileges. Throughout 15th century Ottoman armies successfully opposed by Hunyadi in Transylvania, Stephen the Great in Moldavia, Vlad Tepis in Wallachia.
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16th
century
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Hungary partitioned by Habsburgs and Ottomans. Transylvania retains independence. Moldavia and Wallachia acknowledge Ottoman suzerainty but never occupied by Turkish troops or administered by Turkish officials.
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1571
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Transylvanian Diet gives equal status to ‘the Four Received Religions’: Calvinist, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Unitarian. Rumanians’ Orthodox Church not recognised.
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1599–1600
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Moldavia, Wallachia, Transylvania briefly united for first time under Michael the Brave. This was mere territorial expansion; no Rumanian awareness of ‘nationhood’ in modern sense.
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17th
century
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Transylvania prospers under Magyars; life continues hard for peasants but is worse in principalities under native princes, vassals of the Porte. When these princes replaced by Phanariot Greeks, ruling on behalf of Sultan, peasants endure extreme hardship and boyars resent having privileges curtailed.
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1718
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Ottomans withdraw from Hungary; Habsburgs settle Swabians in the Banat of Timisoara, now a part of Transylvania, to cultivate land regained from Turks.
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1773
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Joseph II tours Transylvania incognito; unsuccessfully begs his mother Maria Theresa to protect Rumanians in Transylvania from exploitation and discrimination.
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1784
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Magyars ruthlessly repress Peasant Revolt in Transylvania; many still-remembered atrocities on both sides.
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1791
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Rumanian religious and political leaders beg Vienna for recognition as ‘the Fourth Nation of Transylvania’; plea rejected.
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1821
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In Moldavia and Wallachia Phanariot rule replaced by native princes appointed by Turks and Russians; peasants benefit only slightly from this change.
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1829–34
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Both principalities are a Russian protectorate, the Porte retaining suzerainty; valuable reforms initiated by Count Kiselev.
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1848–9
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Magyars proclaim union of Transylvania with Hungary despite Rumanian and Saxon protests. Vienna seeks Russian assistance to put down Magyars’ anti-Habsburg rebellion; Transylvania demoted to Austrian province under martial law. Rumanians now subjected to Germanisation instead of Magyarisation.
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1859
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Union of Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia under Prince loan Cuza.
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1862
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These Principalities are renamed ‘Rumania’ (Transylvania was to be included only in 1920); serfdom abolished; Greek-owned monastic estates appropriated from the Church and sold to peasants thus causing much debt-associated hardship.
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1866
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Cuza dethroned in bloodless coup and Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (later King Carol I) requested to rule Rumania by Bucharest politicians.
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1867
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Hungary forces Austria to acknowledge her independence and Austro-Hungarian Empire formed. Magyars now free to pursue relentless policy of Magyarisation in Transylvania; they continue until 1918 despite widespread international condemnation.
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1907
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Carol I deploys 120,000 Rumanian troops to put down Europe’s last Peasant Revolt; more than 10,000 Moldavian and Wallachian villagers killed; thousands imprisoned.
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1914
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Carol I dies on 9 October having failed to persuade his government to abandon their neutrality policy and declare war on Britain and her allies. Ferdinand succeeds.
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1916
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Entente use Transylvania to bribe Rumania to declare war on Austro-Hungary; army noted for bravery but badly officered and ill-equipped. Germans soon take Bucharest; Government flees to Moldavian capital Iasi.
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1918
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In May Rumania signs treaty with Germany; on eve of Armistice American Ambassador advises Bucharest to declare war again to strengthen their position at Paris Peace Conference. At Alba Iulia on 1 December tens of thousands of Transylvania’s Rumanians gather to declare allegiance to King Ferdinand and proclaim final rejection of Magyar rule.
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1920
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Treaty of Trianon (4 June) gives Transylvania to Rumania; Hungary has been arguing the injustice of this ever since.
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1920–40
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Land Reform benefits speculators more than peasants; democracy fails to develop; governments rig all elections; Nazi-type ‘Iron Guard’ persecutes Jews, killing many especially in northern Moldavia. German influence increases during late ’30s when Iron Guard turns on monarchy. Carol II bans all political parties and orders Guard leaders executed.
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1940
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Carol II abdicates; heir Michael cedes all power to dictator Marshal Antonescu who is forced to return northern Transylvania to Hungary.
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1941
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Rumania enters war against Soviets in June. Both Hungarian and Rumanian governments collaborate with Nazis in extermination of Jews and Gypsies.
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1944
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In August Rumania ‘liberated’ from Nazis by Soviet Army.
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1949
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A strongly Stalinist dictatorship established; peasants’ resistance to collectivisation causes 80,000 to be arrested, imprisoned and tortured.
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1965
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Ceausescu takes over; for a decade much more freedom allowed. He develops nationalist economic policy in defiance of Comecon; reliance on Western credits and technical aid gets country deep into debt; insane restrictions on consumption are then imposed in obsessional determination to repay debts.
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1989
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Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu overthrown in uprising and shot by army firing squad on Christmas Day.
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