Istoriia iaste lungă Iară minte imi iaste scurtă. Ce, pre cît mă voiu pricepi A o scriia voiu începi Şi voiu faci arătare De această întămplare.

Arătare voi să facu, Măcar nu fiie pe placu. Căci a o lăsa să tacu Făr de minte mă facu Şi mă arăt nepriceputu La lucrul ce-am începutu.

Istoria românilor nu are nici o semnificaţie în afara pămîntului pe care poporul lor s-a născut acum două milenii şi pe care au trăit neîntrerupt.

Pămîntul românesc se află în sud estul Europei, la nord de Peninsula Balcanică din care mulţi, în mod greşit, consideră că face parte. Lanţul Munţilor Carpaţi trece prin inima lui, iar Dunărea (cel mai mare fluviu din Europa) îl mărgineşte la sud înainte de a pătrunde între maluri româneşti şi a se vărsa în Marea Neagră.

Această moştenire este bogată în orice bogăţie naturală posibilă, de la sare la petrol şi aur, dar totuşi a fost socotită de cronicarul moldovean Grigore Ureche a se afla „în calea răotăţilor“.

În vremea veche această regiune a fost populată de daci, popor cunoscut şi sub numele de geţi. Dacii sînt o spiţă a marelui neam al tracilor, ramură indoeuropeană înrudită cu ilirii, latinii, grecii, germanii, slavii şi celţii.

Prima menţiune scrisă a existenţei acestui popor provine de la Herodot, părintele istoriei, care îi socoteşte a fi cei mai viteji şi mai drepţi dintre traci. De asemenea Herodot afirmă spijinindu-se pe două surse diferite religia monoteistă a dacilor şi credinţa lor în Zamolxe (Zalmoxis). Procesul de închegare politică a acestui popor s-a definitivat în primul secol înainte de Cristos, cînd puternicul rege dac Burebista (70-44 e.n.) îi adună pe daci sub conducerea sa într-un stat puternic corespunzînd teritorial, luat în mare, celui pe care astăzi se află România şi Republica Moldova. Semn al puterii sale ca domnitor este ajutorul pe care Burebista l-a dat lui Pompei în luptele cu Cezar şi faptul că a reuşit să impună dacilor să-şi taie viile şi să ducă o viaţă cumpătată.

În secolul următor Dacia a înflorit din nou sub Decebal (87-106 d.C.). Pericolul reprezentat de regele dac, care înfrînsese armatele invadatoare ale Romei chiar în zorii domniei sale şi devenise client al Romei, (asta însemnînd pe acele vremuri că Roma trebuia să îi plătească periodic o sumă stabilită pentru a păstra pacea), a stîrnit îngrijorări în Imperiu. Consecinţa a fost că împăratul Traian (fiu adoptiv al lui Nerva) a hotărît să rezolve definitiv motivele de îngrijorare lansînd două atacuri, primul în 101 şi 102, cel de al doilea în 105 şi 106, cele două rezultînd în completa distrugere a statului dac şi în transformarea Daciei în provincie romană. Cucerirea Daciei a marcat culmea gloriei romane, Dacia fiind ultima provincie alăturată Imperiului - serbările victoriei au ţinut 123 de zile , 10.000 de gladiatori luptînd pentru distracţia poporului roman şi 11.000 de fiare fiind ucise în circurile romane. Măreaţa Columnă a lui Traian ridicată atunci (de către Apolodor din Damasc) stă încă în picioare în Roma, atît doar că statuia Sfîntului Petru a luat locul celei a lui Traian din vîrful columnei, pentru a face plăcere unui papă.

Stăpînirea romană în Dacia a durat din 106 pînă în 271 sau 275, timp în care provincia a fost colonizată, numeroase cetăţi au fost construite şi ridicate la rangul de municipium sau chiar colonia. Cluj-Napoca, cel mai important municipiu din Transilvania a fost transformat oficial în municipium încă din anul 124 d.C.. Mai multe monetării din Dacia au bătut monedă (desigur, şi înainte şi după cucerirea romană).

Înfrîngerea din 106 a adus moartea multor bărbaţi daci, mulţi sinucigîndu-se pentru a nu fi luaţi sclavi (Decebal însuşi), iar şi mai multora sclavia fiind vînduţi şi duşi în felurite părţi ale Imperiului. Pentru a rezolva problema subpopulării, dar nu numai din acest motiv, veterani de pe tot cuprinsul Imperiului, din Hispania pînă la Siria, au fost aşezaţi aici. Veteranii erau soldaţi cu serviciul militar satisfăcut (destul de lung pe acele vremuri) şi care erau pensionaţi primind pămînt, bani şi alte drepturi cetăţeneşti. Cuvîntul românesc „bătrîn“ descinde direct din latinul „veteranus“ şi în plus a căpătat şi o formă la feminin neexistentă în limba sursă.

Noii veniţi, de obicei veterani dar de asemenea şi negustori sau oameni liberi cu alte meserii, erau legaţi de limba comună - aceasta fiind desigur latina. Pentru a judeca drept, latina avusese şi dinainte o influenţă puternică asupra Daciei, contactele dintre daci şi romani fiind vechi de sute de ani în momentul cuceririi romane. Marile culturi, cele susţinute de mari armate în special, au influenţat vocabularul românilor lungi secole mai apoi de a lungul unei întortocheate istorii, fără însă a schimba natura limbii vorbite de moştenitorii poporului dac în arcul carpatic. Acest fenomen trebuie să fi început cu strămoşii pămînteni ai românilor înainte de cucerirea romană - imensa afinitate a românilor pentru limbile străine (români ce, după nevoile vremilor, au vorbit greaca, franceza, rusa şi apoi engleza) este într-un fel intrată în fiinţa lor încă din zorii existenţei lor ca popor. Pretenţiile unora cum că băştinaşilor nu le-ar fi fost suficient peste un veac şi jumătate pentru a învăţa limba latină sînt ridicole cînd sub ochii noştri zece ani au fost de ajuns pentru a-i transforma pe români în anglofoni.

Timp de 165 de ani, Dacia ca provincie romană a primit o cultură superioară, limba latină şi creştinismul. Apostolul Andrei a creştinat pe actualul teritoriu al României, dar rolul principal este atribuit veteranilor creştini aşezaţi aici. Creştinismul a fost uşor de acceptat în Dacia, între rîurile Tisa, Dunăre şi Nistru, dat fiind că era transmis unui popor deja monoteist. Înainte de Cristos doar dacii, evreii şi persanii erau atît de avansaţi în ideile lor religioase.

Este stupid să crezi că odată cu retragerea romană populaţia romanizată din Dacia a pierdut orice relaţie cu Roma. Numeroasele monede romane bătute ulterior şi descoperite pe teritoriul României dovedesc contrariul.

Corpul de temelie al poporului român sînt vechii daci, iar cultura şi limba se datorează romanilor de la care au moştenit atît de mult. Românii au avut o evoluţie istorică unitară între Carpaţi şi zona dunăreană, între actualele graniţe ale României, Republicii Moldova şi chiar mai mult decît atît. (Aromânii, românii sudului, au fost, ce-i drept, rupţi lingvistic de dacoromâni cîndva înainte de anul 1000 - în bună măsură datorită invaziei slavilor - şi mai departe fărîmiţaţi şi împrăştiaţi în mici comunităţi.) În ciuda separării politice datorate diverşilor factori din care cel mai important a fost incorporarea Transilvaniei în regatul ungar cu dimensiuni de imperiu şi apoi în Imperiul Austroungar, populaţia românească din cele trei separate state feudale, - Moldova, Ţara Românească şi Transilvania -, a păstrat trăsăturile comune definitorii intacte mulţumită unităţii de origine, limbii şi neîntreruptelor relaţii economice, politice şi culturale.




Evul Mediu

Izvoarele care să relateze despre români pe parcursul Evului Mediu sînt cam sărace, mai ales cele din perioada veche. Acest lucru se datorează faptului că teritoriile despre care vorbim erau, periodic aproape, devastate de cuceritori, domnitorii acestora fiind răsturnaţi, tezaurele ţărilor jefuite şi arhivele pierdute. Adesea arhivele străine sînt singurele ce ne pot lumina în problema românească. Cît despre hrisoavele româneşti conservate peste timp, cele mai vechi mai ales, acestea au fost mai curînd rătăcite şi apoi descoperite decît păstrate cu grijă. Pentru Transilvania avem informaţii de la notarul regelui ungur Bela, cronicar cunoscut sub numele de Anonymus (ungurii au avut în vechime mai mulţi regi cu acest nume; majoritatea înclină să creadă că e vorba de Bela al III-lea, 1173 - 1196). Ungurii au ajuns în Europa centrala cîndva după anul 900, conduşi fiind de ducele Arpad, şi s-au aşezat în Panonia. Nu numai în Transilvania de mai apoi găsesc formaţiuni statale româneşti supuse, foarte interesant, împăratului de la Constantinopol, ci chiar în Panonia află populaţii romanice pe care Anonimul, fără înconjur, îi numeşte romani. În scurt timp de la sosire, fiind un popor nomad extrem de războinic, ungurii reuşesc să supună sub suzeranitatea lor teritorii importante ce cuprindeau parţial sau integral Slovacia, ducatele româneşti apusene, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croaţia şi Albania, prădînd în repetate rînduri Germania pînă în Lotaringia şi Franconia şi Italia de miazănoapte pînă la Padova în Lombardia. Notarul menţionează ducatele româneşti din Transilvania de astăzi întîlnite de ei şi pe care încercau să le supună. Astfel remarcă pe ducele Menumorut domnind de la reşedinţa sa Biharea, pe ducele Glad din Banat (cu reşedinţa la Keve, azi în Serbia) şi pe ducele Gelu din Transilvania interioară, a cărui reşedinţă era Dăbîca.

Conflictul cu Menumorut este semnificativ şi, aşa cum a fost prezentat de cronicarul maghiar, ajută la o bună înţelegere a expansiunii ungureşti în Europa, deopotrivă interesant pentru curioşi şi cărturari. Mesagerii Usubuu şi Veluc au traversat rîul Tisa şi veniră la reşedinţa Bihor, pretinzînd din partea ducelui lor importante teritorii de malul stîng al apei.

Menumorut le-a răspuns: „Dicite Arpadio duci Hungarie, domino uestro, debitores sumus ei, ut amicus amico, in omnibus, que ei necessaria sunt, quia hospes homo est, et in multis indiget. Terram autem, quam petiut a nostra gratia, nullatenus concedimus nobis uiuentibus. Hoc etiam indigne tulimus quod Salanus dux ei concessit maximam terram, aut propter amorem, ut dicitur, aut propter timorem, quod negatur. Nos autem nec propter amorem nec propter timorem ei concedimus terram, etiam quantum pugillus caperet, licet dixerit ius suum esse. Et uerba sua non conturbant animum nostrum eo, quod mandauerit nobis se descendisse de Atthile regis, qui flagellum dei dicebatur, qui etiam uiolenta manu rapuerat terram hanc ab atthauo meo, sed tamen modo per gratiam domini mei imperatoris Constantinopolitani nemo protest auferre de manibus meis.“

În traducere „Spuneţi lui Arpad, ducele Ungariei, domnului vostru. Datori îi sîntem ca un amic unui amic, cu toate ce-i sînt necesare, fiindcă e om străin şi duce lipsă de multe. Teritoriul însă ce l-a cerut bunei voinţe a noastre nu i-l vom ceda niciodată, cîtă vreme vom fi în viaţă. Şi ne-a părut rău că ducele Salanus i-a cedat un foarte mare teritoriu, fie din dragoste, cum se spune, fie de frică, ceea ce se tăgăduieşte. Noi însă, nici din dragoste nici de frică, nu-i cedăm din pămînt nici cît un deget, deşi a spus că are un drept asupra lui. Şi vorbele lui nu ne tulbură inima că ne-a arătat că descinde din neamul lui Atila, care se numea biciul lui dumnezeu. Şi chiar dacă acela a răpit prin violenţă această ţară de la strămoşul meu, acuma însă graţie domnului meu, împăratul din Constantinopol, nimeni nu poate să o mai smulgă din mîinile mele.“ (Pierzînd mai multe bătălii - este menţionată şi bătălia de trei zile pentru Satu Mare - Menumorut este în cele din urmă silit să accepte o pace umilitoare, păstrînd doar fortăreaţa Bihorului şi trebuind să dea pe fiica sa de soţie fiului unui învingător.)

Deja dovedită de descoperiri arheologice numeroase, pasajul citat probează legătura neîntreruptă a strămoşilor românilor cu Imperiul Roman de Răsărit, şi aceasta în ciuda separării politice cauzate de invazii, făcînd Cronica Anonimă cu atît mai importantă.

Este interesant de observat că ungurii sînt numiţi astfel de către noi, ceilalţi, neavînd nici o legătură etnică cu mai timpuriii huni ai lui Atila. Ei folosesc pentru ei înşişi numele de „Magyar“, ţara lor pentru ei fiind „Magyarország“.

Cuceririle în est au fost uşurate de instabilitatea politică preexistentă în regiune şi care deja ameninţa viitorul tinerelor formaţiuni statale româneşti. Anonymus citează un raport al unui spion ungur, pe numele său Ocmand, trimis în recunoaştere în ţara necunoscută de dincolo de munţi - ducatul lui Gelu (Terra Ultrasilvana, Ţara De Peste Păduri, Transilvania de mai tîrziu) înainte de se porni ostilităţile armate. Ocmand a raportat: „Quod terra illa irrigaretur optimis fluuis, quorum nomina et utilitates seriatim dixit, et quod in arenis eorum aurum colligerent, et aurum terre illius optimum esset, et ut ibi foderetur sal et salgenia, et habitatores terre uiliores homines essent tocius mundi, quia essent Blasii et Sclaui, quia alia arma non haberent, nisi arcum et sagittas, et dux Geleou minus esset tenax et non haberet bonos milites, et auderent stare audatiam Hungarorum, quia Cumanis et Picenatis multas iniurias paterentur.“, în traducere „Că pămîntul acela este udat de cele mai bune rîuri, al căror nume şi folos le-a amintit pe rînd, că din nisipul lor se culege aur, că aurul din acea ţară este cel mai bun aur, că de acolo se scoate sare şi materii sărate şi că locuitorii din acea ţară sînt cei mai nevoiaşi oameni din toată lumea. Findcă sînt Blachi şi Sclavi care nu au alte arme decît arcuri şi săgeţi şi ducele Geleou puţin e puternic şi nu are ostaşi buni şi nu ar îndrăzni să se împotrivească curajului ungurilor, fiindcă suferă multe neajunsuri din partea cumanilor şi a pecenegilor.“

Istoria Transilvaniei pînă în 1918 a fost istoria pierderii drepturilor băştinaşilor şi a colonizării de popoare alogene. Toate acestea însă nu au putut schimba identitatea etnică a Transilvaniei. Catolicizarea nobililor ardeleni a fost urmată şi de asimilare, lăsîndu-i pe cei de jos fără conducători de acelaşi sînge, grăbind preschimbarea românilor în şerbi.

Iancu de Hunedoara, guvernator al Ungariei şi mare luptător antiotoman, a fost român care îşi schimbase confesiunea. Fiul său, Matei Corvin (Matthias Corvinus în forma latinizată), rege al Ungariei, nu a mai amintit prin nimic în lunga sa domnie de originea etnică a tatălui său. Propaganda ungurească a lansat de-a lungul timpului multe ipoteze ţintite la a dovedi întîietatea lor în locuirea Ardealului (lăsat pustiu după războaiele dacice conform teoriilor lor), una mai hazoasă decît alta. De menţionat este cea conform căreia românii au ajuns în Transilvania tîrziu, sosind din sud, iar numărul lor a ajuns să îl depăşească pe cel al ungurilor deoarece românii creşteau oi, mîncau brînză şi prosperau ca număr. Pentru mai multe probleme de istorie a Ardealului această propagandă neobosită continuă să emită versiuni mai rafinate şi deci mai credibile pe care le răspîndeşte în lumea largă cu eforturi financiare importante şi aproape fără nici o opoziţie din partea României.

Vechiul nume al Transilvaniei, şi azi folosit, este Ardeal în româneşte şi Erdely în ungureşte. Originea acestui cuvînt a fost un subiect clasic de dispută. Unii afirmă că Ardeal este un cuvînt cu rădăcină indo-europeană, direct înrudit cu germanul „Erde“ şi englezul „earth“, însemnînd pămînt. Aşadar nu ar putea fi de origine maghiară, de vreme ce limba lor este ugro-finică, singurele rude etnice şi lingvistice ale lor în Europa fiind estonii şi finlandezii. Există şi părerea conform căreia Ardeal ar fi un cuvînt compus din maghiarul „Erdö“ - pădure - şi „elu“ - dincolo. Este posibil să fie şi aşa, după cum este de asemenea posibil să fie o explicaţie căutată mai tîrziu.

La maxima ei expansiune, Ungaria a posedat Transilvania, Slovacia, Croaţia, părţi din Serbia şi chiar din Bulgaria. Cu toate acestea, acest principat românesc şi-a menţinut autonomia şi identitatea pînă în 1867 cînd regimul dualist austroungar l-a încorporat Ungariei.

Conducătorul politic al unei formaţiuni statale româneşti a purtat, de la început pînă la 1881 numele de „voievod“ (cuvînt slav) ori „domn“ (moştenit din latinul „dominus“). Ambele cuvinte erau deopotrivă folosite, însemnînd acelaşi lucru şi fiind egale în sens.

Cît despre Ţara Românească - Valahia -, cele mai vechi şi mai semnificative surse pentru perioadă de înainte de întemeiere sînt din nou ungureşti. Ele menţionează voievozi români la sud de Carpaţi, luptînd pentru a-şi păstra independenţa şi formaţiunile statale în afara hotarelor ungare. Astfel apar Ioan, Farcaş, Litovoi, Seneslau, Bărbat, Tihomir - e posibil ca aceste nume totuşi să nu fie întru totul veridice, fiind alterate prin rea scriere sau traduceri.

Basarab Întemeietorul (1310?-1352) a unit aceste mici voievodate în statul valah şi i-a obţinut independenţa în 1330 după marea bătălie de la Posada, într-un defileu al Munţilor Carpaţi.

Moldavia was founded in 1353 by Dragoş I, Romanian voivod from the noble Transylvanian province of Maramureş, sent east of the Carpathians by the Hungarian crown to establish a stronghold that could keep the Tartars from their incursions over the mountains. In 1359, another Romanian voivod from Maramureş named Bogdan I banned the descendants of Dragoş I from Moldavia, becoming the ruler of the newly independent state. Until the end of the reign of Petru I in 1392 it is thought that Moldavia reached its natural border on the river Nistru from the mountains to the sea (the Black Sea).

The expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula in the latter half of the 14th century was a great danger to the Romanian principalities. Outstanding victories won by princes Mircea the Old (1386-1418) and Vlad the Impaler Dracula (1456-1462) in Walachia, Stephen the Great and the Holy of Moldavia and John of Hunedoara kept back Turkish advances towards the rest of Europe.

The most important Romanian prince and leader of state is Stephen the Great and the Holy (1457-1504). For his bravery defending the cross, though being an orthodox prince, the Vatican pope himself honored Stephen with the title of "Athlete of Christ". His politics tried to imply all Christendom against the Islamic threat, planning to free Constantinople that had just been occupied in 1453.

Secret treaties between Hungary and a huge Poland that asserted to share Moldavia did not permit Stephen to achieve his goal, due to the fact he had to repel Christian attacks on his own territory. He defeated Matthias Corvinus of Hungary at Baia and John Albert of Poland in the Cosmin Woods in 1497. Trying to counterbalance the hostility of the neigbours, Stephen pledge allegiance to Matthias Corvinus in 1475 and since no support was obtained, after Chilia on Danube and Cetatea Albă (White Fortress) at the sea were lost to Turkish armies in 1484, he also pledged allegiance to Poland in 1485. Despite all these Stephen the Great and the Holy DID NOT get any help from the powerful Christian neigbours, against the Ottomans.

The Christendom was led by scorn and discord, so that, towards the end of his reign, Stephen was force to pay a small, symbolic tribute to the sultan, thus Moldavia falling under Ottoman suzerainty like Walachia did not very long before.

Once Hungary destroyed in 1542, Transylvania, as a principality, fell under the same rule for a long time.

Several Romanian princes tried to reclaim independence but shortly after one victorious battle or two they lost their thrones. The Gate was suzerain of the Romanian principalities, but what is the meaning of this? The principalities had to pay a yearly tribute, not to engage in treaties against the suzerain or wage wars against third parts without permission, just like the feudal rules are. On the other hand the Gate guaranteed the vassal borders, did not mingle in the internal affairs and promised not to build mosques or convert the people. The important thing about these capitulations was the Romanian principalities kept their existence all along the Middle Age, unlike Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary and so on. Peace with the Turks, yet often broken, meant stability (stability being very dear to Romanians even today) and the moving of the two principalities capitals from the mountains to the heart of the land. The Walachian capital changed from Tîrgovişte to Bucharest and the Moldavian from Suceava to Iaşi.

Crucială pentru idealul naţional al românilor a fost Unirea de la 1600 realizată sub Mihai Viteazul, unire a cărei amintire a ţinut aprinsă timp de peste trei secole speranţa desăvîrşirii unităţii de neam.

Sigiliul voievodului ca domn al celor trei Ţări Române este de cel mai înalt interes, el cuprinzînd stemele celor trei principate româneşti: în centru, un scut haşurat orizontal (albastru?) cu stema Moldovei, deasupra acvila valahă cu crucea în cioc, dedesubt stema Transilvaniei - doi lei afrontaţi ţinînd o spadă, păşind pe şapte munţi. Scutul cu stema Moldovei este susţinut de două personaje încoronate (tenanţi).

Pe sigiliu mai sînt două inscripţii. Prima, circulară, pare a fi IO MIHAILI UGROVLAHISCOI VOEVOD ARDILSCOI MOLD ZEMLI. A doua, plasată pe un arc de cerc ce separă stema Ţării Româneşti de restul compoziţiei heraldice, NML BJE MLRDIE, poate fi tradusă prin DIN ÎNSĂŞI MILA LUI DUMNEZEU. BJE e scrierea prescurtată pentru DUMNEZEU (boje) iar MLRDIE vine de la milosîrdie.

În toamna lui 1593 Mihai ia domnia Ţării Româneşti. Pe 13 noiembrie 1594 ţara se ridică la luptă împotriva otomanilor. Anul următor turcii ripostează şi pe 13/23 august 1595 are loc bătălia de la Călugăreni. Puţinătatea şi oboseala trupelor l-au împiedicat pe Mihai să-şi urmărească inamicul şi să-l azvîrle în Dunăre, astfel că victoria nu a putut fi valorificată.

În 1599 Mihai îşi înlătură duşmanul din Transilvania, Andrei Báthory, care vroia să-l scoată pe voievodul muntean din domnie. Pe 18/28 octombrie are loc bătălia de la Şelimbăr, lîngă Sibiu, iar pe 21 octombrie / 1 noiembrie Mihai intră triumfător în Alba Iulia. Înalta Poartă recunoaşte unirea, trimiţîndu-i lui Mihai steag de domnie pentru Transilvania şi fiului său Pătraşcu pentru Ţara Românească.

În mai 1600 Mihai intră în Moldova, cetăţile Sucevei şi Neamţului deschizîndu-i porţile. Ieremia Movilă fuge din ţară, păstrînd însă cetatea Hotinului.

În lunile iunie, iulie şi august ale anului 1600 Mihai Viteazul a stăpînit toate cele trei ţări române, realizînd prima Mare Unire a românilor.

Puterea lui Mihai s-a năruit în faţa intervenţiei străine: în septembrie în ţară au intrat oşti polone conduse de marele cancelar Jan Zamozski şi oşti ale împăratului Rudolf, conduse de generalul George Basta, care ocupă Transilvania în urma luptei de la Mirăslău. Chiar şi turcii intră în Oltenia, dar sînt bătuţi de Preda Buzescu. Înconjurat de duşmani din toate părţile, Mihai renunţă şi ajunge pe 12 ianuarie 1601 la Viena apoi, pe 23 februarie, la Praga, unde este primit în audienţă de împăratul Rudolf.

În primăvara lui 1601 Mihai a intrat în Transilvania cu sprijin imperial, cîştigînd biruinţa de la Guruslău. Pe 9/19 august, Mihai este asasinat, la Cîmpia Turzii, din ordinul lui Basta. Capul său a fost adus de comisul Radu Florescu în Ţara Românească şi dus la Mănăstirea Dealul.

The war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in 1711 marked an important moment for the principalities. Unfortunately it took place on the Moldavian soil, against the plans the czar Peter the Great has in his mind. The Walachian voivod and the Moldavian one both promised support to the czar, but only Dimitrie Cantemir from Moldavia gave it. The ruler and the great scholar (member of the Berlin Academy) Dimitrie Cantemir fled in 1711 after the defeat of Stănileşti to Russia along the czar.

Constantin Brîncoveanu, ruler of Walachia for a long time, was martyrized in 1714 in Constantinople, along with four sons and his closest counselor, in front of a great audience of European ambassadors. Dying as martyr (preferring to die than convert to Islam), he was raised by the Romanian Orthodox Church to the rank of saint. This must not surprise anyone - the Canterbury Tales written by Chaucer were told by pilgrims that went to worship the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket.

The thing is that from 1711 on the Gate lost confidence in the earthly rulers of the land and imposed Greek leaders from the Greek district of Constantinople called Fanar, fidel to the Empire but seldom knowing a Romanian word.

The Constantinopolitan rulers, imposed not chosen by the natives as before, brought with them bands of ruthless self-seeker Greeks and robbed together the two countries. The Fanariot period lasted long enough to induce to the Romanian disgust for Greeks and only time removed from inside their minds this sensation The Greeks bought their reign from the sultan and thus they had to exploit the countries as much as possible before their mandate expired. Many Greek rulers are known to have had several reigns, even four or five in Walachia and four or five in Moldavia, each of these having to be paid for.

During the Middle Age the Principalities suffered territorial losses. Walachia lost the seaside, the fortresses Giurgiu, Dîrstor and Brăila on Danube to the Turks. Also lost the western, rich province of Oltenia in 1718 to the Austrians, fortunately reclaimed from them by Turks in 1739. Moldavia lost fortress Chilia on Danube, Cetatea Albă at the sea, fortress Tighina on Nistru along with a not such a lesser territory somehow comprised amid the three, territory called Basarabia because formerly belonged to the Basarab dynasty in Walachia. It also lost fortress Hotin on Nistru. In 1538, along with Tighina and Basarabia, Petru Rareş lost his throne, the treasures of the state in Suceava were robbed and archives lost. These treasures included the sword of Stephen the Great and the Holy, sword that still lies inside the Top-Kapi Museum in Constantinople. Towards the year 1600 the two principalities had lost all the numerous possessions they had inside Transylvania even since their formation in favor of Hungarians and then Austrians. Basarabia was colonized by Turks with Tartars, Muslims and also fierce militarily organized warriors that kept at bay the principality rulers accordingly to the orders received from the sultan.

The free Romanians did not forget their brothers. Many voivods built orthodox churches for the Transylvanians; Moldavian voivod Vasile Lupu build a church in Chilia (Basarabia) and Constantin Brîncoveanu a church in Ismail (also known as Smil, in Basarabia).

The Gate conceded to Austria in 1775 the Moldavian territories of Cernăuţi and Suceava (to the north), known afterwards as Bucovina territories, that were not theirs to give, against all capitulation conditions in the past. Worth mentioning is that the Turks on site negotiator fooled the Gate into convincing it there was just a small passage between Transylvania and Galicia. Grigore Ghica III, voivod of Moldavia, protested and so his head was cut, stuck in honey and sent to Istanbul.

Russia became in the meanwhile a terrible power. In 1792 its borders reached the river Nistru, eastern Moldavian border. The next year Russia and Prussia share Poland just like the Soviet Union and Germany shared Europe in 1939-1940. During napoleonian wars, in 1806, Russia occupies with its armies the two principalities intending to keep them for itself. Given in 1812 the fact Napoleon was marching to Moscow, the czar makes a quick peace with the Gate. Betrayed by its own dragoman, the Gate accepts disadvantageous conditions, conceding Basarabia to Russia.

The problem is that Basarabia was a small territory between rivers Prut and Nistru. The traitors have given Russia ALL the territory between the two rivers, meaning neither more nor less then half of Moldavia, loss unconceivable in these terms. So, thanks to traitors and powerful armies, Russia swallows half of Moldavia, mischiefly baptizing it Basarabia and transforming it into a "gubernia", led by a "gubernator" (something alike a viceroy in Spanish Southern America). In 1813, next year, swallows Georgia.




Modernă şi contemporană

Revoluţia de la 1821 a avut un impact important şi asupra românilor. Revoluţia condusă de Tudor Vladimirescu în Valachia ţintea la reforme de înaltă modernitate şi poate şi de asta a eşuat în atingerea majorităţii obiectivelor. Deşi ordinea anterioara a fost restaurată după revoluţie, turcii au fost siliţi să înţeleagă că supremaţia grecească în principate trebuia să înceteze şi astfel au fost restaurate domniile pămîntene. Chiar şi aşa, dominaţia grecească s-a menţinut importantă încă cel puţin cîteva zeci de ani.

Revoluţia de la 1848, eveniment fundamental în dezvoltarea României moderne, a însemnat între altele şi fixarea culorilor drapelului naţional al românilor din cele trei principate. Guvernul provizoriu de la Bucureşti întărea, prin decretul numărul 1 din 14 (stil vechi) / 26 (stil nou) iunie că „Steagul naţional va avea trei culori: albastru, galben, roşu.“. Deviza română, care va fi scrisă atît pe steaguri cît şi pe monumentele şi decretele publice, se va compune din aceste două cuvinte: „Dreptate, Frăţie“. Acest lucru este reamintit pentru cei de astăzi în primul rînd de un tablou celebru de epocă (figurînd în manuale şcolare, pe timbre), înfăţişînd un grup de revoluţionari purtînd un drapel tricolor pe care scria, în grafia vremii, Dreptate, Frăţie.

Pe 27 martie / 8 aprilie 1848 are loc la Iaşi marea întrunire de la Hotelul Petersburg, reprezentînd începutul revoluţiei în Moldova şi în spaţiul românesc. Mişcarea din Moldova este înăbuşită două zile mai tîrziu, cînd vodă Mihail Sturza arestează majoritatea capilor revoluţiei.

Între 3-5 / 15-17 martie 1848 are loc Marea Adunare Naţională de la Blaj a românilor transilvăneni, pe Cîmpia Libertăţii, unde s-a strigat şi „Noi vrem să ne unim cu ţara”. Românii pretindeau reprezentare în Dieta Transilvaniei proporţională cu numărul lor, egalitate de drepturi a bisericii ortodoxe cu celelalte culte din Transilvania şi limbă română în administraţie. Pe flamurile lor se aflau inscripţii precum „Virtutea Romană Reînviată“, „Libertatea şi independenţa naţională“, „Credinţă neînfrîntă pentru naţiune şi tron“ şi „Nici o unire cu ţara ungurească“. În septembrie Avram Iancu, Axente Sever şi Iovian Brad încep organizarea unei oşti populare româneşti, care s-a opus pînă prin iunie 1849 strădaniilor armatelor maghiare care încercau să ocupe Munţii Apuseni, după ce ocupaseră aproape întreaga Transilvanie şi proclamaseră unirea acesteia cu Ungaria. (Pînă la Unirea din 1918, românii transilvăneni au purtat tricolorul românesc cu benzile orizontale.)

Pe 9 / 21 iunie 1848 are loc Adunarea de la Islaz, unde s-a citit mulţimii Proclamaţia cuprinzînd programul revoluţiei din Ţara Românească. La Bucureşti revoluţia izbucneşte două zile mai tîrziu, cînd vodă Gheorghe Bibescu semnează Constituţia (proclamaţia) şi recunoaşte guvernul revoluţionar. Decretul numărul 1 din 14 / 26 iunie al noului guvern a instituit ca drapel naţional tricolorul cu deviza Dreptate, Frăţie. Revoluţia din Ţara Românească se încheie pe 28 septembrie / 7 octombrie, cînd generalul Gheorghe Magheru dizolvă tabăra de voluntari de pe Cîmpul lui Traian de la Rîureni (judeţul Vîlcea).

The war in Crimea (1854-1856) ended favorably with defeat for Russia. Napoleon III took care to release the Russian pressure over the Principalities, and saw that Moldavia get back three counties in the Romanian, properly called Basarabia, lain over the branches of Danube and at the sea. Napoleon III would have wanted to proclaim the union of the two Principalities, but Austria was against.

France as the most important Latin country in the world at the time was helping the Romanians to achieve their goal; other powerful states agreed just in theory - to show they are united the banners of the Principalities were to bare a blue ribbon and other formal acts were permitted only.

The Union was finally accomplished when Walachia elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza on 24 January 1859 as "domn", the same person elected by Moldavia on 5 January, same year.

Once the Union done, progress was lightning fast and unstoppable in the newly born Romania. Yet short (1859-1866), the reign of Alexandru Ioan Cuza was among the most important in Romanian history. During it, more than amazing, the united Principalities changed in no time the oriental coat with a highly modern, French type organization of the state. Many of the ministers and main public institutions Romania has today were born in these eight years.

A critical strike for the Greek influence was the properties secularization of the monasteries consecrated to the Athos Mountain, stopping the huge amounts of money that left for Greece yearly.

In 1864 Alexandru Ioan Cuza advanced the parliament a law that turned the peasants in landowners on a ratio of the land they worked. The law being rejected, the prince rendered the parliament useless and invoked a plebiscite to decide the same question. The law of Cuza gave land to 40000 peasants and marked the beginning of a certain dictatorship. Until he was overthrown, Cuza imposed the universal vote and made primary education free and compulsory. In 1863 the Poles had a great rebellion and consequently the entire Europe was expecting Napoleon III to come to their aid. Sensing an opportunity to free the eastern half of Moldavia, Cuza wrote Napoleon III a letter reassuring the emperor of all the Romanian participation in an eventual conflict. No help went to the Poles and Russia crushed them.

The idea of returning to Romania the Moldavian land comprised in the former gubernia of Basarabia seem to be absurd to many today and makes the Russian diplomaticy explode whenever uttered but if happened in 1863 or the most following years, no one in Europe would have been surprised, not even the Russians.

The conservator and the liberal party united in what was known as the "monstrous coalition" and removed Cuza from power in 1866 and sent him to exile, intending to bring a foreign prince. Only the body of Cuza was permitted to return in 1873 and put to rest in Romanian earth. Tens of thousands of peasants came to his grave in pilgrimage.

Philip of Flanders, Latin strain prince related to Napoleon III declining the offer, the throne was given to the 27 year old Carol of Hohenzollern, German prince from an old German reigning family.

Through the agreement of Livadia in 1877 Romania gave Russia the permission of moving troops over Romanian territory to fight the Turks, in turn Russia vowing to preserve the Romanian integrity.

On 9 May 1877 Romania proclaimed independence.

Soon after the fightings started, the czar was forced to demand Carol I military aid. The Romanian army numbering about one hundred thousands men, including volunteers from ALL Romanian territories, fought bravely in Bulgaria along the Russians. In February 1878 the western powers stopped Russia from completely conquering the Ottoman Empire, (its European side at least), and imposed peace.

Russia took from the Turks Dobrogea, the Danube Delta and the Isle of the Serpents as amends and announced its intention of exchanging these territories with the Basarabian parts Moldavia got back through the Paris peace in 1856. Basarabia was well populated, and populated by Romanians. Dobrogea in turn, conquered in the Middle Ages from Walachia by the Turks, was at the time an arid land, barely populated by some Turks, Tartars and few Romanians. As an infringement of the treaty signed before the war and also unacceptable for other national and moral reasons, Carol I did not accept these conditions. He retreated to the western province of Oltenia with the army and awaited for international support. Unfortunately nothing could be done. An important Romanian population fell again under the Russian yoke.

The northern border of Dobrogea was Danube, but who could tell where the southern border was? When delimiting the southern border clashes between Romanian and Russian troops occurred, due to the fact Russians wanted a huge territory for the newly created principality of Bulgaria they were planning to keep occupied and politically depending on them.

Once independent Romania proclaimed itself kingdom in 1881, Carol I being crowned king with a crown made out of the steel from a captured Turkish cannon (the steel was in fact German, since the cannon was made in Krupp factories). Romania kept distance in the first Balkan war in 1912. Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece attacked Turkey taking away almost all its European possessions. Unsatisfied with what it got, the next year Bulgaria declared war on Serbia and Greece. Romania didn't want a Bulgaria dominating the Balkans and so, when asked, immediately crossed its armies over the Bulgarian border, threatening the capital Sofia. Thusly Bulgaria capitulated without Romanian armies firing a single shot. As result, in 1913, Romania completed its regaining of Dobrogea as held by the great Mircea the Old, taking two counties in the south from its neighbour.

Trei Uniri au avut loc în 1918. (Iaşiul fiind capitala ţării în acele momente, a căpătat şi numele de Capitala Celor Trei Uniri.) Ultima dintre aceste trei Uniri a avut loc pe 1 Decembrie, cînd Marea Adunare Naţională de la Alba Iulia a votat unirea veşnică a Transilvaniei (împreună cu Banatul şi Crişana care, formal, nu fac parte din Ardeal) cu Patria Mamă. Ziua Naţională a României este 1 Decembrie ca zi în care s-a definitivat unificarea statală a românilor, nu doar ca zi de alipire a transilvănenilor şi a celor din Banat şi Crişana cu Ţara.

Marea Unire din 1918 a survenit ca rezultat al Marelui Război de Reîntregire, care i-a costat pe români numeroase vieţi pierdute pe front şi suferinţe împovărătoare în rîndurile populaţiei civile.

În 1914 a izbucnit Întîiul Război Mondial ca urmare a atentatului de la Saraievo, acelaşi an în care a murit regele Carol I. Prinţul Ferdinand, educat în Romania şi deci mai român decît predecesorul său, deveni rege spre a se acoperi de şi mai multă glorie. România a stat deoparte, purtînd tratative, şi a intrat în război abia în 1916, doar după primirea de garanţii din partea Franţei, Angliei şi Rusiei de a primi Transilvania şi Bucovina odată Austro-Ungaria învinsă. Conflagraţia a fost tragică, peste 200.000 de soldaţi şi 2.000 de ofiţeri fiind pierduţi pînă în 1918, pierderi imense pentru o ţară măruntă ca România timpului. Pierderile civile au fost importante, fiind cauzate de tifos şi foamete.

Basarabia, Moldova răsăriteană astfel botezată în 1812 cu scopul de a induce în eroare, a fost prima provincie care s-a reîntors la Patria Mamă. Numele era românesc, reamintind de dinastia valahă (nicidecum moldovenească) a basarabilor care stăpîniseră cîndva o parte din ea, însă aplicat impropriu unui teritoriu cu mult mai important. Revoluţia comunistă a izbucnit în Rusia în octombrie 1917, cu mari repercusiuni asupra frontului românesc. Curînd după aceasta soldaţii moldoveni din armata rusă se şi întoarseseră acasă, stabilind bazele unui parlament de largă reprezentare şi încercînd în acelaşi timp să menţină ordinea pe un teritoriu traversat de dezertori ruşi ce părăseau frontul în dezordine, constituiţi în mici armate de bandiţi ce terorizau şi jefuiau pe civili, atît pe cei din jumătatea răsăriteană cît şi pe cei din jumătatea apuseană a Moldovei. România, redusă ca teritoriu la jumătatea apuseană a Moldovei, confruntată prin dezertările ruseşti cu prăbuşirea frontului de miazănoapte (din Bucovina şi Galiţia) a solicitat în mod repetat comandantului armatelor ruseşti ajutor efectiv - aceasta a replicat, la rîndul său, că în conformitate cu instrucţiunile primite de la noii conducători ai Rusiei revoluţionare (guvernul Kerenski), sarcina sa ar putea fi cel mult de a ocupa restul Moldovei (jumătatea vestică), nicidecum de a ajuta în vreun fel regatul român.

Odată întocmit Sfatul Ţării, un parlament conţinînd reprezentanţi ai fiecărui ţinut, ai fiecărei clase sociale şi ai fiecărei minorităţi etnice, a proclamat Republica Democratică Moldovenească pe teritoriul fost gubernii a Basarabiei. Evenimente similarea aveau loc în acel timp şi în Finlanda, Lituania, Estonia, Letonia, Ucraina şi ţări şi teritorii oprimate ale imperiului destrămat.

Pe 27 Martie (stil vechi) / 9 Aprilie 1918 Parlamentul Republicii Democratice Moldoveneşti (Sfatul Ţării) a votat în cea mai democratică manieră Unirea cu Regatul României (care trecea prin clipe negre, redus teritorial doar la Moldova dintre anii 1812 şi 1856, trupele germane ocupînd restul ţării). Votul a fost grăbit de Rada Ucraineană care ameninţa să ocupe militar fost gubernie a Basarabiei.

Spre sfîrşitul toamnei lui 1918 Bucovina şi apoi Transilvania s-au unit cu Romania. În Bucovina Consiliul Naţional Român a organizat Congresul General al Bucovinei, care pe 15 Noiembrie - stil vechi / 28 Noiembrie - stil nou, a votat „Unirea necondiţionată şi pentru vecie a Bucovinei în vechile hotare pînă la Ceremuş, Colacin şi Nistru, cu Regatul României”. Votul s-a desfăşurat în Marea Sală Sinodală a Palatului Mitropolitan din Cernăuţi şi a avut şi susţinerea Consiliului Naţional al Polonezilor şi al Consiliului Naţional al Germanilor din Bucovina. Nu trebuie uitat că această bătrînă regiune a Moldovei fusese intens colonizată de stăpînirea austriacă, cu ruteni şi evrei în special, zdruncinînd unitatea naţională, astfel că elementul românesc nu mai deţinea în 1918 majoritatea etnică a provinciei artificial create în 1775. Unirea s-a produs deci ca urmare a dreptului istoric.

Alba Iulia, oraşul primei uniri a românilor din 1600, a fost locul unde peste 100.000 de reprezentanţi veniţi din întreaga Transilvanie, din fiecare oraş şi din fiecare sat, au votat prin viu grai actul Unirii, la 28 Noiembrie - stil vechi / 1 Decembrie - stil nou.

Lupta pentru Transilvania s-a sfîrşit abia anul următor. Revoluţia comunistă a lui Bela Kun şi-a răspîndit otrava în 1919, izbîndind în Ungaria şi rezultînd în proclamarea Republicii Sovietice Ungare. Curînd după aceasta armatele maghiare atacaseră deja frontierele României, forţînd România la o reacţie severă. Cîteva săptămîni mai apoi, obţinînd victorii incontestabile, Armata Română a intrat în Budapesta, scăpînd Ungaria şi Europa de ameninţarea comunistă.

Graniţele României şi ale tuturor celorlalte state au fost decise la Marea Conferinţă de Pace de la Paris (1919-1920) de către statele învingătoare (Marea Britanie, Franţa, Statele Unite ale Americii, Japonia, România, 27 în total), fiind astfel garantate de către cele mai puternice forţe mondiale ale vremii. Frontierele României au fost decise prin Tratatul de la Palatul Versaille.

In 1927 king Ferdinand closed his eyes forever and Carol II should have followed. Carol II was married to the Greek princess Elena and had a child with her called Mihai (Romanian for Michael). At the same time he also had a scandalous affair with a certain Miss Wolf. Consequence of this absurd situation, in 1926 already Carol II had given up his succession to the throne and the Romanian parliament had sanctioned this renunciation. So, the young Mihai became in 1927 the LAWFUL king, a regency being made up for him, chief of which being patriarch Miron Cristea as head of the Church. That explains the coins struck in 1930 having a child king on obverse.

Helped by the Liberal Party, Carol II returned to Romania in 1930 as usurper of his son to become an unlawful king and violating the Constitution. Carol II brought corruption and immorality, surrounding himself with rich profiteers therefore called "camarilla". In 1938 he installed personal dictatorship. He even dared to watch military parades having his lover Miss Wolf next to him in the tribune, quite unbelievable.

Meanwhile Czechoslovakia fell in autumn 1938 and Poland in autumn 1939, the Polish government fleeing to Romania and many Poles also. A secret treaty known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact divided Europe and Romania also between Russia (shed into the Soviet Union) and Germany. The consequences of the pact began to show in 1939, when Germany and the Soviet Union BOTH invaded Poland at the same time. Huge Pole territories were ripped that year by the Russians, long before the WW II started. Against all reason, the Soviet Union pretended ever since to have entered Poland to DEFEND it. Remember, the first time the Germans shared Poland with Russia occurred in 1793. Romania was next.

On June 22nd 1940 France capitulated. It was the strongest supporter Romanians had had for almost a century. Triggered by this capitulation, the very next day, Soviet Foreign Affairs minister Molotov announced the German ambassador that the Basarabian problem would not wait any longer.

On June 26th Romania received an ultimatum through which the Soviet Union demanded Basarabia (as being "theirs") and northern Bucovina (as amends for the 22 years Romania held Basarabia "abusively"). That day Romania lost 50.000 square kilometers and four million people. The county of Herţa, Romanian territory in Moldavia that had NEVER been situated outside national borders also fell to Russian hands, being taken without explanations and not returning up to now. But for the German diplomacy, Soviet demands would have that day gone farther.

Then came the time for Germany to satisfy its own allies. Germany and Italy "proposed" a so called arbitration between Hungary and Romania. The two self called arbiters commanded Romania to concede Hungary a territory of over 40.000 square kilometers, northern third of Transylvania, populated by 2.600.000 inhabitants, more then a half of which being Romanians, and numbering many Jews and native Germans also along Hungarians. Without any help, Romania was ripped again.

Ioachim von Ribbentrop (German minister of Foreign Affairs) put it in these terms: "Romania has the power to choose between the perspective of its destruction as state and nation on one hand and the maintaining of the state, territorially reduced, and of the ethnic being of the Romanian people, on the other."

The same two arbiters had previously given to Hungary a good part of Czechoslovakia.

Another ally of Germany was Bulgaria. The negotiations suggested by the Germans between Romania and its neighbour to the south resulted in conceding to Bulgaria the territory in south Dobrogea got by Romania in 1913. A population exchange smoothed and solved the frontier relations in a more decent manner. Though painful for Romania, this territorial loss was not even a tenth as absurd as the previous two. In all three cases international guarantees and international treaties were not worth a penny and Romania stood alone whenever the dire need arose. Given the situation, Carol II reckoned himself incapable and invested general Ion Antonescu with full chief of the state powers. In 24 hours Antonescu asked Carol II to abdicate. Mihai (king for the second time) confirmed anew the prerogatives of general Antonescu.

From that moment on Romania stood aside Germany. German soldiers entered Romania to confirm German guarantees concerning the new eastern border against Soviet Russia. To speak the truth none of the Romanian borders was sure and Germany only was both willing and capable of preserving that already sad map. On June 22 1941, from Finland to the Romanian seaside a massive offensive caught the Soviets unprepared. In a few days time Russia had less then before the war, fighting to defend its former boundaries. Romanian soldiers crossed river Prut to break the red yoke of Bolshevism from around their brethren necks and to free their desecrated homes. It was the start of what went known as the "Holy War against Bolshevism" ever after. The Romanian soldiers brought back not only freedom to their kind but also the Cross on their way east. It's not pointless to mention the propaganda movies (quite hard to find and see now) picturing the entry of Romanian troops in Russian villages greeted by old peasants that kissed their hands and scurried to undig crosses, icons and other cult objects hidden beneath the earth since the atheist regime had taken over and getting the cattle out of the stable transformed churches. Sure, this is how propaganda works, one might say, but take notice of the Russian propaganda movies, movies made both by the Russians themselves and at times of peace, picturing happy, smiling people that tied with ropes the crosses atop churches and jerked them down by concerted efforts, laying themselves to several untold profanation acts also.

On true reasons the war in the east is still seen by Romanians as a natural continuation of their old crusades against pagans and that all explains the name of "Holy War".

Independent for 22 years only and threatened to become again a gubernia Finland fought along Germany freeing its eastern province of Karelia. Recently found documents show that Soviet airplanes dropped bombs over Romania BEFORE the conflict began on June 22. Despite the minor damages, these acts clearly show the intentions that Russia held in the west. Facts again, not petty passions set Romania aside Hitler. Quite relevant for the European state of spirit of the time are these words of marshal Pétain, leader of a little but at least European France: "...if Germany would be defeated, tomorrow the Soviets would impose the law in Europe and thus the independence and the patriotism for the nations would be over."

Ion Antonescu outlined similarly: "Forty Romanian, Finnish, Hungarian divisions absent on the Russian battlefield can lead to losing the war, to our disappearance and to anarchy (communization) for Europe..."

Communism is still a great world concern. Many civilized and democratic countries of the world forbid communism today, in 2003 A.D.. Romanian politicians did not agree to see Romania aside Germany, faithful to the Romanian Francophile and somewhat Germanophobe traditions Hitler knew all about. True patriots indeed, since not agreeing to lose an inch many of them insisted Antonescu to instead divide the army and fight both against Germany and the Soviet Union. If you have at least played a little Starcraft then you can see how far were they from understanding the tragedy Romania underwent.

Fairly speaking, Romania fought only Russia the entire war against the Allies. Well, not to mention the famous American B-24's that they brought down successfully. Being sent to bomb the oil region of Ploieşti, most went down, few returned and many landed in neutral Turkey and remained arrested to the end of the war.

What pretensions could have had Romania before the war and given vent to? Let's see. An important Romanian population lived between rivers Nistru and Bug long before the Russians appeared. The Soviets themselves created inside the so called Transnistria (beyond Nistru) a Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Republic. The old Province of Pocutia that Poland and Moldavia disputed for centuries was at the time Polish (let's not forget that Poland and Romania had common borders until 1939 - now the two are hundreds of kilometers away as the Russians invented the western Ukraine).

The valley of the Timoc river that flows to Danube from the south (in Bulgaria) was populated majoritarily by Romanians.

The south of Banat was given in 1918 to Yugoslavia, mostly because Belgrade, the very capital of Yugoslavia is right next to Banat. Though populated by Romanians mostly (and Serbs also), there were no protests - the Serbs being the only neighbour Romanians did not have any disputes throughout history. In Hungary lived at the time about 100.000 Romanians. Easy to notice, the Hungarian minority in Romania grew in number just like Romanians did, but nowadays but a few hundred Romanians of Hungary can speak an approximate Romanian and know what they were and should still be.

Finally, the northern part of Maramureş, famous Transylvanian province that gave Moldavia its first voivods, had been given in 1918 to Czechoslovakia for undisclosed reasons, a mistake probably. Here comes something also important for understanding Romanian politics before and during WW2: in 1938 Romania was invited to participate at the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia but refused to assist a crime against justice (even Poland had a share). Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were tied with strong common defense treaties meant to protect them against revisionist Hungary that demanded outloud something from ALL neigbours. Yet again, now Ukraine separates Romania and Slovakia. Romania fought aside Germany as far as Stalingrad and Caucasus. All along Antonescu claimed northern Transylvania back since the führer himself knew it as Romanian (his conversations with Galeazo Ciano). In his turn, Hitler kept demanding Antonescu the Romanian Jews. As it turned out, NO Romanian citizen, being him Jew or whatever, was not to be taken in German custody. Not only those that were defended by the Romanian citizenship received help: Jews from Poland, Hungary and the occupied Transylvania fled to Romania and were secretly facilitated to leave for Palestina through the harbour of Constanţa, tens of thousands maybe. The hundreds of thousands victims that just recently some misled, misguided and misjudging self called historians reproached Romania were taken from their homes in Transylvania, round up in trains and sent to Auschwitz or other death cams by Hungarian authorities.

One of the main Nürnberg accusers in which concerns Auschwitz was Nyiszli Miklos originated in Oradea, Romania, sent to death in the years that followed the Vienna Dictate and which was kept as assistant by the famous doctor Mengele, struck and impressed to see his "Magna cum laudae" medical doctor diploma from Berlin University.

Romanians fell victims in many Transylvanian towns and villages right after the Hungarian occupation. The mass massacres of Ip and Trăsnea are notorious. The war in east did not evolve as hoped and in 1944 Antonescu began political movements to retreat and exit the war in decent manner. The camarilla around the young king Mihai and party chiefs that hold old grudges had no interest to obtain a peace made by another. So in 23 August 1944 the palace strike in Bucharest arrested the marchall Antonescu and king Mihai commanded the entire army to cease fire. Disastrous act indeed -ignored by the Russian that took 130.000 Romanian soldiers and officers as prisoners and deported them in the far east without any fight. Yet again, the fact marshal Antonescu was rendered immediately to Russian hands (neither Finn Mannerheim, nor Hungarian Horty suffered the same) picture how unprepared were the complotters to take the power. No decent capitulation clauses were obtained, because Romania surrendered without negotiations. Bad mouths pretend Antonescu was close to obtaining such clauses and the ones surrounding the king were terrified with being left out of the game.

Most of the Romanian soldiers taken prisoners between 23 August and 13 September 1944 died in the far frozen east, few returned after the war, few of them lived in Siberia up to present. 14 Romanian divisions fought then the German army and their allies freeing Transylvania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia along the Russians suffering severe losses.

Before 23 August king Mihai was just REIGNING, chief of the state being general and then marshal Antonescu. After that crucial moment it's rather hard to pretend to have been chief of a country entirely occupied by Russians (industry, railroads, cities, everything). The number of communists until fall 1944 was very small in Romania thanks to the persecutions they suffered between the world wars. Their number had never been over five thousand persons, most of which being russophil Jews. Protected by USSR, communists rapidly grew in number ascending to power and forcing the king to abdicate in 1947. Funny to know, I think king Mihai of Romania was the only person to receive decorations from Hitler and Stalin both (for military merits, of course).

In 1947 the Romanian People's Republic was proclaimed. The leading organisms of the communist party and of the state were somehow entangled and Soviet influence prevailed in every aspect. Huge amends of war were also imposed by the Soviet Union. Not so short after the war was over, the USSR demanded Romania the Isle of the Serpents in the Black Sea. An occupied country like Romania with no international support could do nothing but lose territory yet again, receiving nothing in exchange.

By 1953 Romanian communists took control of the party, receiving an approval from Stalin in this direction. In a few years (by 1957...1958), thanks to their ability, the occupation Russian army was gone. Russian soldiers were maintained in many socialist countries until the 1991 collapse of USSR.

Nicolae Ceauşescu ascended to power about in 1968, beginning to estrange from the Soviet Union. When Czechoslovakia was invaded in 1968 Ceauşescu hold a famous speech and mobilized the Patriotic Forces (paramilitary organization of employees, always ready to fight, resembling the Swiss army) to repel an eventual attack. Romania and Yugoslavia were the only two socialist European countries that didn't send troops to Czechoslovakia. While Ceauşescu was president Romania had an excellent diplomacy. Ceauşescu rode in coaches or official cars with the queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, several American presidents, the Chinese president, the shah of Iran, almost every leader of the third world and so on. Romanian diplomacy brought together Israeli and Arabs, USSR and China, shortly resuming to claim peace and collaboration between all world countries and external unmingling inside internal affairs. The life quality inside the country was decent to excellent but in his last ten years it degraded fast. That is explained by several causes. The western powers needed Romania less and less as they begun to get along with the Soviet Union, Ceauşescu was growing old and becoming to lose touch - he somehow got the idea of loaning money to others and in consequence reduced internal consumption almost to nothing, everything went for export, even eggs and milk that Romania produced a lot. His wife, Elena Ceauşescu, which he loved a lot, was not that intelligent but yet ambitious enough to become the second person in state. Trained and skillful diplomats and specialists were removed from around the president leading to grave internal and external aftermaths. On 22 December 1989 Ceauşescu was overthrown during a rather difficult to understand series of events that was called by some people revolution. Terror was for sure entertained from outside, Romanians shooting Romanians on the same side. Until 2002 nobody was found guilty for about one thousand casualties. On 25 December Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife were shot after a set up trial secretly undertaken. They were found guilty of over 100.000 victims! and of bringing Arab terrorist to Romania in order to shoot revolutionists. The attorney of defense said he cannot bring anything to their aid and begged the court to be ruthless. I bet you never heard something that stupid!

It's absolutely sure the Romanians wanted Ceauşescu removed but it's impossible to assume such profoundly religious and orthodox people would want Ceauşescu dead and, moreover, killed on 25 December, the very day Christ was born. When you approach a Romanian town first things you will see will be the steeples and church cupolas that speak so much of the merciful and religious Romanian soul- Romanians do not kill even a mere animal on Christmas, as a national custom.

Romania today has many parties naturally succeeding one another. People is hardly earning their existence and the youth flee if an occasion occurs. Romania at the moment strives to be admitted in NATO, due to the Russians they still fear and which remain very powerful. Sure, Russia is far now, in theory at least.

The Republic of Moldova is also populated majoritarily by Romanians. Poverty is even worse in the RM, fact that democratically brought the communists to power. The fact they are communists should not scare a person that knows how the election mechanism works but the ones that have political power are either Russians or Russian speaking, partially assimilated people, that do not see with good eyes friendly relations with neigbouring Romania. The Russian politics of assimilation begun in 1812 shows today. A lot. History only can explain the present we live.

In 1812 the Moldavia comprised between rivers Prut and Nistru, half of the principality of the time, was conceded by the Turks to Russia, although the Turks did this only DE FACTO, not DE JURE. The gubernia created then was mischiefly called Basarabia (see above more explanations) and a capital was needed to it. A Russian gubernator that saw on the map the long, north to south stretching province, picked as place for the residence to be built the small village of Chişinău, which was situated about in the middle, the very capital of the Republic of Moldavia today. In 1822 the autonomy was taken and Russian language and customs were imposed. Bulgarians, Germans and Ukrainians were colonized to shatter the ethnic realities.

Intellectuals from eastern Moldavia continued to exist but could publish only in the Principality and then Romania, no Latin letters printing machines being allowed to cross the borders of the Empire. Three counties in southern Basarabia gubernia returned to the MotherLand in 1856 but were abusively taken away from the now independent Romania. When the Empire collapsed in 1917 Moldavian soldiers put the seeds of a large representation parliament that voted the union to the kingdom of Romania in 1918 on 27 Mars. Many Romanians still lived even farther east in Transnistria (over Nistru). Transnistria was an arid underpopulated region that began to be colonized in the Middle Age by Moldavians that crossed the Nistru in search of free land and by some Tartars. In this region of Transnistria the Russians created in 1924 a small Moldavian Republic as part of Ukraine. Stalin permitted these Romanians to have Latin alphabet and according publications.

In summer 1940 the Soviet Union occupied the former gubernia and other Romanian territories in Moldavia, starting the persecutions and deportations that lasted long years after the war. About a million victims of Stalinist terror are estimated on left Prut bank Moldavia (starvation, deportations to Asia etc.). Siberia was the destination for all Romanian priests, other intellectuals, even schoolteachers, that did not take refuge beyond Prut. Freed in summer 1941, these hardly tried by fate Romanians lost their freedom again in 1944. Many other countries and territories became Soviet Republics, but in the other cases, some sort of formal ceremonies were held or supposed to have been held. In the Baltic countries for instance, some local soviets (councils) gathered from the masses and voted their union to the USSR in a sort of a congress meant to speak for their people. At least there a legal transition was simulated . As for the territory to become the Moldavian Soviet Republic, things were steep. The Russian troops that entered Romania (eastern Moldavia) rounded some peasant men and peasant women they found by the road, got them in a truck or something and conveyed them to Moscow were those peasants presented to Stalin a plea to accept Moldavia (which Moldavia it's hard to tell) inside the great brotherhood of the Soviet peoples. Stalin granted their wish (he was probably in a good mood, let's just presume that).

The number of Romanians and Romanian territories held by Russia or its avatars were larger in 1944 than ever before. What was to be done with them? They stretched on a long, thin line outside six or seven hundred kilometers outside Romanian borders. That's what they did. The northern Maramureş (part of Transylvania), the northern Bucovina (part of Moldavia) and the territory of Herţa (part of Moldavia) on one hand (all previously mentioned freshly acquired - for the first time in 1940) and on the other hand the northern part of the former Basarabia gubernia (half of the Moldavian county of Hotin) and the southern part of the same territory, near the sea and the Danube (including the ancient and medieval fortress and city of Cetatea Albă - White Fortress) were given to Ukraine. This is how Stalin's principle of maximum ethnic intricacy aplied. Moreover, the territories formerly mentioned were formally populated by Romanians inside Soviet statistics, the later by Moldavians (???).

The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic was dissolved. Some became part of Ukraine, the rest was clipped to the freshly created Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. That Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic is the grandmother of the today called Republic of Moldova. The population of this republic appeared in Soviet statistics s being populated by Moldavians as a DIFFERENT PEOPLE, something opposing to Romanians and not having any connection with them. Along the intellectuals' and even entire village deportations to Siberia, Russia started to distort Language and History. They taught the children in schools Moldavian is a dialect of Russian and that throughout history Moldavians were oppressed by Romanian nobles that robbed them of all they had. Russians, on the other hand, were real protectors and had just given them freedom. No other book or idea was allowed. That so called language of Moldavian was used only secondly after Russian and the Cyrillic alphabet was permitted only in culture, teaching and administration. More colonists arrived, Russians the most, and took all responsibility jobs in both Party and economy. Propaganda did its share also. I saw a strange movie implying the life between the world wars in eastern Moldavia. Moldavians were gathered in a public house and drank with the windows shut, planning to flee to the Soviet Union and singing Russian songs in Russian. All of a sudden Romanian gendarmes broke in the pub, hitting everyone in sight with the gun butts. You can imagine forty years of such propaganda was bound to have some effects. Before the proclamation of Independence in 1991 large political struggles broke in the Parliament of USSR and on the streets of Chişinău for Romanian language and Latin letters. The Baltic Republics, the only allowed to use Latin alphabet helped the Moldavians a lot printing their first publications after 45 years in Latin characters. (I recently heard that before WW2 Uzbekistan used Latin letters, maybe other Central Asia Soviet republics did that too; from what I know, Turkmenistan only resumed the usance of the Latin alphabet after 1991. The decoy Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic inside Ukraine used them between 1932 and 1938 under Stalin.)

The independence 1991 meant a lot. The national colors red, yellow and blue appeared on the national flag of the Republic of Moldova, the currency became the LEU, just like in Romania, the national anthem was "Wake up, Romanian" - anthem of Romania also. Bridges of flowers were organized: people from both sides of Prut crossed the border in great numbers without needing any passports and throwing in the river huge bunches of flowers. In seemed like the reunion was inevitable when a war started in Transnistria. The alogen people, Russians and Russian speaking nationalities, majoritary in Tiraspol, largest town in Moldavian Transnistria launched a powerful assault on the new authorities. They took over Tiraspol and a few villages on left bank of Nistru and pushed back Moldavian policemen defending the bridge, occupying also Tighina, old Moldavian city and fortress on the right bank. Chişinău was close and only the heroic struggle of volunteers and policemen armed with nothing but handguns held back the separatists helped by the powerful 14th Russian army that still resides in Tiraspol despite their formal intentions to leave. The separatists had at the time machine guns and even tanks from general Lebed, chief of the 14th Russian Army and then member of the Parliament of the self proclaimed Republic of Transnistria. From that moment on Russia kept on increasing its influence in Moldavia and the two states populated by Romanians seem somehow to grow apart. The national anthem was changed to "Limba noastră" (Our tongue/language) poem wrote by a priest originated in the gubernia of Basarabia and one of the most beautiful hymns dedicated to the Romanian language. The poem was preferred because the word Romanian does not appear inside it, but now Russian speaking communists want to change it, because "in our republic several languages are spoken". Communists came to power in the Republic of Moldova two or three years ago, pretending they can bring back the slight prosperity there was in communist times before. The communists speak now again of the ethnic difference of Moldavians and about their own language (not a regional idiom, an apart language itself), somehow admitting the "Moldavian people" to be somehow related to the Moldavians of Romania and Ukraine but not admitting any similarity to the Walachians and Transylvanians. Some pronunciation differences between the Romanians "inside" and "outside" there are though; they are mainly due to the long use of Cyrillic, since Cyrillic is not fit to picture Romanian sounds and generally Romance languages. Large meetings kept the capital Chişinău in the streets for long months in winter 2001 and spring 2002, the intellectuals and the studious youth marching for Romanian language and history (that communists planned and are planning to ban from education) and integration inside Europe. Other issues were also uttered. The Metropolitan Church of Basarabia that existed between the wars in Romania and was again set after 1991 is not recognized by the authorities. That defies the European Council decisions AND Orthodox Church rules. The orthodox rule is that one language has its one and only patriarch as shepherd. The Chişinău authorities accept only the Metropoly the Russian Church created after 1991. This conflict is the reason for which the Russian church missed all the last orthodox ecumenic meetings.

These crimes against human rights are insignificant if we look over what happens in Transnistria. People of Romanian or Moldavian origin, whatever do you want to call it, are forbidden to use their language or study in their language. Moldavian fighters in 1992 are still kept captive in Transnistrian prisons. Ilie Ilaşcu for instance, was deputy (representative) in the Chişinău Parliament for two sessions and only a paper with his name on stood on his seat while he was in prison. Now senator in the Bucharest Parliament, needed long interventions in the Council of Europe (Romania holding the presidency) to be freed and occupy his function of Romanian and European Member of Parliament. Russian influence is getting stronger in the Republic of Moldova, but so does the new generation that was brought up in a red propaganda free environment and had access to the historical truth.

To enlight yourself on many interesting facts of the Romanian history such as the formation of the early Middle Age Romanian states, you should definitely read the Elements of Romanian Heraldry section, might you be or not a heraldry addict though!