The Danubian Principalities (German: Donaufürstentümer, Russian: Дунайские княжества, Romanian: Principatele Dunărene) was a geopolitical term used for the Ottoman vassal principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in the period of 1774–1858, a time of when the territories were a battleground between the Ottoman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, and Russian Empire. While Russia returned Moldavia and Wallachia to the Ottoman Empire with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774), it retained protectorship over the two and also of the Orthodox subjects in all of the Ottoman Empire. This made the two principalities have the status of dual authority, under Ottoman suzerainty but with Russian protection. The Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829) ended with the Russian occupation of the two principalities. The negotiations of the Great Powers in the aftermath of Russian defeat resulted in the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859.
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👉 Romanian principalities in the context of Islam in Europe
Islam is the second-largest religion in Europe after Christianity. Although the majority of Muslim communities in Western Europe formed as a result of immigration, there are centuries-old indigenous European Muslim communities in the Balkans, Caucasus, Crimea, and Volga region. The term "Muslim Europe" is used to refer to the Muslim-majority countries in the Balkans and the Caucasus (Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Turkey) and parts of countries in Central and Eastern Europe with sizable Muslim minorities (Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and some republics of Russia) that constitute large populations of indigenous European Muslims, although the majority are secular.
Islam expanded into the Caucasus through the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century and entered Southern Europe after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the 8th–10th centuries; Muslim political entities existed firmly in what is today Spain, Portugal, Sicily, and Malta during the Middle Ages. The Muslim populations in these territories were either converted to Christianity or expelled by the end of the 15th century by the indigenous Christian rulers (see Reconquista). The Ottoman Empire expanded into Southeastern Europe and consolidated its political power by invading and conquering huge portions of the Serbian and Bulgarian empires, and the remaining territories of the region, including the Albanian and Romanian principalities, and the kingdoms of Bosnia, Croatia, and Hungary between the 14th and 16th centuries. Over the centuries, the Ottoman Empire gradually lost its European territories. Islam was particularly influential in the territories of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo, and has remained the dominant religion in these countries.
Romanian principalities in the context of Wallachia
Wallachia is a geographical region of modern-day Romania, as well as one of the two historical Romanian principalities that laid the foundation for the establishment of the modern Romanian state. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia (Greater Wallachia) and Oltenia (Lesser Wallachia). Dobruja could sometimes be considered a third section due to its proximity and brief rule over it. Wallachia as a whole is sometimes referred to as Muntenia through identification with the larger of the two traditional sections.
Wallachia began to form as a principality around the 13th century, following the gradual unification of several smaller Romanian political entities. By 1330, the state had consolidated following Basarab I's victory in the Battle of Posada against the Kingdom of Hungary, ushering in a period of relative independence. In 1417, Wallachia was forced to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire for the first time; this suzerainty lasted until the mid-19th century. However in general Wallachia was able to preserve autonomy within the Empire as well as experience interruptions to Ottoman rule brought about by local rulers such as Vlad the Impaler and Michael the Brave and later external powers such as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire.
Romanian principalities in the context of History of Romania
Romania has been inhabited by humans since the paleolithic. During antiquity, the main population that lived in the area corresponding to modern-day Romania were the Dacians. Dacian civilisation prospered from the second century BC to the second century AD, resulting in the establishment of a Dacian kingdom as a regional power. Following several wars with the Roman Empire, Dacia was conquered in 106 AD, and the kingdom's core was turned into a Roman province. The province was abandoned by 276 AD following several invasions from various barbarian peoples. Many Romanian historians believe that the origin of the Romanians can be traced back to the Dacians and Romans intermixing, which in turn formed the basis of the Romanian ethnicity.
During the early Middle Ages, numerous migratory peoples moved across and settled the territory of Romania. A prominent Turkic population also settled Romanian territory, particularly the Cumans. Early Romanian culture was heavily influenced by these peoples, Vlachs – Romance-language speakers in the Balkans – were first clearly attested in the 10th century, inhabiting areas on both sides of the Danube. By the 13th century, numerous small Vlach political entities abounded in areas such as Muntenia, Oltenia and Transylvania. These political entities gradually unified, and by the mid-14th century, the two major historical Romanian principalities had emerged, Wallachia and Moldavia.