PERCEPTION OF THE ROMANIAN-OTTOMAN RELATIONSHIPS IN THE ROMANIAN

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PERCEPTION OF THE ROMANIAN-OTTOMAN RELATIONSHIPS IN THE ROMANIAN

Abstract

The Romanian history evolved under the influence of the Ottoman Empire for a long period. Wallachia and Moldavia were under the domination of the Ottoman Empire for about four centuries and a half, and Transylvania for one century and a half. This strongly influenced the historical evolution of the Romanian people. The whole history of the Romanian people in the mediaeval period was a continuous fight for defending autonomy and obtaining national independence. The continuous fight of the Romanian princes permanently made the status of the Romanian countries become a special one. The Romanian Countries were never changed into a pashalac. This fact was reflected in the history textbooks and in the Romanian mentality.

The Romanian history evolved under the influence of the Ottoman Empire for a long period. The Romanian people was formed at the beginning of the 7-th century, as a consequence of a long process of intermingling between the local Dacians and the Roman conquerors. The Dacians are the oldest ethnic ancestors of the Romanian people.

They lived in the Northern parts of the Balkan Peninsula, in an area bordered by the Carpathian Mountains, the lower part of the Danube River and the Black Sea coast. At the beginning of the 2-nd millennium BC the Dacians detached from the Thracians and became an independent people. Their civilisation was genuine and precious. From the 1-st century BC until the 1-st century AD, Dacia reached the climax of its development, under the reigns of the Kings Burebista and Decebal. In 106 AD the Romans conquered Dacia, after two long wars This moment marked the mingling process between the Dacians and the Romans. Later on, the migratory peoples came to the same territories. Some of them settled here and they also brought their contribution to form the Romanian people. As it has been stated above, the Romanian people was formed through the mixing of the Dacian and the Roman populations. In this long process the Romans imposed their language, as well as their administrative organisation. In addition to these, they also brought their army to the new colony. Therefore, the local population was compelled to learn both the Latin language and the Romans’ habits. That is why the Romanian people is considered to have the same Latin origins as the French, the Spanish or the Portuguese. In 602 AD many Slavs came to the South of the Danube River. They settled for a while on  the territories of ex-Dacia. Most historians consider that this is the moment when the Romanian people and the Romanian language were accomplished. For six-seven centuries the 

Romanians were organised in specific administrative and political systems, such as rural assemblies or popular communities ( according to the Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga ), as wellas in cnezate, waivode or county for mations. In the 13-th and 14-th centuries the feudal countries in the Central and Western Europe were organised in small divisions. The feudal Romanian countries of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia e formed in accordance with the same pattern. During the feudal epoch all these three countries were under Romanian rule and organisation. At the middle of the 19-th century (1859), Moldavia and Wallachia united and so Romania was formed. In 1878 the Dobruja province joined Romania. It was only in 1918 that the other provinces under foreign rule, namely Basarabia, Bucovina and Transylvania, united with Romania. 

THE ROMANIAN - OTTOMAN RELATIONSHIPS

It is generally acknowledged that since the 14-th century, when the feudal Romanian countries were formed, until the end of the 19-th centurywhen Romania proclaimed its independence (1877), the country was under the influence ofthe Ottoman Empire.  It is also well-known that at the middle of the 14-th century (1354)1, the Ottomans started invading different parts of Europe. The confrontations between the Romanians and the Ottomans began at that time, too. The first armed conflicttook p lace in 1369, when Vladislav Voicu, the ruler of Wallachia, ordered some of his military contingents to join the armies of the Hungarian king Louis in his battle against the armies led by the Sultan Murad I2

In 1371 the Romanian army took part in the battle from Cirmen withthe  purpose of stopping the advance of the Ottomans in the Balkan Peninsula.Nevertheless, the systematic and direct conflicts between the Romanians and the Ottomans took place when Mircea cel Bătrân reigned  between 1386-1418. The history textbooks insist on the most important battles. For instance, in 1389 Mircea cel Bătrân's army joined the Serbian one in their battle against the Ottomans at Câmpia Mierlei (Kossovopolje). Other events dealt with in the history textbooks are those from 1394 or 1395 when the battle from Rovine, on the Wallachian territory or from 1396, when the Romanian king joined the anti- Ottoman crusade from Nicopole, in Bulgaria. 

The documents of the time mention the fact that the Ottoman army which was involved in the battle from Rovine consisted of 40,000 soldiers led by Baiazid Ilderim, whereas Mircea cel Bătrân's army had 10,000 men. Yet, Mircea defeated the Ottoman army and was triumphant. The Romanian textbooks describe this battle and offer passages quoted from Byzantine chroniclers like Moxa or Laonicus Chalcocondylas who praise both the important role of the Romanian leader and the bravery of his soldiers3 : " Baiazid was severely defeated and lost approximately 30,000 Turkish soldiers" ; " Ilderim could hardly save himself and many of his men perished"4 Mircea cel Bătrânn's role is positively presented in the battle from Nicopole, although this time the Ottomans vanquished.

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