14 Facts About Moldavia

Moldavia is a historical region and former principality in Central and Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River.

An initially independent and later autonomous state, it existed from the 14th century to 1859, when it united with Wallachia as the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, Moldavia included the regions of Bessarabia, all of Bukovina and Hertsa.

Western half of Moldavia is part of Romania, the eastern side belongs to the Republic of Moldova, and the northern and southeastern parts are territories of Ukraine.

In several early references, Moldavia is rendered under the composite form Moldo-Wallachia .

Moldavia's realm extended north to the Cheremosh River, while the southern part of Moldavia was still occupied by the Tatar Mongols.

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Moldavia's reign was one of the most successful in Moldavia's history, but saw the very first confrontation with the Ottoman Turks at Cetatea Alba in 1420, and later even a conflict with the Poles.

Nevertheless, Moldavia was subject to further Hungarian interventions after that moment, as Matthias Corvinus deposed Aron and backed Alexandrel to the throne in Suceava.

Moldavia stopped issuing its own coinage circa 1520, under Prince Stefanita, when it was confronted with rapid depletion of funds and rising demands from the Porte.

Moldavia took the throne as a boyar appointee in 1637 and began battling his rival Gheorghe Stefan, as well as the Wallachian prince Matei Basarab.

In 1775 Moldavia lost to the Habsburg Empire its northwestern part, which became known as Bukovina.

For Moldavia, it meant both an important territorial loss and a major blow to the cattle trade, as the region stood on the trade route to Central Europe.

Moldavia was considered the first of a new system, since the Ottomans and Russia had agreed in 1826 to allow for the election by locals of rulers over the two Danubian Principalities, and convened on their mandating for seven-year terms.

In practice, a new foundation to reigns in Moldavia was created by the Russo-Turkish War, beginning a period of Russian domination over the two countries which ended only in 1856.

Geographically, Moldavia is limited by the Carpathian Mountains to the West, the Cheremosh River to the North, the Dniester River to the East and the Danube and Black Sea to the South.