19 Facts About Wallachia

Wallachia is traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia and Oltenia .

Wallachia was founded as a principality in the early 14th century by Basarab I after a rebellion against Charles I of Hungary, although the first mention of the territory of Wallachia west of the river Olt dates to a charter given to the voivode Seneslau in 1246 by Bela IV of Hungary.

In 1417, Wallachia was forced to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire; this lasted until the 19th century, albeit with brief periods of Russian occupation between 1768 and 1854.

In 1859, Wallachia united with Moldavia to form the United Principalities, which adopted the name Romania in 1866 and officially became the Kingdom of Romania in 1881.

Name Wallachia is an exonym, generally not used by Romanians themselves who used the denomination "Tara Rumaneasca" – Romanian Country or Romanian Land.

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The term "Wallachia" is derived from the term walhaz used by Germanic peoples to describe Celts, and later romanized Celts and all Romance-speaking people.

Long periods after the 14th century, Wallachia was referred to as by Bulgarian sources, by Serbian sources, by Ukrainian sources, and or by German-speaking sources.

The traditional Hungarian name for Wallachia is, literally "Snowy Lowlands", the older form of which is, meaning "Land beyond the snowy mountains" ; its translation into Latin, was used in the official royal documents of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Byzantine influence is evident during the fifth to sixth century, such as the site at Ipotesti–Candesti culture, but from the second half of the sixth century and in the seventh century, Slavs crossed the territory of Wallachia and settled in it, on their way to Byzantium, occupying the southern bank of the Danube.

Part of Wallachia was probably briefly disputed by the Kingdom of Hungary and Bulgarians in the following period, but it appears that the severe weakening of Hungarian authority during the Mongol attacks contributed to the establishment of the new and stronger polities attested in Wallachia for the following decades.

Wallachia's creation, held by local traditions to have been the work of one Radu Negru, is historically connected with Basarab I of Wallachia, who rebelled against Charles I of Hungary and took up rule on either side of the Olt, establishing his residence in Campulung as the first ruler of the House of Basarab.

Wallachia swung between alliances with Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, and Jagiellon Poland, and accepted a peace treaty with the Ottomans in 1417, after Mehmed I took control of Turnu Magurele and Giurgiu.

Wallachia was cheered for restoring order to a destabilized principality, yet showed no mercy toward thieves, murderers or anyone who plotted against his rule.

Transylvanian Saxons were furious with him for strengthening the borders of Wallachia, which interfered with their control of trade routes.

Wallachia became a target for Habsburg incursions during the last stages of the Great Turkish War around 1690, when the ruler Constantin Brancoveanu secretly and unsuccessfully negotiated an anti-Ottoman coalition.

In parallel, Wallachia became the battleground in a succession of wars between the Ottomans on one side and Russia or the Habsburg monarchy on the other.

Wallachia was returned ownership of Braila, Giurgiu, and Turnu Magurele.

In 1834, Wallachia's throne was occupied by Alexandru II Ghica—a move in contradiction with the Adrianople treaty, as he had not been elected by the new Legislative Assembly; he was removed by the suzerains in 1842 and replaced with an elected prince, Gheorghe Bibescu.

Briefly under renewed Russian occupation during the Crimean War, Wallachia and Moldavia were given a new status with a neutral Austrian administration and the Treaty of Paris: a tutelage shared by Ottomans and a Congress of Great Powers, with a kaymakam-led internal administration.