Same as in the previous period, Middle Age was caracterized by fights and battles against invaders. After the Huns and Avars settled down in Panonic Plaines and formed what's known today as Hungary, and being stopped on their expansion towards West by Emperor Otto the I-st (at the end of the first millenium), they turned their eyes towards est. Here they found several Romanian Kniezats and Voievodates spreaded across Transylvania. The famous were the ones ruled by Gelu, Glad and Menumorut. After several battles the Hungarians succeded to defeat the small Romanian kniezates.By the end of the XIII th century Hungarians occupied the entire Transylvania and they started to deploy colonists along the est, south and south-est border.
The beginning of the XIV-th century marks the appeareance of two new autonomuos feudal states Wallachia (in 1310 under Basarab I) and Moldavia (under Bogdan I). During the next two centuries, the new states were tageted by their powerful neighbours (Polands, Hungarians, Tatars and Turks) for invasion. People had to fight for their lives, fortune and country. During war times wives, children and old people were sent up in the mountains or deep in the forests, while all the men would have joined king's army. There are many great moments in the Romanian Middle Age history, starting with the battle from Posada (Battle of Posada in 1330, when Hungarians were defeated by the Wallachian armies. These wars proved that the Romanian Voievozi (kings) were great generals and excellent politicians. When they couldn't win the battle, they were able to obtain excellent pace agreements with their invaders, therefor they never lost their autonomuos statute. They finaly had to recognize Ottoman suzeranity in the XVI th century, but they have never become an Ottoman province (pashalik). We can mention here Mircea the Old (who joined the crusaders at Nicopol Battle of Nicopol), Vlad the Impaller (well known for his justice sipirit), Stephan the Great (who ruled in Moldavia for 47 years between 1457 and 1504 and build 42 monasteries or churches - see Voronet Monastery,one for each battle faught against invadors) as some of the bravest and smartest people of their time. Stephan the Great for example, realised that a small country will not be able to fight the Ottoman Empire for ever by itself, so he signed different treaties with his romanian and foreign neighbours. He even involved himself in the political life of the other Romanian principalities, like his two wars against his Wallachia when he helped Vlad the Impaller to regain his crown.
Following the battle of Mohacs (The Fall of The Medieval Kingdom of Hungary: Mohacs 1526 - Buda 1541), the Hungarian Kingdom ceased to exist as an independent state and Transylvania became an selfruling principality (1541) under Ottoman suzeranity. Unlike any other country conquered by the Ottoman Empire, the three Romanian Principalities maintain their integrity as states.
The end of the XVI the century finds the three Romanian principalities in a new posture. Michael the Brave - Lord of Oltenia was named as the Voievod of Wallachia in 1593. He realised that paying tribute to the Sultan was in fact a form of servitude, and he declared war to the Ottoman Empire. After his two victories at Calugareni and Giurgiu he declared Wallachia as an independant state and he turned his eyes to the other two principalities asking for their support. When he realised that the Moldavian Voievod and The Transylvanian Prince will not fully join his efforts of forming an anti-Ottoman coalition, in 1599 he marched into their territories and proclaimed himself the Prince of Wallachia, Transylvania and the whole Moldavia. It was for the first time since the Romans conquered Dacia that all Romanian territories were unified. But it didn't last too long. The three powerfull neighbours, Ottoman Empire, Poland and Habsbourg Empire didn't like the ideea of a single unified Romanian state and joined their forces. In 1601 they attacked form different directions at once, and using the betrayal of the Hungarian barons they assasinate him at Turda.
The XVII th and XVIII th centuries brings a lot of changes in the configuration of Eastern
Europe. The Ottoman Empire failed to capture Vienna in 1683 and following that, the Hapsburg Empire began its expansion
to the
south-east of Europe.After several wars, mainly faought on the Romanian territory the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires
signed a peace treaty at Karlowitz (1699). According to this treaty Transylvania became an autonomous principality
of the Hapsburg Empire, ruled by a governor. Russia became more and more powerfull and began it's expansion, and
. Poland was diveded between Russia and Austria. Following another war Austria temporarily annexed Oltenia (1718-1793)
and Northern Moldavia -or Bukovina (1775-1918). Following the
Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812, Russia annexed the eastern part of Moldavia -or Bassarabia, the land between
the Prut and Dniester rivers (1812-1918). Starting with 1711 in Wallachia and 1716 in Moldavia until 1821, The
Ottoman Empire appointed Greek voievodes in the two principalities.
