Romanian principalities

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Romanian Principalities is a historical term designating the pre-modern principalities of Walachia and Moldova, which alongside Transylvania form the basis of the present Romania. The term can be dated back to the beginnings of the modern Romanian historiography in the mid 19th century, ¹ being subsequently used by Romanian historians alternatively with the term “Romanian Lands”. In English, the term Romanian Principalities can be documented from the second half of the 19th century. More rarely, the term encompasses Transylvania as well. For the epoch between the late 18th century and 1860s, an alternative name for “Romanian Principalities” is Danubian Principalities.

The term "Romanian Land" can be documentary traced to the early 16th century, as the Letter of Neacşu and chancellery documents indicate that the autochthon name of Walachia was Romanian Land (Rom.: Ţara Românească). Humanists traveling to or living in Transylvania, Moldavia and Walachia note as early as 16th century that the inhabitants call themselves Romanians. ²

A common Romanian ethno-linguistic area embracing Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania is mentioned by the chronicler Miron Costin in the 17th century. ^[1]

In the first half of the 18th century the erudite prince Dimitrie Cantemir systematically uses the term “Romanian Lands” for designating the three Principalities inhabited by Romanians. ^[2]

The designation of the principalities of Walachia and Moldova under the term Romanian Principalities has more than an ethno-linguistic reason. Structural similarities in politics, state organization, social and cultural life, and most of all the fact of sharing Eastern Christianity led historians to coin and use this term.

[edit] Notes

¹ Among the first to use the term Romanian Principalities in scholarly works were Nicolae Bălcescu and Mihail Kogălniceanu, followed by historians like A.D. Xenopol, Vasile Pârvan, Gh. I Brătianu, Nicolae Iorga.

²

• Tranquillo Andronico writes in 1534 that Romanians (Valachi) "now call themselves Romans".^[3]
• In 1532 Francesco della Valle travelling to Transylvania, Walachia and Moldavia notes that Romanians preserved the name of the Romans (Romani) and "they call themselves in their language Romanians (Romei)". He even cites the sentence "Sti rominest ?" ("do you speak Romanian ?" for originally Rom.: "ştii româneşte ?").^[4]
• Pierre Lescalopier notes in 1574 that those inhabiting Walachia, Moldavia and the most part of Transylvania say to be descendants of Romans, calling their language "romanechte" (French transcription for Romanian româneşte - Romanian). ^[5]
• Ferrante Capeci writes around 1575 that the inhabitants of those Provinces call themselves “Romanians” ^[6]
• Giorgio Tomasi writes in the late 1500s that in Transylvania live few others than Wallachian, who don’t want to be called otherwise as “Romanischi”, praising themselves to have Roman origins. ^[7]
• Orichovius (Stanislaw Orzechowski) notes as early as 1554 that "in their own language, Romanians are called Romin, after the Romans, and Walachs in Polish, after the Italians". ^[8]
• The Transylvanian Saxon Johann Lebel confirms in 1542 that common Romanians call themselves "Romuini", ^[9]
• Anton Verancsics writes around 1570 that Romanians living in Transylvania, Moldavia and Walachia call themselves Romans (Romanians). ^[10]
• Reporting in 1699 about the Romanians of Transylvania, Martinus Szent-Ivany cites Romanian expressions like “We too are Romanians” ("Sie noi sentem Rumeni", for originally Rom.: "Şi noi suntem români") and “We are of Romanian blood” ("Noi sentem di sange Rumena", for originally Rom.: "Noi suntem de sânge român"). ^[11]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Aşa şi neamul acésta, de carele scriem, al ţărâlor acestora, numele vechiŭ şi mai direptŭ ieste rumân, adecă râmlean, de la Roma. Acest nume de la discălicatul lor de Traian, şi cât au trăit (....) tot acest nume au ţinut şi ţin pănă astăzi şi încă mai bine munténii decât moldovénii, că ei şi acum zic şi scriu ţara sa rumânească, ca şi românii cei din Ardeal. (...) Şi aşa ieste acestor ţări şi ţărâi noastre, Moldovei şi Ţărâi Munteneşti numele cel direptŭ de moşie, ieste rumân, cum să răspundŭ şi acum toţi acéia din Ţările Ungureşti lăcuitori şi munténii ţara lor şi scriu şi răspundŭ cu graiul: Ţara Românească." In De neamul moldovenilor, 6th chapter
2. ^ "Hronicon a toată Ţara Românească (care apoi s-u împărţit în Moldova, Ţara Munteniască şi Ardealul) ...", D. Cantemir, Hronicul vechimei româno-moldo-vlahilor, in Operele Principelui Dimitrie Cantemir, Academia Română, Bucureşti, 1901, p.180
3. ^ "nunc se Romanos vocant" A. Verres, Acta et Epistolae, I, p. 243
4. ^ "...si dimandano in lingua loro Romei...se alcuno dimanda se sano parlare in la lingua valacca, dicono a questo in questo modo: Sti Rominest ? Che vol dire: Sai tu Romano,..." Cl. Isopescu, Notizie intorno ai romeni nella letteratura geografica italiana del Cinquecento, in Bulletin de la Section Historique, XVI, 1929, p. 1- 90
5. ^ "Tout ce pays la Wallachie et Moldavie et la plus part de la Transivanie a esté peuplé des colonie romaines du temps de Traian l’empereur…Ceux du pays se disent vrais successeurs des Romains et nomment leur parler romanechte, c'est-à-dire romain … " Voyage fait par moy, Pierre Lescalopier l’an 1574 de Venise a Constantinople, fol 48 in Paul Cernovodeanu, Studii si materiale de istorie medievala, IV, 1960, p. 444
6. ^ “Anzi essi si chiamano romanesci, e vogliono molti che erano mandati quì quei che erano dannati a cavar metalli...” in Maria Holban, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. II,p.158 – 161
7. ^ Maria Holban, Călători străini despre Ţările Române, vol. II,p.158 – 161
8. ^ "qui eorum lingua Romini ab Romanis, nostra Walachi, ab Italis appellantur" St. Orichovius, Annales polonici ab excessu Sigismundi, in I. Dlugossus, Historiae polonicae libri XII, col 1555
9. ^ "Ex Vlachi Valachi, Romanenses Italiani,/Quorum reliquae Romanensi lingua utuntur.../Solo Romanos nomine, sine re, repraesentantes./Ideirco vulgariter Romuini sunt appelanti", Ioannes Lebelius, De opido Thalmus, Carmen Istoricum, Cibinii, 1779, p. 11 – 12
10. ^ „...Valacchi, qui se Romanos nominant...„ “Gens quae ear terras (Transsylvaniam, Moldaviam et Transalpinam) nostra aetate incolit, Valacchi sunt, eaque a Romania ducit originem, tametsi nomine longe alieno...“ De situ Transsylvaniae, Moldaviae et Transaplinae, in Monumenta Hungariae Historica, Scriptores; II, Pesta, 1857, p. 120
11. ^ "Valachos...dicunt enim communi modo loquendi: Sie noi sentem Rumeni: etiam nos sumus Romani. Item: Noi sentem di sange Rumena: Nos sumus de sanguine Romano" in Martinus Szent-Ivany, Dissertatio Paralimpomenica rerum memorabilium Hungariae, Tyrnaviae, 1699, p. 39