Historical Context
In 105-106 Dacia, which was on the present day territory of Romania, was conquered by the Romans led by Emperor Traianus.
The Romanian people was formed up to 1859 when we can speak of Romania as a state, when Moldavia and Wallachia united.
The ancestors of the Romanians are the Dacians and the Romans to which were added all the peoples that crossed its land.
Short history of Romanian-Turkish relations
At the end of the 14th century the borders of the Ottoman Empire reached the Danube River
The first diplomatic relations date back to that time, consisting in sending messengers to the High Court.
During the 16th century there emerged the tradition of representing the Romanian noblemen at the Ottoman High Court through agents named “capuchehaia”
The relations were interrupted in the year 1877 in the context of the Russian-Turkish war, to be resumed in November 1878 at legation level and in 1938 at embassy level.
Romanian-Turkish Relations Today
Since 1989, relations have been evolving continuously.
Turkey has invested in the fields of banking, insurance, food industry, textile industry and tourism.
Romanian consulates were opened in Istanbul and Izmir
7 visits of the Turkish president were organized in Romania and 8 of the Romanian presidents in Turkey.
There is collaboration in the field of culture and education as well.
There have also been many projects and programs done together.
18 minorities live in Romania today
Hungarians (incl. Szeklers) 1,431,807 6.6% Transylvania, Bucharest
Roma( Gypsies) 535,140 2.46%
Ukrainians 61,091 0.28% Bukovina, Maramureş
Transylvanian Saxons, Swabians 59,764 0.28% Sibiu, Braşov, Bistriţa, Timiş, Caraş Severin
Russians/Lipovans 35,791 0.17% Tulcea County
Turks 32,098 0.15% Dobrogea
Crimean Tatars 23,935 0.11% Dobrogea
Serbs 22,518 0.10% Timiş, Arad, Caraş-Severin, Mehedinţi
Slovaks 17,199 0.08%
Bulgarians, Croats,Greeks, Jews, Czechs, Poles, Italians, Chinese
Total: 2,276,138 = 10.5% of Romania's population
The Turks of Romania
As the entire Balkan Peninsula became an integral part of the emerging Ottoman Empire (a process which concluded with the fall of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II in 1453), Wallachia became engaged in frequent confrontations and, in the final years of Mircea the Elder's reign, became an Ottoman subject.
Mediaeval Times
Iancu Corvin of Hunedoara, the governor of Hungary and Voivode of Transylvania( the battle from Belgrad 1456 succeeded to stop Mahomed the 2nd's army)
The anti-ottoman fight was continued under:
Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia,1456-1462; 1476
Stephen the Great, Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504)
Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, 1593-1601
Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, 1688-1714
Dimitrie Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, 1710-1711
Who was DIMITRIE CANTEMIR?
(1673-1723)
His education began in Moldavia , where he learned Greek and Latin and acquired a profound knowledge of the classics. Between 1687 and 1710 he lived in forced exile in Istanbul, where he learned Turkish and studied the history of the Ottoman Empire at the Patriarchate's Greek Academy, where he also composed music.
Modern Times
The majority of Turks live in the historical region of Northern Dobruja (Turkish: Dobruca), particularly in Constanţa County, where they number 24,246 and make up 3.4% of the population
in Tulcea County : 3,334 (1.3%)
in Bucharest : 2,473 (0.1%).
As an officially-recognised ethnic minority, the Turks have one seat reserved for them in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies.
After 1989, a significant number of Turkish entrepreneurs started investing and establishing business ventures in Romania, and a certain proportion chose to take up residence in Romania.
Because of the large Turkish population, Islam in Romania also has a historically significant Muslim minority concentrated in Dobrogea, who are mostly of Turkish and Tatar ethnicity.
An important Turkish community also used to live until 1970 on the island of Ada Kaleh.
Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.3 percent of population, but has 700 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries (ca. 1420-1878).
In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic communities and follow the Sunni doctrine. The Islamic religion is one of the 16 rites awarded state recognition.
Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/
Ovidiu Craciun
Patrick Bohony
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