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This is a list of conflicts involving Moldova.
*e.g. result unknown or indecisive/inconclusive, result of internal conflict inside Moldova, status quo ante bellum , or a treaty or peace without a clear result.
Below is a list of significant military conflicts involving Moldavia during the medieval period.
| Year | Conflict/Battle | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1359 | Founding of Moldavia |  Principality of Moldavia |  Kingdom of Hungary | Victory: Moldavia establishes itself as an independent principality. |
| 1387 | Incorporation into Poland | Principality of Moldavia |  Kingdom of Poland | Treaty: Moldavia becomes a vassal of Poland. |
| 1399 | Battle of the Vorskla River |  Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Kingdom of Poland, Principality of Moldavia,  Wallachia, Principality of Kiev,  Teutonic Order |  Golden Horde support by: Principality of Moscow [1] | Defeat: The Lithuanian forces suffered a significant defeat against the Golden Horde, marking a setback for their influence in the region. |
| 1410 | Siege of Marienburg | Principality of Moldavia, Kingdom of Poland, Grand Duchy of Lithuania |  State of the Teutonic Order | Defeat: Despite efforts, Moldavian and allied forces were unable to capture Marienburg, maintaining the Teutonic Order's control. |
| 1420 | Siege of Khillia and White Fortresses | Principality of Moldavia, Kingdom of Poland |  Ottoman Empire | Victory: Ottoman failure to capture Khillia and White fortresses |
| 1462 | Battle of Chilia | Principality of Moldavia | Wallachia and Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Loss leads to increased Ottoman influence. |
| 1467 | Battle of Baia | Principality of Moldavia | Kingdom of Hungary | Victory: This victory allowed Moldavia to recapture territories and affirm its independence against Hungary. |
| 1470 | Battle of Lipnic | Principality of Moldavia | Golden Horde | Victory: Decisive victory by Stephen the Great, leading to significant Tatar losses and strengthened Moldavian borders. |
| 1473 | Siege of Dâmbovița Fortress | Principality of Moldavia | Wallachia | Victory: Wallachian voivode ran away from the fortress, leaving his flags, treasury, and family |
| 1475 | Battle of Vaslui | Principality of Moldavia, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Poland | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Decisive defeat of the Ottomans, maintaining independence. |
| 1476 | Battle of Valea Albă | Principality of Moldavia, Kingdom of Hungary, Grand Duchy of Lithuania | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Despite heavy Ottoman losses, Moldavia was forced to retreat. |
| 1476 | Siege of Neamț Citadel | Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Victory: The Moldavian garrison successfully repelled the siege, forcing the Ottomans to withdraw. |
| 1485 | Battle of Cătlăbuga | Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Further assertion of Moldavian sovereignty. |
| 1487 | Battle of Valea Albă |  Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Moldavia loses to the Ottomans, eventually becoming a tributary state. |
| 1497 | Battle of the Cosmin Forest | Principality of Moldavia | Kingdom of Poland | Victory: saw Moldavia, under Stephen the Great, defeat Polish forces led by King John I Albert. Moldavia's strategic ambush forced Poland to abandon its claim, preserving Moldavia’s independence |
| 1531 | Battle of Obertyn | Principality of Moldavia | Kingdom of Poland | Defeat: Obertyn in Pokutia, Ukraine. |
| 1600 | Battle of Mirăslău | Principality of Moldavia, Wallachia,  Transylvania | Kingdom of Hungary | Defeat: Loss that challenges the unity of Moldavia and Wallachia and Transylvania. |
Below is a list of significant military conflicts involving Moldavia during the Ottoman period.
| Year | Conflict/Battle | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1538 | Conquest of Moldavia by the Ottoman Empire | Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Moldavia officially becomes a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. |
| 1572 | Battle of Fântâna Albă | Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Another defeat leading to increased Ottoman dominance. |
| 1574 | Battle of Jiliște | Principality of Moldavia, Cossack Hetmanate | Ottoman Empire, Wallachia | Victory: Moldova and the Cossacks win. |
| 1595 | Battle of Cecora (1595) | Principality of Moldavia,  Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Peace and the withdrawal of the Turks from Moldavia |
| 1595 | Battle of Giurgiu | Principality of Moldavia,  Principality of Wallachia,  Principality of Transylvania | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Decisive victory for Moldavia, Wallachia, and allies, significantly weakening Ottoman control. |
| 1595 | Battle of Suceava | Principality of Moldavia, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Ottoman Empire,  Principality of Transylvania | Victory: Moldova and Polish-Lithuanian forces under the command of Jan Potocki defeated the Transylvanian forces commanded by Ştefan Răzvan. |
| 1620 | Battle of Cecora (1620) | Principality of Moldavia, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: A setback for Moldavia's alliances with Poland. |
| 1653 | Battle of Finta | Principality of Moldavia, Cossack Hetmanate | Wallachia, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth | Defeat: Losses affecting Moldavia's territorial integrity. |
| 1683 | Battle of Vienna (participation) | Principality of Moldavia (Allies) | Ottoman Empire | Neutral: Allied forces repel the Ottomans in Europe. |
| 1683 | Battle of Chițcani (1683) | Principality of Moldavia, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Cossack Hetmanate | Ottoman Empire,  Budjak Horde | Victory: This battle helped to reinforce Moldavia's position and assert its autonomy within the region during the Ottoman period. |
| 1711 | Pruth River Campaign | Principality of Moldavia, Cossack Hetmanate,  Tsardom of Russia | Ottoman Empire | Defeat: Results in Moldavia's temporary loss of autonomy. |
| 1739 | Battle of Stavchany | Principality of Moldavia,  Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Restores some autonomy for Moldavia. |
| 1769 | Battle of Cahul | Principality of Moldavia, Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Significant victory aiding Moldavia's standing against the Ottomans. |
| 1775 | Occupation of Bukovina | Principality of Moldavia | Habsburg Monarchy | Defeat: Bukovina is ceded to the Habsburg Monarchy. |
| 1788 | Siege of Khotyn (1788) | Principality of Moldavia, Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | Victory: Strengthens Moldavia's position in negotiations with the Ottomans. |
| 1792 | Treaty of Jassy | Principality of Moldavia | Ottoman Empire | Treaty: Defines new borders with Russia; Moldavia remains under Ottoman control. |
| 1812 | Treaty of Bucharest (1812) | Principality of Moldavia | Russian Empire | Defeat: Eastern Moldavia (Bessarabia) ceded to the Russian Empire. |
Below is a list of significant military conflicts involving Moldova during the modern period.
| Year | Conflict/Battle | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | Tatarbunary Uprising |  Kingdom of Romania |  Moldavian ASSR | Victory: Uprising leads to increased Moldavian autonomy. |
| 1992 | Transnistria War |  Republic of Moldova | Transnistria (supported by  Russia) | Defeat: Transnistria gains de facto independence. |
| 2003–2008 | Iraq War |  United States,  Multi-National Force – Iraq (including Moldova) |  Iraq | Victory: Participation enhances Moldova's international relations. |
The history of Moldova spans prehistoric cultures, ancient and medieval empires, and periods of foreign rule and modern independence.
Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, on the northeastern corner of the Balkans. The country spans a total of 33,483 km2 (12,928 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 2.42 million as of January 2024. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester river on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova is a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic with its capital in Chișinău, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre.
Bessarabia is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coastal region and part of the Ukrainian Chernivtsi Oblast covering a small area in the north.
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. The region of Pokuttya was also part of it for a period of time.
Bukovina is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. The region is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided between Romania and Ukraine.
Budjak, also known as Budzhak, is a historical region that was part of Bessarabia from 1812 to 1940. Situated along the Black Sea, between the Danube and Dniester rivers, this multi-ethnic region covers an area of 13,188 km2 (5,092 sq mi) and is home to approximately 600,000 people. The majority of the region is now located in Ukraine's Odesa Oblast, while the remaining part is found in the southern districts of Moldova. The region is bordered to the north by the rest of Moldova, to the west and south by Romania, and to the east by the Black Sea and the rest of Ukraine.
Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians, are the ethnic group native to the Moldova, who mostly speak the Romanian language, locally referred also as Moldovan. 75.1% of the Moldovan population declared Moldovan ethnicity in the 2014 Moldovan census, and Moldovans form significant communities in Romania, Italy, Ukraine and Russia.
Fălești is a district in the north of Moldova, with the administrative center at Fălești. As of January 1, 2011, its population was 92,600.
Moldovenism is a term used to describe the political support and promotion of a Moldovan identity and culture, including a Moldovan language, independent from those of any other ethnic group, the Romanians in particular. It is primarily used as a pejorative by the opponents of such ideas as part of the wider controversy over ethnic and linguistic identity in Moldova.
Bălți is the second largest city in Moldova. It is located in the northern part of the country, within the historical region of Bessarabia, with which the city's own history is closely intertwined.
The military history of Romania deals with conflicts spreading over a period of about 2500 years across the territory of modern Romania, the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe and the role of the Romanian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide.
Romania–Russia relations are the foreign relations between Romania and Russia. Romania has an embassy in Moscow and a consulate-general in Saint Petersburg. Russia has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Constanța. Historical relations have oscillated among grudging cooperation, neutrality, open hatred and hostility.
Moldovan-Spanish relations are foreign relations between Spain and Moldova. On 30 January 1992, Spain established diplomatic relations with Moldova. Spain is represented in Moldova via its embassy in Bucharest in Romania.
A controversy exists over the national identity and name of the native language of the main ethnic group in Moldova. The issue more frequently disputed is whether Moldovans constitute a subgroup of Romanians or a separate ethnic group. While there is wide agreement about the existence of a common language, the controversy persists about the use of the term "Moldovan language" in certain political contexts.
The history of Poles in Moldova has to be examined keeping in mind the traditional borderline along the Dniester river which separates Bessarabia from Transnistria in Moldova. While the regions on both sides of the river were socially and culturally interconnected, the distinct political histories of the two territories resulted in different patterns of Polish settlement there.
Stefan Tomşa IX, of Moldavia was Prince of Moldavia for two reigns, in 1611–1615 and in 1621–1623. His reigns were concurrent with the period of Romanian and Eastern European history known as the Moldavian Magnate Wars, a long conflict in the early modern states of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania, in which the Moldavian state was alternatively influenced by the Austrian Habsburgs, the Ottoman Empire, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was placed on the throne of Moldavia in 1611 following the deposition of the preceding Prince, Constantin Movila by the Ottomans, in the same year as Radu Mihnea was placed on the throne of neighboring Wallachia.
Greater Moldova or Greater Moldavia is an irredentist concept today used for the credence that the Republic of Moldova should be expanded with lands that used to belong to the Principality of Moldavia or were once inside its political orbit. Historically, it also meant the unification of the lands of the former principality under either Romania or the Soviet Union. Territories cited in such proposals always include Western Moldavia and the whole of Bessarabia, as well as Bukovina and the Hertsa region; some versions also feature parts of Transylvania, while still others include areas of Podolia, or Pokuttia in its entirety. In most of its post-Soviet iterations, "Greater Moldova" is associated with a belief that Moldovans are a distinct people from Romanians, and that they inhabit parts of Romania and Ukraine. It is a marginal position within the Moldovan identity disputes, corresponding to radical forms of an ideology polemically known as "Moldovenism".