 |
This is a list of wars fought by Romania since 1859:
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia did not participate in any wars.
The Romanian United Principalities did not participate in any wars.
| Conflict | Belligerents | Result | Romanian commanders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | Allies | Enemies | Outcome | Losses | Prince | Prime Minister | Defense Minister | General Chief of Staff |
| 24 April 1877 – 3 March 1878 | Romanian War of Independence or Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) |  Russian Empire  Principality of Romania  Principality of Serbia  Principality of Montenegro Co-belligerents |  Ottoman Empire | Victory
| 4,302 dead and missing 3,316 wounded 19,904 sick | Carol I | Ion C. Brătianu | Alexandru Cernat | Gheorghe Slăniceanu (until Aug. 1877) Constantin Barozzi (Aug. – Oct. 1877) Ştefan Fălcoianu (from Oct. 1877) |
| Conflict | Belligerents | Result | Romanian commanders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | Allies | Enemies | Outcome | Losses | Prince | Prime Minister | Defense Minister | General Chief of Staff |
| 21 February – 5 April 1907 | 1907 Romanian Peasants' Revolt |
| Victory
| 10 dead and 5 wounded (military) 3,000 civilian casualties | Carol I | Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (until 24 March 1907) Dimitrie Sturdza (from 24 March 1907) | Alexandru Averescu | Nicolae Tătărăscu (until 1 April 1907) Grigore C. Crăiniceanu (from 1 April 1907) | |
| 29 June – 10 August 1913 Romania entered: 10 July 1913 | Second Balkan War |  Serbia  Greece Romania  Montenegro Co-belligerent |  Bulgaria | Victory
| negligible combat casualties 6,000 dead of disease | Titu Maiorescu | Constantin Harjeu | Alexandru Averescu | |
| 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918 Romania entered: 27 August 1916 Romania temporary exited: 9 December 1917 Romania re-entered: 10 November 1918 | World War I | Triple Entente  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Co-belligerents  United States (1917–1918) Kingdom of Hejaz (1916–1918) Supply only Diplomatic only Active neutrality  Venezuela | Central Powers  Germany
Co-belligerents  Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918) | Defeat
| 535,706 | Ferdinand I | Ion I. C. Brătianu | Constantin Iancovescu | Vasile Zottu (until Oct. 1916) Dumitru Iliescu (Oct. – Dec. 1916) Constantin Prezan (from Dec. 1916) |
| Victory | Constantin Coandă | Eremia Grigorescu | Constantin Prezan | ||||||
| 1 November 1918 – 17 July 1919 Romania entered: 11 November 1918 Romania exited: 11 June 1919 | Polish–Ukrainian War |  Poland |  West Ukrainian People's Republic | Victory
| negligible | Constantin Coandă (until Nov. 1918) Ion I. C. Brătianu (from Nov. 1918) | Eremia Grigorescu (until Nov. 1918) Artur Văitoianu (from Nov. 1918) | ||
| 15 April – 6 August 1919 | Hungarian–Romanian War | Romania Co-belligerents |  Hungarian Soviet Republic Active neutrality | Victory
| 3,610 dead 11,666 total | Ion I. C. Brătianu | Artur Văitoianu | ||
| 27–28 May 1919 | Bender Uprising | Active neutrality | Victory
| unknown | |||||
| 20–28 October 1920 | 1920 Romanian General Strike | Victory
| unknown | Alexandru Averescu | Ioan Rășcanu | Constantin Cristescu | |||
| 15–18 September 1924 | Tatarbunary Uprising | Active neutrality | Victory
| 3,000 civilian casualties | Ion I. C. Brătianu | George Mărdărescu | Alexandru Lupescu | Alexandru Gorski | |
| 5–6 August 1929 | Lupeni Strike |
| Victory
| 10 soldiers wounded 15 gendarmes wounded 22 miners dead | Michael I | Iuliu Maniu | Henry Cihoschi | Nicolae Samsonovici | |
| 12–16 February 1933 | Grivița Strike | Victory
| 2 soldiers dead 7 workers dead | Carol II | Alexandru Vaida-Voevod | Nicolae Samsonovici | Constantin Lăzărescu | ||
| 21–23 January 1941 | Legionnaires' Rebellion and Bucharest Pogrom | Victory
| 30 soldiers dead 200–800 legionnaires dead or wounded 125 Jews dead in pogrom | Michael I | Ion Antonescu | Alexandru Ioaniţiu | |||
| 1–2 September 1945 Romania entered: 22 June 1941 Romania switched sides: 23 August 1944 Romania exited: 9 May 1945 | World War II | Axis
Affiliate states Co-belligerents Client states
Active neutrality  French Morocco (1940–1942) | Allies
United Kingdom
Co-belligerents
Client state Supply only Diplomatic only Governments in exile Active neutrality | Defeat
| 300,000 soldiers dead 64,000 civilians dead 469,000 Jews died in Holocaust | Ion Antonescu (until Aug. 1944) | Iosif Iacobici (until Sep. 1942) Ion Antonescu (Sep. 1941 – Jan. 1942) Constantin Pantazi (Jan. 1942 – Aug. 1944) | Alexandru Ioaniţiu (until Sep. 1941) Iosif Iacobici (Sep. 1941 – Jan. 1942) Ilie Șteflea (Jan. 1942 – Aug. 1944) | |
| Conflict | Belligerents | Result | Romanian commanders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | Allies | Enemies | Outcome | Losses | Prince | Prime Minister | Defense Minister | General Chief of Staff |
| Summer 1948–1962 | Romanian anti-communist resistance movement |
|
| Defeat
| official number estimates 2000 | Constantin Ion Parhon (until Jun. 1952) Petru Groza (Jun. 1952 – Jan. 1958) Ion Gheorghe Maurer (Jan. 1958 – Mar. 1961) Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (from Mar. 1961) | Petru Groza (until Jun. 1952) Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (Jun. 1952 – Oct. 1955) Chivu Stoica (Oct. 1955 – Mar. 1961) Ion Gheorghe Maurer (from Mar. 1961) | Emil Bodnăraș (until Oct. 1955) Leontin Sălăjan (from Oct. 1955) | Constantin Gh. Popescu (until Mar. 1950) Leontin Sălăjan (Mar. 1950 – Apr. 1954) Ion Tutoveanu (from Apr. 1954) |
| Conflict | Belligerents | Result | Romanian commanders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | Allies | Enemies | Outcome | Losses | Prince | Prime Minister | Defense Minister | General Chief of Staff |
| 15–16 November 1987 | Brașov Rebellion |
| Defeat
| no casualties | Nicolae Ceaușescu | Constantin Dăscălescu | Vasile Milea | Ștefan Gușă | |
| 16–27 December 1989 | Romanian Revolution |
|
| Victory
| 1,104 dead 3,352 wounded | Nicolae Ceaușescu (until 22 Dec. 1989) Council of the National Salvation Front (22–26 Dec. 1989) Ion Iliescu (from 26 Dec. 1989) | Constantin Dăscălescu (until 22 Dec. 1989) Petre Roman (from 26 Dec. 1989) | Vasile Milea (until 22 Dec. 1989) Nicolae Militaru (from 22 Dec. 1989) | |
| Conflict | Belligerents | Result | Romanian commanders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | Allies | Enemies | Outcome | Losses | Prince | Prime Minister | Defense Minister | General Chief of Staff |
| March 2003 – 23 July 2009 | Iraq War |
|  Ba'athist Iraq  Ansar al-Islam Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation For fighting between insurgent groups, see Civil war in Iraq (2006–07). | Victory
| 3 soldiers killed. | Ion Iliescu (until Dec. 2004) Traian Băsescu (from Dec. 2004) | Adrian Năstase (until Dec. 2004) Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu (Dec. 2004 – Dec. 2008) Emil Boc (from Dec. 2008) | Ioan Mircea Pașcu (until Dec. 2004) Teodor Atanasiu (Dec. 2004 – Oct. 2006) Sorin Frunzăverde (Oct. 2006 – Apr. 2007) Teodor Meleșcanu (Apr. 2007 – Dec. 2008) Mihai Stănișoară (from Dec. 2008) | Mihail Eugen Popescu (until Oct. 2004) Eugen Bădălan (Oct. 2004 – Sep. 2006) Gheorghe Marin (from. Sep. 2006) Ștefan Dănilă (from Jan. 2011) Nicolae Ciucă (from Jan. 2015) Daniel Petrescu (from Nov. 2019) |
| 7 October 2001 – 16 August 2021 | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | Defeat
| 23 soldiers killed. | Ion Iliescu (2001–2004) Traian Băsescu (2004–2014) Klaus Iohannis (2014–) | Adrian Năstase (2001–2004) Călin Popescu Tăriceanu (2004–2008) Emil Boc (2008–2012) Victor Ponta (2012–) | Ioan Mircea Pașcu (2001–2004) Teodor Atanasiu (2004–2006) Sorin Frunzăverde (2006–2007) Teodor Meleșcanu (2007–2008) Mihai Stănișoară (2008–2009) Gabriel Oprea (2009–2012) Corneliu Dobrițoiu (2012) Mircea Dușa (2015–) | |||
| 19 March – 23 October 2011 | 2011 military intervention in Libya | Victory
| no casualties. | ||||||
Transylvania is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains and to the west the Apuseni Mountains. Broader definitions of Transylvania also include the western and northwestern Romanian regions of Crișana and Maramureș, and occasionally Banat. Historical Transylvania also includes small parts of neighbouring Western Moldavia and even a small part of south-western neighbouring Bukovina to its north east.
Alexandru Ioan Cuza was the first domnitor (ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as Prince of Moldavia on 5 January 1859 and Prince of Wallachia on 24 January 1859, which resulted in the unification of the two states. He was a prominent figure of the Moldavian Revolution of 1848. Following his double election, he initiated a series of reforms that contributed to the modernization of Romanian society and of state structures.
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.
Ion Constantin Brătianu was one of the major political figures of 19th-century Romania. He was the son of Dincă Brătianu and the younger brother of Dimitrie, as well as the father of Ionel, Dinu, and Vintilă Brătianu. He also was the grandfather of poet Ion Pillat.
The 1878 Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It was signed at San Stefano, then a village west of Constantinople, on 3 March [O.S. 19 February] 1878 by Count Nicholas Pavlovich Ignatiev and Aleksandr Nelidov on behalf of the Russian Empire and by Foreign Minister Saffet Pasha and Ambassador to Germany Sadullah Bey on behalf of the Ottoman Empire.
Alexandros Ypsilantis was a Greek nationalist politician who was member of a prominent Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial Russian cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars, and a leader of the Filiki Etaireia, a secret organization that coordinated the beginning of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
The Romanian Old Kingdom is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia and Moldavia. The union of the two principalities was achieved when, under the auspices of the Treaty of Paris (1856), the ad hoc Divans of both countries, which were then under Ottoman Empire suzerainty, voted for Alexander Ioan Cuza as their prince. This process achieved a de facto unification under the name of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The region itself is defined by the result of that political act, followed by the Romanian War of Independence, the inclusion of Northern Dobruja and the transfer of the southern part of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire in 1878, the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania in 1881, and the annexation of Southern Dobruja in 1913.
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar, the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied four important positions in the Ottoman Empire: Voivode of Moldavia, Voivode of Wallachia, Grand Dragoman of the Porte and Grand Dragoman of the Fleet. Despite their cosmopolitanism and often-Western education, the Phanariots were aware of their Greek ancestry and culture; according to Nicholas Mavrocordatos' Philotheou Parerga, "We are a race completely Hellenic".
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On April 16 [O.S. April 4] 1877, Romania and the Russian Empire signed a treaty at Bucharest under which Russian troops were allowed to pass through Romanian territory, with the condition that Russia respected the integrity of Romania. Consequently, the mobilization of the Romanian troops also began, and about 120,000 soldiers were massed in the south of the country to defend against an eventual attack of the Ottoman forces from south of the Danube. On April 24 [O.S. April 12] 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire and its troops entered Romania through the newly built Eiffel Bridge, on their way to the Ottoman Empire. Due to great losses, the Russian Empire asked Romania to intervene. On July 24 [O.S. July 12] 1877, the first Romanian Army units crossed the Danube and joined forces with the Russian Army.
The historical regions of Romania are located in Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe. Romania came into being through the unification of two principalities, Wallachia and Moldavia in 1862. The new unitary state extended over further regions at various times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, including Dobruja in 1878, and Transylvania in 1918.
The Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774) in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common geopolitical situation. The term was largely used then by foreign political circles and public opinion until the union of the two principalities in 1859. Alongside Transylvania, the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia became the basis for the Kingdom of Romania, and by extension the modern nation-state of Romania.
The Principality of Transylvania was a semi-independent state ruled primarily by Hungarian princes. Its territory, in addition to the traditional Transylvanian lands, also included the other major component called Partium, which was in some periods comparable in size with Transylvania proper. The establishment of the principality was connected to the Treaty of Speyer. However, Stephen Báthory's status as king of Poland also helped to phase in the name Principality of Transylvania. Although the principality was essentially independent, it existed as an Ottoman vassal state for the majority of the 16th and 17th centuries, overseen by Ottoman Turkish sultans but ruled by Hungarian princes. At various points during this period, the Habsburgs also exerted a degree of suzerainty in the region.
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.
Chattel Slavery existed on the territory of present-day Romania from the founding of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia in 13th–14th century, until it was abolished in stages during the 1840s and 1850s before the Romanian War of Independence and the formation of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859, and also until 1783 in Transylvania and Bukovina. Most of the slaves were of Romani ethnicity. Particularly in Moldavia there were also slaves of Tatar ethnicity, probably prisoners captured from the wars with the Nogai and Crimean Tatars.
Romania–Russia relations are the foreign relations between Romania and Russia. Romania has an embassy in Moscow and consulates-general in Rostov-on-Don and Saint Petersburg. Russia has an embassy in Bucharest and a consulate-general in Constanţa. Historical relations have oscillated among grudging cooperation, neutrality, open hatred and hostility.
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed 5 February [O.S. 24 January] 1859 when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected as the Domnitor of both principalities. Their separate autonomous vassalage in the Ottoman Empire continued with the unification of both principalities. On 3 February [O.S. 22 January] 1862, Moldavia and Wallachia formally united to create the Romanian United Principalities, the core of the Romanian nation state.
The Principality of Transylvania, from 1765 the Grand Principality of Transylvania, was a realm of the Hungarian Crown ruled by the Habsburg and Habsburg-Lorraine monarchs of the Habsburg monarchy and governed by mostly Hungarians. After the Ottomans were ousted from most of the territories of medieval Kingdom of Hungary, and after the failure of Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711), the Habsburg dynasty claimed the former territories of the Principality of Transylvania under the capacity of their title of "King of Hungary". During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian government proclaimed union with Transylvania in the April Laws of 1848. After the failure of the revolution, the March Constitution of Austria decreed that the Principality of Transylvania be a separate crown land entirely independent of Hungary. In 1867, as a result of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, the principality was reunited with Hungary proper.
The Bessarabian question, Bessarabian issue or Bessarabian problem is the name given to the controversy over the ownership of the geographic region of Bessarabia that began with the annexation of the region by the Russian Empire from the Romanian principality of Moldavia in 1812 through the Treaty of Bucharest and which continued with the independence and union of Bessarabia with Romania in 1917, the occupation and annexation of the region by the Soviet Union in 1940, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union that caused the emergence of two new states that each controlled parts of Bessarabia: Moldova and Ukraine.
The territorial evolution of Romania includes all the changes in the country's borders from its formation to the present day. The precedents of Romania as an independent state can be traced back to the 14th century, when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were founded. Wallachia during its history lost several portions of its territory, either to the Ottomans or the Habsburgs. However, this land would be later essentially recovered in its entirety. Moldavia, on the other hand, suffered great territorial losses. In 1774, the Habsburgs invaded Bukovina and annexed it one year later, and in 1812, the Russian Empire took control of Bessarabia. Both territories were later exposed to powerful colonization policies. The principalities declared unification in 1859 as the Principality of Romania. This new state sought independence from the Ottoman Empire's vassalage, and in 1878, it fought a war against it alongside Russia. However, the latter would annex Southern Bessarabia, which was recovered decades before. Romania received Northern Dobruja as compensation, and would wage a war for the southern part against Bulgaria in 1913.
The Circassians in Romania were an ethnic minority in the territory that constitutes modern Romania. The presence of people with names derived from the Circassians in lands belonging now to Romania was attested since at least the 15th century. For the next few centuries, these records of such people in the Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia would continue.
