History of Moldova
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The history of Moldova can be traced to the 1350s, when
the Principality of Moldavia, the medieval precursor of
modern Moldova and Romania, was founded. The principality was
a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1538 until the 19th century. In
1812, following one of several Russian-Turkish wars, the eastern half of
the principality, Bessarabia, was annexed by the Russian Empire. In
1918, Bessarabia briefly became independent as the Moldavian
Democratic Republic and, following the decision of the Parliament (Sfatul
Țării), united with Romania. During the Second World War it was
occupied by the Soviet Union which reclaimed it from Romania. It joined
the Union as the Moldavian ASSR, until the dissolution of the USSR. In
1991 the country declared independence as the Republic of Moldova.
Contents
1Prehistory
2Antiquity and early Middle Ages
3Principality of Moldavia
4Part of the Russian Empire
5Moldavian Democratic Republic and Union with Romania
6Part of Greater Romania
7World War II and Soviet era
8Independent Republic of Moldova 1991
o 8.1Gaining independence
o 8.2Transnistria
9Independence: the early years, 1991–2001
10Return of the Communists, 2001–2009
11Liberal Democrat and Socialist administrations, 2009 to present
12See also
13Notes
14Further reading
15External links
Prehistory[edit]
Main articles: Prehistory of Southeastern Europe, Neolithic Revolution,
and Cucuteni-Trypillian culture
In 2010 Oldowan flint tools were discovered at Dubasari on the
lower Dniester that are 800,000–1.2 million years old demonstrating that
early humans were present in Moldova during the early paleolithic.[1][2]
[3]
During prehistoric times there was a succession of cultures that
flourished in the land of present-day Moldova from the end of the ice
age up through the Neolithic Age, the Copper Age, the Bronze Age, and
the beginning of the Iron Age, when historical records begin to be made
about the people who lived in these lands. These cultures included
the Linear Pottery culture (ca. 5500–4500 BC), the Cucuteni-Trypillian
culture (ca. 5500–2750 BC), and the Yamna culture (ca. 3600–2300
BC). During this period of time many innovations and advancements
were made, including the practice of agriculture, animal husbandry, kiln-
fired pottery, weaving, and the formation of large settlements and towns.
Indeed, during the Cucuteni-Trypillian Culture, some of the settlements
in this area were larger than anywhere on Earth at the time, and they
predate even the earliest towns of Sumer in the Mesopotamia. The area,
stretching from the Dnieper River in the east to the Iron Gate of the
Danube in the west (which included the land now in Moldova), had a
civilization as highly advanced as anywhere else on Earth during the
Neolithic period.[4]
The question as to why this area did not remain at the forefront of
technological and social development lies in the subsequent history of its
geographical location. At the end of the mostly peaceful Neolithic period,
this area became a highway for invaders from the east moving into
Europe. By the time the historical written record begins to cover this
area, it has already seen a number of invasions sweep over it, leaving
social and political upheaval in their wake. This trend was to continue on
a fairly regular basis up until the 20th century. With so much destruction,
it was difficult for the residents of this area to recover from each
successive invasion before encountering the next.
Cucuteni-Trypillian culture boundaries
The Roman provinces of Dacia (purple) and Moesia Inferior (green)
The lands of the Lower Danube in Roman times
Antiquity and early Middle Ages[edit]
The territories of the Bolohoveni according to A. V. Boldur
See also: Dacia, Moesia Inferior, and Free Dacians
In recorded antiquity Moldova's territory was inhabited by several tribes,
mainly by Akatziroi, and at different periods also
by Bastarnae, Scythians and Sarmatians. Between the 1st and 7th
centuries AD, the south was intermittently under the Roman,
then Byzantine Empires. Due to its strategic location on a route between
Asia and Europe, Moldova was repeatedly invaded by, among others,
the Goths, Huns, Avars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Cumans, and
the Mongols. The First Bulgarian Empire ruled the area or parts of it from
the late 7th century/early 8th century until the late 10th century,
the Principality of Halych in the 12th century and the Second Bulgarian
Empire from the early 13th century with interruptions until the early 14th
century. The colonists of the Genoa Republic also left a trace in this
region. The Hypatian Chronicle mentioned the name of
the Bolokhoveni (the 13th century) a purportedly Romanian population
connected to voloch, the East Slavic exonym of the Romanians.
Alexandru V. Boldur identified the Bolohoveni as Romanians. [5]
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This page was last edited on 14 August 2021, at 01:43 (UTC).
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