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| 6. Romania |
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| Romania, where the population reached 7 million by 1910, was a nation of large landholders; in 1895, 6,500 Romanians owned half of the agricultural land while landless peasants represented 20 percent of the population. Romania did differ economically from its neighbors in one significant way; its oil reserves had generated much foreign investment by 1900; foreign interests owned 82 percent of Romanian enterprises in 1911. Yet it remained primarily an agricultural state, with 75 percent of Romanians employed in agriculture in 1911. Its large, poor peasant population contributed to an illiteracy rate of 40 percent at the turn of the century. | 1 |
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| 1774 |
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| By the Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji, Russia was given certain rights of intervention in behalf of the Danubian Principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia), which were still ruled by hospodars (usually phanariot Greeks) appointed by the sultan. | 2 |
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| 1780 |
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| Samuel Micu and George Sincai published Elementa linguæ daco-romanae sive valachicae. | 3 |
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| 1802 |
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| Russia forced the sultan to promise to appoint the hospodars for seven years and not to remove them without Russian consent. | 4 |
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| 1812 |
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| By the Treaty of Bucharest, Bessarabia was detached from Moldavia and ceded to Russia. | 5 |
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| 1821–22 |
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| Revolts in Wallachia, led by Tudor Vladimirescu, and Moldavia, led by Alexander Ypsilanti. Conflicting goals and the lack of Russian support led to an easy victory for the Ottomans, but the boyars (landed gentry) achieved much of what they wanted later, as the Porte accepted the replacement of Greek phanariots with native leaders. The episode continued to poison Russo-Ottoman relations, however, as the Russians felt that native rulers weakened their power in the Principalities. | 6 |
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| 1829, Sept |
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| By the Treaty of Adrianople (See 1829, Sept. 14) Russia strengthened her protectorate and secured for the Principalities complete autonomy. | 7 |
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| 1829–34 |
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| Russian occupation continued under the enlightened rule of the Russian governor, Count Paul Kisselev, who took precautions against the plague, organized a militia, reformed finances, and abolished trade restrictions. | 8 |
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| 1832 |
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| The ORGANIC STATUTE was worked out by a group of boyars under Russian auspices: an assembly of boyars was to elect the prince from among their own numbers. He was to be elected for life and irremovable without Russian consent. The result was an oligarchic system, which continued until 1856. | 9 |
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| 1832–56 |
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| This was a period of great economic expansion (demands of western Europe for Romanian grain; development of steamboat traffic on the Danube) and the rapid spread of French influence (many Romanian students in France; influence of the Polish emigration). Progressive rule was established under Prince Michael Sturdza in Moldavia, but both Principalities continued under strong Russian influence. | 10 |
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| 1848, June |
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| REVOLUTION IN WALLACHIA demanded a liberal regime (leaders Constantine Rosseti, Ion and Dmitri Bratianu). The hospodars accepted a liberal constitution and then fled. | 11 |
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| Sept |
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| By agreement with the Ottomans, Russia invaded the Principalities and put down the revolution. | 12 |
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