Burebista (82 BC- 44 BC) was a king of the Getae and Dacians, who unified them for the first time. He is mentioned in three ancient sources: Strabo, Jordanes and a marble inscription found in Balchick, Bulgaria.

He attacked the tribes that lived along the Middle Danube and in what is today Slovakia.

Dacia included the present territory of Romania, extending to Bohemia to the West, the Balkans to the South, the Bug River to the East.

Roman Dacia

Dacia Felix ( 106-271/275 AD ) was an Imperial Province of the Roman Empire. Emperor Trajan conquered it after the war of 106.

Early State Entities

In the Middle Ages Romanians livedin three distinct Principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania.

Wallachia was controlled by the First Bulgarian Empire from its establishment in 681 until approximately the end of the 10th century when it cameunder the control of the Pechenegs ( a Turkic people)

Transylvania also had autonomous political entities which were in contact with the Bulgarians.

The Ottoman Suzerainty

The territory of present day Romania came under Ottoman suzerainty but kept fully internal autonomy until the 18th century.

Wallachia paid tribute to the OttomansFrom 1417, Moldavia from 1456.

Transylvania was part of the Habsburg, later Austro- Hungarian Empire.

Mihai Viteazul ( 1557-1601)

He was prince of Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia. Briefly, in 1600/1601, the three Principalities inhabited by Romanians were for the time united under a single rule.

Modern Romania

After Mihai’s death the Principalities were split up again, their rulers beingappointed by the Sultan from the Phanariots of Istanbul.

The Treaty of Paris(1856) passed Wallachia and Moldavia under the tutelage of the Great European Powers.

In 1859 people in both Wallachia andMoldavia elected the same ruler,Alexandru Ioan Cuza(1859-1866). The two provinces were again united under one ruler, while Transylvania was still part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire.

The Romanian Kingdom

During the reign of Carol I (1866-1914) Romania achieved full independence from the Ottoman Empire . He added the south of Dobrogea to the Principalities Cuza had united before him.

România Mare

România Mare ( Greater Romania) refers to the Romanian territory covered by the state from 1918 to 1940.

Transylvania, Basarabia and Bucovina were united to Romania under king Ferdinand (1914- 1927).

At the time Romania united essentially all of theterritories inhabited by Romanians.

Romania in World War II

The Romanian administration and army retreated from Basarabia and Northern Bucovina. Southern Dobrogea went to Bulgaria and Hungary received Northern Transylvania.

At the end of the war, Greater Romania was largely dismantled.

Communist Romania

After World War II the Soviet Union had a large influence over what was known as the Eastern Bloc. Romania was included.

Romania neighbored on Bulgaria to the South, Yugoslavia and Hungary to the West and the Soviet Union to the North and East.

Present day Romania

On January 1st, 2007, Romania joined the European Union.

Present day Romania neighbors onBulgaria to the South, Moldova to the East, the Ukraine to the East and North, Hungary and Serbia to the West.