Figure 1.--Greeks have at times played an imprtant role in Romanin history. In the modern era, Greeks came to play an umportant role in Romanian commercece and business As aesult, many were targeted with the Cimmunists seized control of the country after World War II. At the same time Greek Communists involved in the Greek Civil War found refuge in Romania, In addition to the Greek partisans, they brought many children out of Greece. Here we see a postcard-back portrait of an ethnic Greek boy in 1961. His parents were probably refugees from the Civil War. Click on the image to see the message on the back. Click on the imge to see the inscription in Greek. The Grek writing suggests recent immigeants.
We have very limited information on ethnic groups in Romania, but there are several imprtant ethnic minorities that have played an important role in Romania. There are minorities from neigboring Bulgaria and Hungary. This is especially the case because there were so many territorial changes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Tranyslvania was populated with both Hungrians and Romanians. As a result, control of rhe the province was contested between the two neigboring countries. There was also a population of Volk Deutsche, We note two groups, the Banter Schwaben and the Saxons of Transylvania. Although the Germans are much reduced from the period before World War II, there is still a small group remaining in Romania. A HBC reader has provided us an assessment of his 2005 trip to assess Transylvanian ethnic trends. Romania had a substantial Jewish minority dating back to Roman times. There was a Jewish minority, although they were largely destoyed during the Holocaust. There is also a substantial Gypsey or Roma population. The modern term for gypsey is Roma, a derivation showing the Romanian origins of many European gypsies. There is also a Greek minority in Romania for an incredible 27 centuries. The Greeks were a seafaring people and entered the Black Sea where they established coatal trading colonies. This was at a time when the modern Romanian ethnic population, the Dacians, was just beginning to form. The minority populations today is primarily located in Transylvania and the Banat ( historical regions situated in the north and west). Romanian minorities constituted more than a quarter of the country's population until World War II. This percebtage fell by half as a reult of the War,. This was klargely because the Soviet Union seized Bessarabia and northern Bukovina (northeastern provinces). The Soviets awarded southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria. And the ethnic Grmans fled ir were driven out of the country. .
Bulgarians
There have historically been Bulgarian communities in what is modern Romania. They have been noted in he majorregions of Romania Wallachia (Влашко), Northern Dobruja (Северна Добруджа), and Transylvania (Седмиградско). The Bukgarian minority is niow much reduces, especially weith the loss of southrrn Dobruja. The small Bulgarian minirity is mistly located in the Banat areaof western Romania. The term Banat developed during the medieval period, it was a region governed by a 'ban'. This meant a leader assigned a German border province. The Banat Bulgarians are a small Roman Catholic minority whom are the great bulk of Romanians who identiffy as Bulgarian-Romaniams.
Bulgarian researchers claim that the Hungarian minority of the Székely in central Romania is actutally a Magyarized Bulgar (Proto-Bulgarian) population. In addition the Șchei of Transylvania appear to be Romanianized Bulgarians. [Centrul de Resurse]
There was also a population ofVolk Deutsche, We note two groups, the Banter Schwaben and the Saxons of Transylvania. Although the Germans are much reduced from the period before World War II, there is still a small group remaining in Romania. A HBC reader has provided us an assessment of his 2005 trip to assess Transylvanian ethnic trends. There are two groups of Volksdeutsche in Romania: 1) the Banater Schwaben and 2) the Transylvania Saxons. Most of the Banat region in the Southwest corner of Romania. Transylvania is in the center of the country. Both areas used to be Hungarian. Part of the Banat still is Hungarian and a small section even Serbian (north of Belgrade). The Saxons of Transsylvania in Romania settled that area in the 12th century. These Germans in the 15th century fell under the rule of the Ottoman Turks. Germans moved into the area between the rivers Maros (Miersch) (North) Thei� (West) Danube (South) and in the south east bordered by the south capartian mountains. It's about the size as Belgium and the soil is very fertile. There're also important natural resources suach as coal and gold as well as other kinds of products. The area came under the conrol of Austria in 1718 and was first settled by General Mercy. During the reign of Austrian Emperor Karl VI settlement was encouraged (especially during 1722-1726), Germans began moving into the area. Nearly all the Swabians were Catholics. The Saxons on the other hand were Protestant. The Saxons of Transsylvania in Romania settled that area in the 12th century. These Germans in the 15th century fell under the rule of the Ottoman Turks. Germans moved into the area between the rivers Maros (Miersch) (North) Thei� (West) Danube (South) and in the south east bordered by the south capartian mountains. It's about the size as Belgium and the soil is very fertile. There're also important natural resources suach as coal and gold as well as other kinds of products. The area came under the conrol of Austria in 1718 and was first settled by General Mercy. During the reign of Austrian Emperor Karl VI settlement was encouraged (especially during 1722-26), Germans began moving into the area. Some of the first Germans were Austrain administrators, clerks, tailors, merchantmen and most of all farmers from Lorraine, Palatinate and the Black Forest in the area. Emperess Maria Theresia gave considerable support to promoting German settlement (especially during 1766-70) as did other Austrian emperors. Many but not all Germans were expelled after World War II. Of the 500.000 Saxons in Rimania, about 100.000 still remain in Transsylvania (settled in the 13th century).
There is also a Greek minority in Romania and there has been one for an incredible 27 centuries. The northern Black Sea was not only the source of trade vgiids from Russian rivers flown south, but also the western terrminus of what is now known as the Silk Road. The Greeks were a seafaring people and entered the Black Sea where they established coastal trading colonies. This was at a time when the modern Romanian ethnic population, the Dacians, was just beginning to form. Greeks have at times played an important role in what is now Romania. Trajan famously coquered the Dacians berining them within the Romnan Empire (2nd century AD). For many years,the Greeks were part of the elite, but over time became fully integrated into Romanian society. By the 19th century, Romania was no longer a destination for large numbers of Greek exiles and migrants. America and other countries to the West were the more popular choice. The Greeks that came to Romania were from a generally humble status of society. Greeks came to play an imprtant commercial role in Romania as traders and shop keepers a well as some entrepreneurs. Many Greeks worked as sailors, both in the Black Sea and on the Danube. The Romanian annexation of Dobruja substabtially added to the Greek population (1878). Dobruja is a coastal province located along the Black Sea and this had a much higher Greek population than interior provinces. The Greek involvement in commerce made them a target of the Communist regime that sezed power at the end of World War II (1945). The Communists seized private propertty as well as that of Greek cultural organizations. The security forces arrested hundreds of ethnic Greeks. Many were committed to concentration camps and used as slave labor. The major construction project employing slave labor was the Danube-Black Sea Canal. At the same time, a wave of Greeks entered Romania. After the failire of the Communists in the Greek Civil War (1947-49), the Communists evacuated their strongholds in norhern Greece and broughout many children with them.
Romania has a substantial Gypsey or Roma population. The modern term for gypsey is Roma, a derivation showing the Romanian origins of many European gypsies. Gypes were able to move within the Byzantine Empire and it is during this period that the first gypsies reached the Balkans. Gypsies reached Wallachia (1385) and Moldavia (1370) even before the Ottoman Turks. The first gyopsies secured letters of protection from the King of Hungary. This provided legal status. Gradually the situation for gypsies deteriorted. Cultural differences soon gave rise to disputes between gysies and local residents. Gypsies in Romania as in other countries gradually adopted Christianity as well as took on Romanian names, and learned Roomanian. They have not lost the Rom language and use it when speaking among themselves. They also maintain their Rom music and customs in often tight-knit communities. As a result, a substantial Rom population did not integrate within Romanian society. The Rom arrived in Romania during the feudal era. As a result they became slaves or serfs to the landowners with few rights. An estimated 250,000 Roma were enslaved in the various regions which now make up Romania. They were required to work in Orthodox monasteries and for both landowners and local princes. The Rom were not emancipated until Romania began moving toward indeopendence (1851-56). Mant Romanian Rom speak a version of Romanian called Bayesh. An estimated 40 percent Romanian Gypsies still speak Romany. Some still live in traditional carts which can still be seen on Romanian roads. Most Romanian gypsies now live in urban areas, towns and villages. Some are The majority live in the towns and villages. Some are fully integrated into the life of the towns and villages. Some gypies have decorated their homes in destinctive ornate styles. Others live in shacks or decrepit houses on the perifery of the village. Romania currently has the largest Roma minority in Europe. We have seen varying estimates with numbers rngeing from 0.5-2.0 million. I'm unsure why there is such a substantial desperity. Many Romanians complain about their "disruptive" behavior Government statistics show an usually high involvement with crime. Roma spokesmen attribute this to poverty and the prejudice of Romaiabns which mkes it difficult for tem to find decent paying jobs. Many Romanian gypsies have moved to other European coutries, a migration facilitated by the EU open borders policies. The migration of Romanian Roma began with the fall of Comminist governments in Eastern Europe. Because of the prejudice toward Roma in Romania, many found that begging was un prductive,. Romaniian gypsies found that the take from begging was far greater in other countries (Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany). The Roma have helped give Romania a bad name throughout Europe. Many Eropeans associate Romanians with the Roma. Varying national regulations has affected the migration and as aresult, large numbers of Romanian Roma have moved to Czechoslovakia (Slovakia and the Czech Republic).
Hungarians
Tranyslvania was populated with both Hungrians and Romanians. As a result, control of the the province was contested between the two neigboring countries. Within the Aystro-Hungarian Empire, Transyvania was a Hungarian province. It be came a major issue threatenung war between the two counties after World War I and the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Allies awarded Transnylvania to Romania (1919). Hitler gave much of it back to Hungary (1940). The Soviets finally settled the issue after World War II.
The first Jews to arrive in Roman Dacia may have been merchants. Jewish tombstones have been found in Romania dating from the Roman era. The first Christians in Romania may have been associated with the early Jews as Christianity began as the Jesus movement within Judiaism. Almost not information about early Jewish communities from this era survive. Aurelian was forced to withdraw the Roman Legionsn from Dacia allowing the Germanic Barbarians to occupy the province (272 AD?). Much of the Romanized population was evacuated. It is likely that this included most if not all of the small Jewish community. Romania did not exist in the Medieval era, but principaloties from which modern Romania was formed coaleased in this period. One of the most important Romanian principalities was Walachia which was founded about 1290. Many Jews expelled from Hungary (1387) emmigrated to Walachia. More Jews arrived after Spain expelled its Jews (16th century). Moldavia was an important stop in the trade routes between Poland-Lithuania and the Ottoman Empire. Jewish merchants participated in this trade and some settled in Moldavia. Jewish settlement was encouraged by Moldavian princes as helpful for this lightly populated principality. Moldavian princes in the 18th century the granted charters guaranteing a range of privliges to Jewish communities. These offers attracted Polish Jews. Anti-semitism was not as pronounced in Romania as in many other European countries. It has the same kind of roots in Romania as in other European countries. A major source of anti-Semitsm was not religious, but commercial. Greek Orthodox Christianity while geneally not as intensely anti-Semetic as Roman Catholcism was intolerant and priests preached anti-Semetic semons. The Church also influenced anti-Jewish legal measures. Anti-Semetic liternature began to appear in the late-18th and early-19th centuries, including Tthe Golden Order (Jassy, 1771) and A Challenge to Jews (Jassy, 1803). Emerging Romania Most of Romania's historic Jewish popultion was murdered by the NAZIs and Romanian Fascists during the World War II Holocaust.
Sources
Centrul de Resurse pentru Diversitate Etnoculturală, "Structura Etno-demografică a României.
