Relations between

Turkey and Romania in history

The first contacts
At the end of the 14th century, the Ottoman Sultan Baiazid I modified the
expansion policy of the Ottoman Empire, focusing on the Anatolian area.

This direction of conquest also generated anti-Ottoman reactions in

southeastern Europe, which caused the Sultan to fight on two fronts.

In the time of this emperor the first Turkish incursions to the north of the
Danube was made, taking into account the increasingly important role of the
Romanian Country in the efforts to limit the Ottoman expansion.
In order to ensure peace in the Balkan
Peninsula, the Turks bring under their
sovereignty the Bulgarian tsar, thus
reaching the Danube line. The
Romanian country and Hungary were
now the only forces capable of keeping
the Ottoman conquest in the area. The
Turks were aware of this after the
intervention of Mircea cel Bătrân, the
lord of the Romanian Country, in
Dobrogea, who had occupied this
territory with the Ottoman chest. In this
context, Baiazid I became the first
Ottoman sultan to personally conduct a
campaign in the Romanian Country.
In order to prevent the Turks from
advancing on the territory of his
country, Mircea cel Bătrân offered
military assistance to the Serbs,
organizing battles south of the Danube.
Sultan Baiazid I decided to initiate a
military campaign with the aim of
removing the mountain lord. As a
result, the famous battle from Rovine
will be held, won by Mircea cel Bătrân.
The resistance against the Ottoman
danger that was on the borders of
Europe was called "late crusade".
The Christian powers allied
themselves against the Eastern
Empire - which was increasingly
expressing its intention to expand
its borders to the west. The
Christian forces lose the battle
because of the tactical superiority
of the Turks, but also because of
the concentration of their forces in
one direction, unlike the Europeans
divided by multiple interests.
From the strategy of the Romanian
rulers aimed at resistance to the
Ottoman Empire, among other
things, was the encouragement of
various pretenders to the Turkish
throne. Thus they hoped to distract
attention, at least temporarily, from
expansion plans in Europe.
• Throughout the fifteenth century,
Turkey organized several incursions to
the north of the Danube, wishing, at
the same time, to take control over
the course of the river, to defeat the
opposition of the Romanian Country
and to prevail in Transylvania.

• The role of buffer state of the

Romanian Country, geographically
placed between two major powers in
conflict - the Hungarian Kingdom and
the Ottoman Empire - became even
more evident during the reign of Vlad
Dracul, the son of Mircea cel Bătrân.
Initially being an ally of Sigismund of
Luxembourg - the Hungarian king, Vlad
was forced to give in to Ottoman
pressure, accepting suzerainty.
Vlad Tepes ceased to pay tribute to
the Turks and organized several
campaigns against them south of the
Danube. Certain internal factors - the
opposition of the boyarism and the
external ones - the lack of support of
the Hungarian Kingdom, together
with the actual military victory of the
Ottomans, led to the replacement of
Vlad Tepes with Radu cel Frumos on
the throne of the Romanian Country.
In the middle of the 15th century, the leading
place in the anti-Ottoman struggle in the
south-east Europe belonged to Iancu de
Hunedoara, voivode of Transylvania from
1441 and then governor of Hungary.

After the conquest of Constantinople, Sultan

Mehmed II headed for his next target:
Belgrade. Iancu de Hunedoara, as governor of
Hungary, rejected the Turks on the Danube,
thus obtaining from the pope the name
"Athleta Christi" - translated by "the athlete
of Christ" - referring to the idea of a fighter in
the name of the Christian faith.
During the reign of Stephen the Great the
reputation of Moldova will perhaps know
its peak, which is due to a European
leader. Towards the end of the reign,
Stefan accepted to pay the Ports tribute,
considering it the price necessary to
maintain the autonomy of the country.
His immediate followers had endeavored
to maintain the same line in their policy.
Not long before the conquest of
Constantinople was organized
the Council of Florence - which
was intended to unite the
Catholic and Orthodox Christian
churches. The purpose of this act
was, however, rather political in
nature, and it was desired to
organize a common Christian
anti-Ottoman front.
Despite this event,
Murad II succeeded in
conquering many
territories in Europe
and destroying the
dream of Westerners.
After the fall of the Byzantine
capital the Ottomans summon
the countries coming to the
Black Sea to submit to them.
Moldova and the Italian
colonies initially resisted, but
then they was forced to accept
the payment of the tribute.
How did we remain Christians?

Sultan Mehmed II granted wide

religious and legal autonomy to
non-Muslim churches in the
empire. One of the reasons was
the Sultan's desire to bring
these institutions under his
control, both in order to be able
to exert better influence over
the respective subjects and to
prevent the union of the two
Christian Churches.
The defeat of the Hungarians by
the Turks led by the Magnificent
Soliman at Mohács and the
constitution of the Principality of
Transylvania led to the imposition
of Turkish hegemony over the
Carpathian-Danube area. The
Ottomans were now placing
much greater economic pressure
on the two Romanian countries,
also intervening in their internal
problems.
Attempts by the Ottoman Port to
transform the territories of the
Romanian countries into Islamic
areas were met with strong
resistance and were eventually
abandoned. Therefore, their state
autonomy was maintained, but
was strongly diminished. Moldova
and the Romanian Country were
still governed by indigenous
principles, but the Gate gradually
replaced the dynastic principle,
appointing more and more rulers.
At the beginning of the 18th
century, the Ottoman Empire
decided to introduce a new
political regime in the
Romanian countries. They were
to be ruled by princes,
especially from the Phanariote
families of Constantinople,
during which time Transylvania
had officially come under the
rule of the Habsburg Empire.
 The constraint of Turkish power and territory under the pressure of the two great
newcomers - the Habsburg Empire and the Russian Empire - was not been without
consequences for the Ottomans. The Romanian principalities took advantage of the
new political context created by the confrontation between the three great powers -
Russian, Habsburg and Ottoman, hoping for autonomy. Finally, the two Romanian states
become autonomous principalities under the Russian protectorate, governed by an
administrative system called, later, the Organic Regulations.
 Following the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 and Romania's
independence from the Ottoman Empire, the two states committed
themselves to establishing a new kind of relationship between equal
partners, taking on board the positive of the coming centuries, the
contact between the two cultures.
The 20th Century
In 1934, when Turkey was led by the
great state-man Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,
Romania together with Turkey,
Yugoslavia and Greece set up the Balkan
Entente, one year after the signature by
the Romanian Foreign Minister Nicolae
Titulescu and the Turkish Foreign
Minister Tevfik Rustu Aras of the "Treaty
of Friendship, Non-aggression,
Arbitration and Conciliation between
Romania and the Republic of Turkey".
Relations between Romania and Turkey in present
Turkey had constantly
supported Romania‘s
candidature for NATO,
Romania having
participated for the first
time as a NATO member at
the Istanbul Summit
between 28-29 June 2004,
which also has a symbolic
value for the level of the
relations between the two
countries; in its turn,
Romania supports Turkey’s
aspirations for European
integration.
Relations between Romania and Turkey in present
Turkey is among the largest investors in Romania with its current value
of investment exceeding 6 billion USD including those coming from
third countries. Currently, around 7.000 Turkish companies are actively
operating in Romania. Two Turkish banks, Credit Europe and Garanti
Bank Romania, are also operating in Romania. Romania continues to
offer significant opportunities for both Turkish exports and
investments.

In Romania, the construction projects which have been completed by

Turkish contractors so far amount to 6,2 billion USD.
Bibliography
• Bărbulescu, Mihai et al., Istoria României, ed. revăzută şi adăugită, Ed
Corint, Bucureşti, 2007
• Brătianu, Gheorghe I., Marea Neagră. De la origini până la cucerirea
otomană, ed. a II-a, Ed. Polirom, Iaşi, 2000
• Gemil, Tahsin, Românii şi otomanii în secolele XIV-XVI, Ed. Academiei
Române, Bucureşti, 1991
• Giurescu, Constantin C., Istoria românilor, vol. II, Fundaţia Regală Pentru
Literatură şi Artă, Bucureşti, 1943
• http://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkey-and-romania.en.mfa
• https://ankara.mae.ro/en/node/393
• https://institutlevant.ro/en/research-regarding-the-relationships-between-
romania-and-turkey-between-1878-and-2018/