Romanian history refers to the history of Romanian land, as well as to the history of people, who inhabited this land and who offered it a specific identity. Besides, a brief Romanian history can refer to the history of the unitary Romanian state, which means the history of the Romanian modern state, Romanian kingdom and other intermediary organization forms, as well as the events, which lead to the national Romanian state.

The Romanian nowadays land was inhabited in 200 BC by Dacia's inhabitants, a Thracian tribe. During Burebista's rule (82 to 44 BC) the first centralized state was founded. This state faced a series of conflicts with the Roman Empire, and it was conquered in 106 AD, by the Roman emperor Trajan.

After that, migratory peoples ravaged this land, and then up to 1541 Romanians were controlled by Turkey. Between the tenth and the twelfth centuries Romania was ruled by Hungarians. In 1600, there were three counties in Romania: Moldavia, Transylvania and Walachia. They were united under the rule of Michael the Brave but for a short time. The next people, who ruled Romania, were the Austrians, until 1775 and in 1812 the Russians occupied them.

Furthermore, brief Romanian history lets you know that in 1848 there was a great revolution in order to win independence. Then, in 1859, Alexander John Cuza succeeded to unite Moldavia and Walachia.

In addition, in 1877 Romanians obtained their independence. Then Romania took part in the First World War and after that, in 1918, in Alba Iulia Transylvania was officially added to the rest of Romania.

Therefore, in 1916 Romania joined the First World War, as allied to Antanta. At the end of the war, the Austrian Hungarian and Russian empires disappeared and two other lands added to Romania: Bessarabia and Bucovina.

From 1938 to 1944 Romania was involved in the Second World War. During this time a king, who was forced to leave his throne in 1940 out of political reasons, ruled Romania. At the end of the Second World War, Transylvania belonged to Romania, but they lost part of Bucovina, Bessarabia and Dobrogea.

To continue, dark years started in Romania between 1967 and 1989, when the country was ruled by Nicolai Ceausescu. During that period, Romania was a socialist republic and communism was the dominant aspect in the area. People suffered from hunger, cold and many restrictions from multiple points of view. They had not enough television programs, churches were demolished and they had to obey to strict rules.

However, nowadays this period is controversial, as there are nostalgic people who believe that nowadays things are worse in Romania. So in December 1989, on Christmas day, Nicolai Ceausescu and his wife Elena Ceausescu were executed after a sort of made up trial.

Nowadays Romania has a democratic constitution and since 1989 three presidents ruled it: Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu and Trajan Basescu, who is the President of Romania since 2004. In 2002 Romania adhered to NATO and since 2007 Romania is a member of European Union.

This brief Romanian history can help you get a picture of events in this small area of the world.