The Feudal System in Romania
The Early Romanian State Consisted of Landowners and Peasants
Apr 5, 2009
Several centuries after Rome's abandonment of Dacia, Romania began to establish a feudal system that developed during the medieval period. A landowning class emerged and peasants worked the land for those with authority. During this time, the medieval principalities of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania were created.
Establishment of a Feudal System
It was not until after the decline of the Tartar threat, which had affected Romania (albeit somewhat less than it had other areas), and a weakening of the Bulgarian hold, which maintained power over regions in the south of Romania, occurred, that the establishment of a feudal system became possible. A rudimentary feudal system probably began to be used in the 9th century.
The feudal system in Romania was established out of a need to protect, first open tracts of land that had little natural fortification, and later other areas that were highly trafficked by traders. Communities joined forces, and additional reasons beyond a need for protection, like the need to share resources, may have further justified this unification.
For the most part, the feudal system in Romania was inspired less by the Western feudal system and more by the feudal systems used by Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. The feudal system developed in Transylvania, however, had more similarities with a Western model of this system.
Development of Feudal System in Romania
Development of the feudal system in Romania can be seen as a change of class system in communities that recognized leaders who then used their power to create conditions under which common people worked for them. Local chieftains or community leaders, or invaders who had become the ruling elite, may have enforced their authority over the peasants in their jurisdiction to create this class structure.
Feudal System Class Structure
The Romanian feudal system's class structure consisted of a landowning class (boyars), peasants who were dependent upon the boyars, and free peasants. Free peasants lived in their own communities outside of the feudal system, and they may have maintained independence by agreeing to act as militia if necessary.
The development of the feudal system in Romania led to the establishment of principalities – particularly Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania. Hungarians overtook Transylvania in the 11th century, and therefore the three principalities were unable to unite under the jurisdiction of a single state.
References
A Concise History of Romania. Ed. Andrei Otetea and Andrew MacKenzie. London: Robert Hale, 1985. 155-157, 164.
Bolovan, Ioan, et. al. A History of Romania. Ed. Kurt W. Treptow. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. 51, 56-58.
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