Oltenia

Map of Romania with Oltenia highlighted

Oltenia (Romanian pronunciation: [olˈteni.a], also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternate Latin names Wallachia Minor, Wallachia Alutana, Wallachia Caesarea between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river (although counties in the east extend beyond the river in Muntenia in some areas).

Geography

The counties comprised by Oltenia

The river Olt separates Oltenia from Muntenia

Sucidava - ancient Roman citadel at Corabia

Suspended bridge in Craiova's Park

Horezu Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage

Brancusi - The Endless Column in Târgu Jiu

Oltenia entirely includes the counties:

• Gorj
• Dolj

and parts of the counties:

• Mehedinţi (mainly in Oltenia, but the western part belongs to Banat)
• Vâlcea (mainly in Oltenia, but the eastern part belongs to Muntenia)
• Olt (the western half, the former Romanaţi county)
• Teleorman (only the village Islaz)

Nowadays, Oltenia's main city and its seat for a long period of the late Middle Ages is Craiova. The first medieval seat of Oltenia was Turnu Severin of Banat of Severin, the ancient Drobeta, near the former Roman bridge, built by Apollodorus of Damascus for Emperor Trajan conquest purposes.

Complete list of towns from Oltenia

City	County	Population
Craiova	Dolj	302,601
Râmnicu Vâlcea	Vâlcea	107,656
Drobeta-Turnu Severin	Mehedinţi	104,035
Târgu Jiu	Gorj	96,562
Slatina	Olt	87,335
Caracal	Olt	34,603
Motru	Gorj	25,860
Balş	Olt	23,147
Drăgăşani	Vâlcea	22,499
Băileşti	Dolj	22,231
Corabia	Olt	21,932
Calafat	Dolj	21,227
Filiaşi	Dolj	20,159
Dăbuleni	Dolj	13,888
Drăgăneşti-Olt	Olt	13,181
Rovinari	Gorj	12,603
Strehaia	Mehedinţi	12,564
Bumbeşti-Jiu	Gorj	11,882
Băbeni	Vâlcea	9,475
Târgu Cărbuneşti	Gorj	9,338
Călimăneşti	Vâlcea	8,923
Segarcea	Dolj	8,704
Turceni	Gorj	8,550
Brezoi	Vâlcea	7,589
Tismana	Gorj	7,578
Horezu	Vâlcea	7,446
Vânju Mare	Mehedinţi	7,074
Piatra Olt	Olt	6,583
Novaci	Gorj	6,151
Potcoava	Olt	6,111
Bălceşti	Vâlcea	5,780
Baia de Aramă	Mehedinţi	5,724
Berbeşti	Vâlcea	5,704
Ţicleni	Gorj	5,205
Băile Olăneşti	Vâlcea	4,814
Bechet	Dolj	3,864
Ocnele Mari	Vâlcea	3,591
Băile Govora	Vâlcea	3,147

History

Oltenia under Austrian Kingdom

Initially inhabited by Dacians, Oltenia was incorpored in the Roman Empire (106, at the end of the Dacian Wars; see Roman Dacia). In 129, during Hadrian's rule, it formed Dacia Inferior, one of the two divisions of the province (together with Dacia Superior, in today's Transylvania); Marcus Aurelius' administrative reform made Oltenia one of the three new divisions (tres Daciae) as Dacia Malvensis, its capital and chief city being named Romula. It was colonized with veterans of the Roman legions. The Romans withdrew their administration south of the Danube at the end of the 3rd century and Oltenia was ruled by the foederati Germanic Goths. In the late 4th century Oltenia came under the rule of the Taifals before invasion by the Huns. From 681, with some interruptions, it was part of the Bulgarian Empire (see Bulgarian lands across the Danube).

Around 1247 a polity emerged in Oltenia under the rule of Litovoi, which would later included in Muntenia (the mediaeval state of Wallachia). From an unknown moment and up until 1831, the voivode (Prince of Wallachia) was represented in Oltenia by a ban ("the great ban of Craiova", after the seat was moved from Strehaia), considered the greatest office in Wallachian hierarchy, and one that was held most by members of the Craioveşti family (from the late 15th century to about 1550).

During the 15th century, Wallachia had to accept the Ottoman suzerainty and to pay an annual tribute to keep its autonomy as vasal. From the Craioveşti-family, many bans cooperated with the Turks. However, many rulers, including the Oltenian-born Michael the Brave, fought against the Ottomans, giving Wallachia brief periods of independence. After 1716, the Ottomans decided to cease choosing the voivodes from among the Wallachian boyars, and to appoint foreign governors. As the governors were Orthodox Greeks living in Phanar, Constantinople, his period is known as the Phanariote regime.

Two years later, in 1718 under the terms of the Treaty of Passarowitz, Oltenia was split from Wallachia and annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy (de facto, it was under Austrian occupation by 1716); in 1737, it was returned to Wallachia under Prince Constantine Mavrocordatos (see Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18 and Austro-Turkish War, 1737-1739). Under the occupation, Oltenia was the only part of the Danubian Principalities (with the later exception of Bukovina) to experience Enlightened absolutism and Austrian administration, although these were met by considerable and mounting opposition from conservative boyars. While welcomed at first as liberators, the Austrians quickly disenchanted the inhabitants by imposing rigid administrative, fiscal, judicial and political reforms which were meant to centralize and integrate the territory (antagonizing both ends of the social spectrum: withdrawing privileges from the nobility and enforcing taxes for peasants).

In 1761, the residence of Bans was moved to Bucharest, in a move towards centralism (a kaymakam represented the boyars in Craiova). It remained there until the death of the last Ban, Barbu Văcărescu, in 1832.

In 1821, Oltenia and the county of Gorj were at the center of Tudor Vladimirescu's uprising (see Wallachian uprising of 1821). Tudor initially gathered his Pandurs in Padeş and relied on a grid of fortified monasteries such as Tismana and Strehaia.

Symbol

The traditional heraldic symbol of Oltenia, also understood as representing Banat, is nowadays present in the Coat of Arms of Romania (lower dexter): on gules field, an or lion rampant, facing dexter, holding a sword, and standing over an or bridge (Apolodor of Damascus Bridge at Drobeta Turnu Severin) and stylised waves.

References

• Vlad Georgescu, Istoria ideilor politice româneşti (1369-1878), Munich, 1987
• Neagu Djuvara, Între Orient şi Occident. Ţările române la începutul epocii moderne, Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995
• Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucureştilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre, Ed. Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966, p. 93
• Şerban Papacostea, Oltenia sub stăpânirea austriacă (1718–1739), Bucharest, 1971, p. 59