What do you think?
Rate this book
History of Romania: A Captivating Guide to Romanian History, Including Events Such as the First Roman–Dacian War, Raids of Vlad III Dracula against the ... War, and World War 2
Do you want to discover more about the country that inspired the story of Dracula? Then dive into the captivating history of Romania! Free History BONUS Inside! Romania was internationally recognized in 1878, but its history is much older. To understand the people who inhabit this country, one must go back thousands of years and meet the first king who united the local tribes, Burebista. He and his successor, Decebal, warred against Roman legions, and although they displayed extraordinary bravery and military prowess, it wasn’t enough to preserve their independence. In this book, you will discover how Romania developed from a distant Roman province on the fringes of the Roman Empire to a modern state in eastern Europe, one ready to adopt Western values. Romania lies on Europe’s eastern border, and as such, it is often neglected in history. Although it is a culturally very rich country, the world displayed little interest in its promotion. By reading this captivating history of Romania, you will learn about the turbulent past of the region, the many wars it fought, and the people who led them. You will also learn the truth behind the character of Vlad the Impaler and decide for yourself if he was a ruthless, bloodthirsty ruler or a politician, tactician, and national hero. Here is a tiny fraction of what you will discover in this Who the Dacians were and if they really are the ancestors of the Romanian peopleHow Romania connected the West and EastHow the first independent Romanian kingdoms formed and took the role of guarding Europe against Ottoman invasionsVlad Tepes, Stephen the Great, and Michael the Brave, three medieval heroes who are still celebrated todayThe Phanariots, the Greek rulers of Moldavia and WallachiaThe unification of the country and its international recognitionThe position of minorities and how gypsies and women were treated in Romania’s pastWhat role Romania played during the two world warsHow communism almost destroyed the nationCommunism RisingThe Ceausescu RegimeAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the history of Romania, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2021
154 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 17, 2021
This was the second book I read from Captivating History. Until then, my knowledge of Romania was largely based on the story of Dracula the Impaler and excerpts from various articles. The book helped me not only to systematize my own research, but also to fill information gaps. I enjoyed reading the early history of Romania, when it was not yet a unified country, admiring the cunning and courage of the Dacian kings. This book is not about vampires, through which Romania, and especially Transylvania, became popular and attractive for tourists today, but it is about people, their relationships and the formation of Romania as an independent country. Incredible!
I would also like to note that the book contains a lot of dates. To someone this may seem tedious, but they helped me to navigate the historical periods better. And I would gladly recommend reading this book to everyone who, like me, would like to understand all this and learn a little bit more about this country in its different periods.
I would also like to note that the book contains a lot of dates. To someone this may seem tedious, but they helped me to navigate the historical periods better. And I would gladly recommend reading this book to everyone who, like me, would like to understand all this and learn a little bit more about this country in its different periods.
January 17, 2021
Early in this book, Captivating History tells how Romania got its name. After Emperor Trajan fought with the Dacian people (and their leader Decebal), Roman settlers stayed in the territory and mixed with the native Dacians, bringing about the land of Romania. Romania is made up of three provinces: Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldavia. Because this territory is at a crossroads; much history took place there.
For hundreds of years, the Romanian lands were battlegrounds for their neighbor's ambitions. Romanians have been buffeted by the conflicting wars with the Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, Habsburgs, and Russia. Much of Romanian history has been the conflict between their Eastern heritage and their desire for more Western innovation and progress.
However, in the early 1800s, the elites of the Romanians were coming to understand that their sense of ethnic distinctiveness was based on their Byzantine Orthodox cultural and political traditions, and their historical origins. They were starting to yearn for independence. However, there were so many powerful empires surrounding them, they were hardpressed to take their destiny into their own hands. Another problem was that Transylvania was part of the Habsburg Empire, while Wallachia and Moldavia were more independent.
In 1866, Romania (Wallachia and Moldavia), became a constitutional monarchy. There are several fascinating paragraphs about the Gypsies (Roma, not to be confused with Romanians) and how the Romanian government freed them (they were virtually slaves) and included them into Romanian life.
Romania was reluctantly pulled into World War I, but in 1920, Romania gained Transylvania as part of their nation. Between the wars, there was considerable discussion in the country about which way to go -- west with modernization or east with a traditional agrarian economy. However, in 1938, a dictatorship was established in Romania. With the rise of Hitler, the whole Romanian economy became subject to Germany's war aspirations.
Because of the tightrope the Romanians walked during World War II, they were a pawn in the armistice. Essentially, Russia took Romania into its sphere. They forced the king to abdicate and the Russians renamed the state, the Romanian People's Republic. It took 40+ years for the Romanians to wrest their country from the Soviet block.
On a personal note, we went on a cruise a few years ago and many of the employees on the ship were Romanians. When we asked why there were so many working on the ship, they stated that there weren't enough jobs and that the cost of living was so high, they had to get jobs out of their homeland to make a future for themselves. Over 1/2 of the employees on that cruise (between 600 - 900) were all Romanians.
For hundreds of years, the Romanian lands were battlegrounds for their neighbor's ambitions. Romanians have been buffeted by the conflicting wars with the Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, Habsburgs, and Russia. Much of Romanian history has been the conflict between their Eastern heritage and their desire for more Western innovation and progress.
However, in the early 1800s, the elites of the Romanians were coming to understand that their sense of ethnic distinctiveness was based on their Byzantine Orthodox cultural and political traditions, and their historical origins. They were starting to yearn for independence. However, there were so many powerful empires surrounding them, they were hardpressed to take their destiny into their own hands. Another problem was that Transylvania was part of the Habsburg Empire, while Wallachia and Moldavia were more independent.
In 1866, Romania (Wallachia and Moldavia), became a constitutional monarchy. There are several fascinating paragraphs about the Gypsies (Roma, not to be confused with Romanians) and how the Romanian government freed them (they were virtually slaves) and included them into Romanian life.
Romania was reluctantly pulled into World War I, but in 1920, Romania gained Transylvania as part of their nation. Between the wars, there was considerable discussion in the country about which way to go -- west with modernization or east with a traditional agrarian economy. However, in 1938, a dictatorship was established in Romania. With the rise of Hitler, the whole Romanian economy became subject to Germany's war aspirations.
Because of the tightrope the Romanians walked during World War II, they were a pawn in the armistice. Essentially, Russia took Romania into its sphere. They forced the king to abdicate and the Russians renamed the state, the Romanian People's Republic. It took 40+ years for the Romanians to wrest their country from the Soviet block.
On a personal note, we went on a cruise a few years ago and many of the employees on the ship were Romanians. When we asked why there were so many working on the ship, they stated that there weren't enough jobs and that the cost of living was so high, they had to get jobs out of their homeland to make a future for themselves. Over 1/2 of the employees on that cruise (between 600 - 900) were all Romanians.
May 12, 2022
A concise but extremely objective book. The point of view of the author from the outside coincides with the proportion of over 95% of mine that I lived part of these events.
Thank you for the correct approach of the history of my people.
Thank you for the correct approach of the history of my people.
January 21, 2021
Very interesting
It was very interesting to learn about how the people of Romania formed their nation, how they formed their government and how they survived through all the problems that they went through
It was very interesting to learn about how the people of Romania formed their nation, how they formed their government and how they survived through all the problems that they went through
January 30, 2021
♥️
I can’t get enough of these history reads. Informative, interesting and a great way to spend my time. I always find subjects/topics to further explore an look up. TY
I can’t get enough of these history reads. Informative, interesting and a great way to spend my time. I always find subjects/topics to further explore an look up. TY
April 11, 2022
Very Good! An introduction to the history, people, and politics of Romania. From the early days of the Dacian Kingdom and wars with Rome, the power of the Ottoman Empire, both World Wars, and the people's revolt against the communist regime.
The book concludes with contemporary issues found within the nation, as well as its inclusion into NATO and the European Union. It has good writing and some photos. A very educational read!
🇷🇴Some book quotes:
"Even today, Romania stands like a cultural bridge, connecting its Eastern tradition with Western worldview and ideas" (kindle p. 41).
"Even though Romania became an independent state, some Romanians continued to live outside its borders as a minority" (kindle p. 114).
"No one dared to criticize Ceausescu or his [Communist] regime except for a few intellectuals" (kindle p. 179).
The book concludes with contemporary issues found within the nation, as well as its inclusion into NATO and the European Union. It has good writing and some photos. A very educational read!
🇷🇴Some book quotes:
"Even today, Romania stands like a cultural bridge, connecting its Eastern tradition with Western worldview and ideas" (kindle p. 41).
"Even though Romania became an independent state, some Romanians continued to live outside its borders as a minority" (kindle p. 114).
"No one dared to criticize Ceausescu or his [Communist] regime except for a few intellectuals" (kindle p. 179).
October 23, 2021
this was possibly the worst book i've ever run my eyes over. it reads like the first draft of an 8th grade essay. please avoid. i have to imagine that the positive reviews on here are fake, or written by similarly illiterate people.
March 14, 2023
I wanted to read about Vlad III known as Dracula about how he lived during that time as we call Wallachia, and it found me very interesting, because this one was acutally also connected to Mehmet II conflict...
August 18, 2021
Very interesting. I was aware of the many "invasions" Romania had endured. This book was an exellent history read!
November 5, 2022
Overall not a bad book. The subject matter is very interesting with Romania’s history between East and West, and the pre-Romania history of the princely states of Moldavia and Wallachia.
December 9, 2022
Too short for much depth, but a good overview.
October 4, 2023
Not the easiest read, narratively. Informative if you really want to know about the history of Romania.
August 26, 2024
Basic history. No analysis. But a decent starting to to figure out what you don’t know and what to research further.
March 23, 2025
The life of Vlad III Dracula and his attempts to protect Christendom and prevent Ottoman imperialism truly is a fascinating subject. For a basic book on history it does it's job.
January 8, 2026
Very detailed history of Romania. They are located between Asia and Europe so everyone took a turn ar taking them over. Tough people.
May 24, 2025
Knew nothing about Romanian History but we have a Romanian branch to our family. This was a concise condenced overvue which was very helpful. So many wars in our history as humanity.
Wedi dysgu ffeithiau elfennol am hanes Rwmania trwy gyfrwng y llyfr hwn. O’r cyfnod cyn hanesyddol hyd yn lled ddiweddar. Mae pob llyfr a ddarllenaf yn dangos cyn lleiad a wn.
Wedi dysgu ffeithiau elfennol am hanes Rwmania trwy gyfrwng y llyfr hwn. O’r cyfnod cyn hanesyddol hyd yn lled ddiweddar. Mae pob llyfr a ddarllenaf yn dangos cyn lleiad a wn.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews