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History of Moldova
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Moldova.
Overview
Ethnic groups represented in Moldova include Moldovan/Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Gagauz, and Bulgarian. Romanian (officially known as Moldovan) is the official language; Russian, Ukrainian, and Gagauz are also spoken. The great majority of Moldova’s population is Christian Orthodox--90% of the population nominally belongs to one of the two main Orthodox denominations.
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Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Ancient & Medieval Crossroads
600 BCE – 1359
The territory of present-day Moldova served as a corridor for successive waves of invaders and migrants, including Greeks, Romans, Huns, Bulgars, and Mongols. In the 13th century the region was absorbed into the Mongol Empire. Its strategic position between the Black Sea steppe and the Carpathian foothills made permanent settlement and political stability elusive throughout antiquity and the early medieval period.
Principality of Moldova
1359 – 1538
An independent Moldovan principality emerged around 1359, reaching its zenith under Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great), who ruled from 1457 to 1504 and successfully defended the principality against Ottoman, Polish, and Hungarian encroachments. His reign is regarded as the golden age of Moldovan statehood, marked by the construction of numerous Orthodox monasteries and decisive military victories. After his death the principality gradually succumbed to Ottoman suzerainty by the 1530s.
Ottoman Suzerainty
1538 – 1812
Moldova became a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, paying tribute and enduring frequent interference in its internal affairs, though it retained a degree of autonomous administration under locally appointed hospodars. The region was repeatedly ravaged by Russo-Turkish wars throughout the 18th century. The Treaty of Bucharest in 1812 ended this era for the eastern half of the principality, ceding Bessarabia to the Russian Empire.
Russian Imperial Rule
1812 – 1918
The eastern portion of Moldova, renamed Bessarabia, was incorporated into the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–12. Russian imperial policy promoted settlement by Slavic and other ethnic groups while suppressing Romanian cultural and linguistic identity. The collapse of the Romanov dynasty amid World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution created a power vacuum that enabled the local assembly, the Sfatul Țării, to declare union with Romania in 1918.
Romanian & Soviet Contestation
1918 – 1991
Bessarabia's union with Romania was recognized internationally by the Treaty of Paris in 1920, but the Soviet Union never accepted it. The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 led to Soviet annexation in 1940 and the creation of the Moldavian SSR; Romanian and German forces reoccupied the territory in 1941, during which the Jewish population of Bessarabia was decimated in the Holocaust. The Soviets reestablished control in 1944, and Moldova remained part of the USSR until independence was declared in August 1991.
Independent Republic
1991 – present
Moldova declared independence on August 27, 1991, but its early years were marked by armed conflict with the breakaway Transnistria region, where Russian forces intervened in support of separatists, and by a separatist movement among the Gagauz minority in the south. A new constitution adopted in 1994 declared the country permanently neutral. Moldova remains one of Europe's poorest nations, navigating tensions between closer European integration and its historical and economic ties to Russia.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1812
Treaty of Bucharest grants Russia control of eastern Moldova.
Treaty of Bucharest grants Russia control of eastern Moldova or Bessarabia, the area between the River Prut and the west bank of the Dniester. The Ottoman Empire gains control of western Moldova.
1878
Ottomans recognize independence of Romanian state including western Moldova.
Ottomans recognize independence of Romanian state including western Moldova.
1918
Following the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Bessarabia declares independence.
Following the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Bessarabia declares independence. Its parliament calls for union with Romania.
1920
Treaty of Paris recognizes union of Bessarabia with Romania. The Bolsheviks do not.
Treaty of Paris recognizes union of Bessarabia with Romania. The Bolsheviks do not.
1939
Romania carved up in pact between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR.
Romania carved up in pact between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR. Bessarabia is one of the areas to go to the USSR.
1991
Moldova declares its independence.
Moldova declares its independence. It joins the Commonwealth of Independent States, the successor to the Soviet Union.
1994
A new constitution proclaims Moldova’s neutrality.
A new constitution proclaims Moldova’s neutrality.