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| Romanian people | |
|---|---|
| Group | Romanian people |
| Native name | Români |
| Population | ~19 million (citizens) |
| Regions | Romania, Moldova, diaspora in Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany |
| Languages | Romanian language |
| Religions | Eastern Orthodox Church (majority), Roman Catholic Church, Protestantism, Judaism |
Romanian people The Romanian people are an Eastern Romance-speaking ethnolinguistic group primarily associated with the modern states of Romania and Moldova. Their identity emerged from interactions among Late Antiquity and medieval populations and later political formations such as the Principality of Wallachia, the Principality of Moldavia, and the Kingdom of Romania. Romanians have contributed to European culture, politics, and science through figures linked to institutions like the Académie des Sciences (France), the University of Vienna, and the University of Oxford.
Ethnogenesis of the Romanian people is debated among scholars of Byzantine Empire sources, Slavic migrations, and Avar Khaganate incursions; proponents cite continuity from Romanized populations of Dacia Traiana and post-Roman provinces such as Dacia Ripensis and Moesia. Medieval documents like the Nibelungenlied and accounts by Anna Komnene intersect with regional chronicles from the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia to chart interactions with the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Key events shaping Romanian identity include the union of the principalities under Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the creation of the Kingdom of Romania after the Congress of Berlin (1878), the treaties following World War I such as the Treaty of Trianon, and the post-World War II rearrangements influenced by the Yalta Conference and the Soviet Union.
Contemporary populations concentrate in Bucharest, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Constanța, with sizable communities in Chișinău and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. Diaspora flows intensified after the fall of the Socialist Republic of Romania and the collapse of the Soviet Union, producing large Romanian communities in Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada. Minority Romanian-speaking enclaves persist in Serbia (notably the Timok Valley), Ukraine (including Chernivtsi Oblast), and Hungary (notably Bács-Kiskun County), while census, migration, and labor statistics intersect with analyses by organizations such as Eurostat and the International Organization for Migration.
The Romanian language is part of the Eastern Romance branch closely related to the extinct Vulgar Latin varieties of the Balkans and displays lexical and structural influence from Slavic languages, Hungarian language, Turkish language, Greek language, and French language. Standard Romanian is codified by institutions like the Academia Română and taught in faculties of the University of Bucharest and the Babeș-Bolyai University. Major dialects include Daco-Romanian, Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian, each associated with regions such as Dobruja, the Banat, and the Istria peninsula. Literary movements from the Junimea circle to figures in the Romanian Academy reflect development of orthography and lexicon influenced by contacts with Latinism and Romanticism.
Folk culture draws on the legacy of rural communities in regions like Maramureș, Moldova (region), and Oltenia with traditional crafts exemplified by the wooden churches of Maramureș, textile weaving from Sibiu County, and pottery of Horezu. Music and dance traditions span doina laments, the hora circle dance, and lăutărească ensembles performed at festivals such as Sărbătoarea events and celebrations connected to Mărțișor. Culinary practices include regional dishes such as mămăligă, sarmale, and ciorbă, while modern Romanian culture engages with European institutions like the Venice Biennale and the Cannes Film Festival through filmmakers and artists.
The predominant confession is affiliation with the Romanian Orthodox Church, historically linked to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and autocephaly recognized by synods connected to the Church of Greece and other Orthodox bodies. Significant minorities belong to the Roman Catholic Church (concentrated in Transylvania), Reformed Church in Hungary adherents among Hungarian-speaking communities, Lutheran Church congregations, and historic Jewish communities concentrated in Iași and Bucharest prior to the disruptions of World War II. Religious heritage sites include the painted monasteries of Bucovina, the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral, and the Voroneț Monastery.
Modern Romanian identity has been shaped by intellectuals from the Enlightenment-era Transylvanian School, political leaders like King Ferdinand I of Romania and Ion Antonescu, and movements such as the 19th-century national unification under Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Debates over territorial claims and minority rights invoked international instruments like the Treaty of Trianon and institutions including the League of Nations and later the United Nations. European integration after the Cold War culminated in accession to the European Union and membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, while contemporary politics involve parties such as the Social Democratic Party (Romania) and the National Liberal Party (Romania).
Prominent figures span literature, science, and arts: writers such as Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creangă, Mircea Eliade, and Eugène Ionesco; scientists like Henri Coandă, Nicolae Paulescu, and George Emil Palade (Nobel laureate); composers and musicians including George Enescu and Serban Nicolae; filmmakers like Cristian Mungiu and Lucian Pintilie; and political figures such as Vasile Lucaciu and Nicolae Ceaușescu whose regimes intersect with Cold War history. Architects and engineers contributed to urban development in Bucharest and industrial projects linked to firms or projects associated with Siemens and Siemens AG collaborations, while athletes have represented Romania at the Olympic Games and world championships across gymnastics, rowing, and tennis.