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Greeks are a historic minority group in Romania. At times, as during thePhanariote era, this presence has amounted to hegemony; at other times (including the present), theGreeks have simply been one among the manyethnic minorities inRomania.
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| History of Greece (Ancient ·Byzantine ·Ottoman) |
The Greek presence in what is now Romania dates back as far as theapoikiai (colonies) andemporia (trade stations) founded in and aroundDobruja (seeColonies in antiquity andPontic Greeks), beginning in the 7th century BC. Starting with theMilesian colony atIstros, the process reached its height afterTomis was founded in the 5th century BC. Although forever subject to theDacian interference and easily disrupted by changes in the politics of neighbour tribal chieftains, the colonies prospered until being briefly submitted in various forms by KingBurebista (late 1st century BC). Immediately after, and for the following centuries, they were stripped of their privileges by their newRoman masters, and followed the Empire into its crises.[citation needed]
In the Middle Ages, the Greek-speakingByzantine Empire was a living presence north of theDanube, maintaining acultural hegemony over the lands virtually until its disappearance, and for long periods exercised actual political dominance in the area of modern Dobruja (known to the Byzantines asScythia Minor).[citation needed]
After the fall of the Byzantine Empire to theOttoman Empire, theHospodars ofMoldavia andWallachia (theDanubian Principalities) often took on thepatronage of many Greek-proper cultural institutions such as several monasteries onMount Athos, gestures guaranteed to provide prestige withinEastern Orthodox culture. To this was added the exodus of Byzantine officials and commoners to the two countries, which were at the time under a rather relaxed Ottoman tutelage. They took opportunities to advance in office, and from early on included themselves in the inner circle of power. This meant not only the reliance of Princes on a new elite (more often than not, also one to provide it with the funds needed by the administrative effort), but also the gradual ascendancy of Greeks to the thrones themselves.[citation needed]
The rapid change brought them much hostility from traditionalboyars. Landowners in a rudimentary economy, accustomed to have an important say in political developments, these found themselves stripped of importance in the new structure, and became bitterly hostile to the immigrants. However, this was not the only notable trend: there were numerous cases ofintermarriage at the top of the social scale (and not only), the arguably most famous of which being the ones inside the very powerfulCantacuzino family.[citation needed]
With the early 18th century emergence ofPhanariote rule over the Danubian Principalities, Greek culture became a norm. On one hand, this meant a noted neglect for the institutions inside the countries; on the other, the channeling of Princes' energies into emancipation from Ottoman rule, through projects that aimed for the erasing of inner borders of the Empire, moving toward the creation of an all-Balkan, neo-Byzantine state (seen as the extended identity of Greekdom). To these was added the omnipresence and omnipotence of Greek ethnic clerics at all levels of the religious hierarchy, with many monasteries becoming directly submitted to similar institutions inGreece, after being gradually granted by successive Princes.
Thus, the emergence ofGreek nationalism opened the two lands to revolution, as the main concentrations of political power available to it at the time, and the ones sharing a border with the expected supporter of the cause -Imperial Russia. The Wallachian stage of theGreek War of Independence consumed itself in a conflict between the initially supportiveAnti-Ottoman Revolt led byTudor Vladimirescu and thePhilikí Etaireía, while Moldavia was under Greek occupation for a limited duration. The outcome only served to stir up animosity, and the Ottomans were receptive to the demands, putting an end to the Phanariote system in 1822.
In time, most Greeks lost their specificity and became fully integrated (for example, a sizable portion of noble families considered "Phanariote" contributed to the adopted culture more than local ones).
With new trends of migration, Romania became a less important target for exiled Greeks, and this became limited to people of lower social status—with ethnic Greeks being most visible as entrepreneurs, middlemen traders, and especially sailors (both on the Danube theBlack Sea—in the case of the latter, after the integration ofDobruja in 1878, which also gave Romania a new population of Greeks, already on the spot).
The communities were largely prosperous and maintained specific cultural institutions; they attracted a new wave of arrivals whenGreece was hit by theCivil War, in the late 1940s. This situation was challenged byCommunist Romania, with the properties of most organizations and many individuals being confiscated, and hundreds of Greek ethnics being imprisoned on sites such as theDanube-Black Sea Canal.
Among the towns and communes in Romania with the highest proportions of Greeks as of 2011 areIzvoarele (Greek:Ιζβοάρελε; 43.82%) andSulina (Greek:Σουλινάς; 1.69%), both inTulcea County.
According to the Romanian census of 2002, the Greek community numbered 6,472 persons, most of whom live inBucharest and its surrounding area. Next in line come the Dobruja counties of Tulcea andConstanța, and the Danube-facing ones ofBrăila andGalați. The 1992 census however found 19,594 Greeks;[1] this shows the tendency of assimilation. According to the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad (a dependency of theGreek Ministry of Foreign Affairs) the Greek community in Romania numbers 14,000.[2]
TheHellenic Union of Romania, founded in 1990, represents the political and cultural preservation interests of the community, notably by providing its representatives in theChamber of Deputies of Romania.
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