Romanian Monarchs

The modern Romanian state has never been a monarchy. For all intents and purposes however, it is the successor to the Transylvanian region.

Note that Hungarian names are written as [Family name] [Given name].

Kingdom of Hungary

Throughout the history of the independent kingdom of Hungary, Transylvania was led by a powerful voivode. This was a princely title held by the ispan of Feher, reflecting the elevated status of the voivodeship over all other counties.

Following the death of Louis II and the Ottoman conquest of Buda, voivode John I was crowned in Szekesfehervar. His claim was contested by the Habsburg emperor Ferdinand I, who was crowned in Bratislava with support from Hungarian nobility. John I became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 1540s, Suleiman reorganized the Ottoman-held Hungarian lands into pashaliks.

As a result of the Ottoman's relative tolerance toward religions, Catholicism began to be supplanted by Protestantism (especially Calvinism) in non-Habsburg lands. Isabella made freedom of religion a legal right in Transylvania.

Principality of Transylvania

In 1570 John II would renounce his claim to the kingdom of Hungary. Transylvania became a principality, still a vassal to the Ottoman Empire.

Gabriel Bethlen (Bethlen Gabor), who was installed as prince by the Ottomans in 1613, led a Calvinist insurrection in Royal Hungary. He briefly reigned as king of a mostly-united Hungary.

John Kemeny (Kemeny Janos) rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and plead for assistance from the Austrian Empire. The two empires instead began eating away at the principality from both sides. Critically the town of Oradea (then called Nagyvarad) was captured in 1660 by the Ottomans. In 1699 the principality was formally ceded to the Habsburgs.

Dynasties

Szapolyai

In July 1527, Ferdinand I invaded Hungary to briefly recapture Buda from the Ottomans and overthrew John I in Transylvania.

John I made a deal with Suleiman the Magnificent to recapture the kingdom of Hungary as a vassal. By 1529 he had regained power; ensuing peace treaties would formally divide lands between the Habsburg Royal Hungary and the kingdom of Upper Hungary and Transylvania.

This history was repeated twice after John I died in 1540. His wife Isabella reigned as regent for their infant son John II. (She was the eldest daughter of Sigismund I, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania as well as a member of the Jagiellon dynasty which briefly held power in the kingdom of Hungary.) They was overthrown by an Austrian army then restored by an Ottoman army, all in 1541; they was overthrown by an Austrian army in 1551 and restored by an Ottoman army in 1556.

Bathory

Draculesti

Habsburg

Bocskai

Rakoczi

Bethlen

Kemeny

Apafi

Thokoly

CategoryRicottone