From: Steve Woodson
Message: 3536
Date: 2000-09-03
For Mark and Steve: Re Oltenia
You are both right. But the Wallachian reference is no longer necessary.IE Oltenia still exists, but significantly predates Wallachia, which no longer exists, even as a local regional expression. It was a temporary political compromise. In several political iterations Wallachia alternately encompassed and simply bordered it (with Oltenia sandwiched between Banat and Wallachia.) Romania claims 10 historical provinces, 9 with pre Roman, and pre Dacian state history: CrisanaMarmures (NE of Transylvania, but never fell to Hungarians)BucovinaMoldova (Moldavia..Costoboc country)Bessarabia (Name much later..After Bessarab, formerly part of Moldavia)DobrodgeaTransylvaniaBanat (Romanian, but was a Hungarian "Voivodat" for a while)OlteniaMuntenia (the general center of the vacillating later Wallachia) All ten still exist as regions in name except Bessarabia, which elected tobe independent, and is now the country of Moldova. There is no longer any application of Wallachia..Bucharest is simply in Muntenia. Moldavians in Romania recognize ethnic and linguistic links to Moldova..where Russian is common due to the Czar's "protection" of Bessarabia from the Ottomans..long before WWII. But the romaneste spoken there (per my Moldavian girlfriend..I haven't been yet) is a radical dialect and "may" havemore Thraco-Dacian base..less latin. La Revedere;
Rex H. McTyeire
Bucharest, Romania
<rexbo@...>
Rex,
Thanks for the information, geography is one of my interests. I only used the term Wallachia as a historical reference I thought Mark might be more familiar with.
Steve