Transylvanian Saxons in Wallachia during the Middle Ages
The settlement, historical legacy and achievements of the Transylvanian Saxons, a predominantly German ethnic group which has been living in Transylvania since the Middle Ages onwards, are well known and documented. But, perhaps, not that much is known or considered ‘mainstream’ in historical regards with respect to their historical legacy, contributions, and achievements in the process of state making in Wallachia and Moldavia, two Romanian principalities which emerged in the Middle Ages. Therefore, this particular brief article will focus on the historical legacy, contributions, and achievements of the Transylvanian Saxons in Wallachia.
Geographic location of the medieval Principality of Wallachia (Țara Românească in Romanian; i.e. the Romanian land), south of Transylvania and Moldavia and north of Bulgaria. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
These predominantly ethnic German and German-speaking settlers (collectively known as Transylvanian Saxons, Saxons or Sachsen or Saxones being a blanket term for all Germans who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in medieval times) also included many Walloons, Franks, Luxembourgers, and Flemmings (and, consequently, also spoke Walloon, Flemmish, and Old French) among them and founded colonies outside the Carpathian arch (this eclectic nature of their ethnic group explains why their dialect, Transylvanian Saxon, is related to Luxembourgish and Ripuarian and is a conservative Moselle-Frankish dialect of the German language). Such notable cases of colonies founded by the Transylvanian Saxons outside Transylvania proper were to be founded in the neighbouring emerging Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. In Wallachia, the Transylvanian Saxons settled in Câmpulung Muscel (known in German as Langenau and in Latin as Longocampo) , Curtea de Argeș, Târgoviște, or Râmnicu Vâlcea. Transylvanian Saxon settlers followed Wallachian prince Radu Negru (also known as Negru Vodă) in his dismounting in Wallachia, contributing to the foundation of this Romanian medieval state (as they did in neighbouring Moldavia as well). It was during the 13th century that Transylvanian Saxon merchants and craftsmen settled in Câmpulung Muscel, preceding as such the subsequent creation of the Principality of Wallachia. They were ruled by a graf or grof (greav in Romanian), one notable example being Laurencies of Longocampo or Longo-Campo (buried in the local Bărăția church). Câmpulung Muscel is a very important historical town in Romania, being the first capital of the Principality of Wallachia during the Middle Ages.
The medieval Romanian Principality of Wallachia (Țara Românească, i.e. the Romanian land) as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). Image source: Wikimedia Commons
As it was the case with the neighbouring Principality of Moldavia, the Transylvanian Saxons in Transylvania proper traded with Wallachia. A very important example of a fortified Transylvanian Saxon urban centre which conducted trade with neighbouring Wallachia is naturally Hermannstadt (Sibiu in Romanian and Cibinium in Latin). Subsequently, these Transylvanian Saxons gradually assimilated in the Romanian ethnic majority (as it was the case in neighbouring Moldavia as well).
Documentation sources and external links:
- Identitatea comunităţii germane din Câmpulung Muscel în secolele XIII – XVIII in Societatea de Studii istorice Erasmus on www.erasmusisha.wordpress.com (in Romanian)
- Scurt istoric al orașului Câmpulung, page 8 (in Romanian)
- Biserica Bărăția din Câmpulung on www.cazarmacavalerilor.ro (in Romanian)
- Scrisoarea lui Neacșu din Câmpulung de Neacșu Lupu on Wiki Source (in Romanian)
- Oraşele din Ţările Române în Evul Mediu: sfârşitul secolului al XIII-lea – începutul secolului al XVI-lea by Laurențiu Rădvan (on Academia.edu in Romanian)