Romanian Feudal States

The late migrations ended with the great tatar-mongolian invasion from 1241 that affected romanian space. From the period of tatar domination in Northern zone of Moldavia and from Danube mouths, an important had genoveses and venetians merchants (hoard venetian coins - 13th century). Their trade carried on through Moldavia to Liov and Baltic sea under the protection of tatars (hoard Calopâru, M. Kogălniceanu). In the Diplom of John's and Faracs's principality and Litovoi's and Seneslau's voivodeships.

The hungarian conquer in Transylvania it was accompanied by colonizations with szeklers and saxons from Flandra, Saxonia and Middle Rhin. In 1211 it was brpught also Teutoni knights in Bârsa's country taht was donated to them. (Andreanum - diploma of privileges). At 1247 to defend the Southern borders of Hungary it were brought John's knights in Severin's country.

In the first half of 14th century, it were created the conditions of organisation in statal forms of romanian society froms of weakness of tatars' power and of Hungary's kingdom difficulties. Under these terms, Basarab the Ist unified the teritories from the left and right of Olt, and on 1330 he defeated Carol Robert of Anjou, the king of Hungary , which represented a decisive moment in the process of making the independent state Romanian Country.   (Painted chronicle from Wien)

Under similar conditions it created the Moldavian state under Bogdan's reign who removed Dragos and his successors, representants of hungarian crown.

The Culture during this period, when Romania's teritory was crossed and in part lived by migratory population come from Asia and from Northern regions of Europe contains two stages of development.

The first stage, that correspond to tranzition stage at feudalism, is ended around 10th century, the second stage last till the begining of 14th century and it coincides with the materialised period of feudal regime.

In the course of the first period it remarks the continuating of the forms of material culture of the former period, but also the progresive penetration of germanic, byzantine and avarian elements in North Danubian civilisation, which is obvious especially in the field of artistic processing of metals. The pieces as those from Sânnicolau Mare showes strikingly the synthesis of different artistic elements present during the 1st millenium, while pieces as those from Soare's Păcuiul shows the artistic achievements of the principal proto-bulgarian centres.

After the forming of romanian people, in 9th - 10th centuries it appears the principal stylistic features that will constitute from 12th century till the begining of 14th century, the basis of romanian's material culture that lived between two cultural areas: the byzantine and the western cultures. Churches as are those from Dinogetia, Niculitel are significantly for the begining of romanian architecture in rock.

The ruins of some religious constructions raised in 13th century and at the begining of 14th century along of Danube (the town from Turnu Severin) as the church from Sânnicoară from Curtea de Arges attests the using of some proceedings met in all the balkanian area that will become familiary to mountainly architecture from the end of 12th century. In the same time, at Câmpulung, the edifice raised by Nicolae Alexandru which has elements of occidental style showes the manifestation of romantic and gothic influence in the 14th century. (The church from Sânnicoară)

During the period of 12th -14th centuries, the teritory from East of Carpathians knows meridional and occidental cultural elements which will be prevailing to the byzantin-balkanic elements. The interferences of the two occidental and meridional influences are obviously in architectural monuments: the church from Rădăuti and the church ''The Holy Trinity from Siret". (The Holy Trinity from Siret)

The arpadian expansion in Transylvania, the implanting of hungarian, saxon and szeklerian populations, are phenomenos that modified not only the social-political aspect,but also the demographic one. The elements that will determine from now on the artistic evolution must be search in the old indigen fond, in the relations with Wallachia and Balkanic Countries, on the other hand in the new relations with the art of Central Europe.

The arpadian expansion in Transylvania, the implanting of hungarian, saxon and szeklerian populations, are phenomenos that modified not only the social-political aspect,but also the demographic one. The elements that will determine from now on the artistic evolution must be search in the old indigen fond, in the relations with Wallachia and Balkanic Countries, on the other hand in the new relations with the art of Central Europe.

In architecture field, alongside of indigen forms, wood buildings, earth towns and stockades, it will appear the first constructions of rock: the romano-catholic cathedral of basilical plan from Alba Iulia. After the tatat invasion from 1241, the rock fortification increased and it met the first places raised by nobles (Cheresig, Câlnic, Sângiorz-Trascău).

In the second half of 12th century it take birth the stone architecture in romanian style, churches with single naves and with rectangular plan - Sfântă Marie Orlea, Strei, Strei-Sângiorz or churches with central plan - Densus or the ones with quatrelobes plan - Gurasada. With these it begans to penetrate the gothical forms in Transylvania.   (The church of Densus)

The setting up of medieval romanian states determined also the appearence of organisation forms: political, social and economical, which were coordonated by prince or voivode in Romanian Country and by voivode in Transylvania. The prince was considerated absolutely sovereign of the country, compressing all the public powers.

The strenghten of medieval states was realised alo through the organisation of the church. With the approval of Constantinopole, Nicolae Alexandru founded in 1359 at Curtea de Arges the first mitropolitan seat of Romanian Country, setting the basis of Church's organisation, which became an important support of the ruler. As first mitropolitan was named Iachit de Vicina for who received also the jurisdiction over romanians from Transylvania. On Nicolae Alexandru's time it was finished the princely Church from Curtea de Arges and the first church from Câmpulung, where he was buried.

Also on the line of state consolidation, Vladislav-Vlaicu (1364-1377) continued the organisation of the country and the development of internal and external trade (privileges Vladislav). To enable the development of trade, he coined the first silver money, with the legend in latin language. At 20th January 1368 Vladislav Vlaicu confirms the citizens from Brasov through a diploma written in latin language, the old privileges that had been confered to them in Romanian Country. The same prince received the agreement of Constantinopole for the setting up of the second mitropolitan seat from Severin.

In Moldavia, on Roman the 1st's time it pass to organisation of ortodoxe church's hierarchy. In this sence an important step was the recognition by Constantinopole of mitropolit Iosif, as Moldavia's mitropolit with the residence at Suceava. The voivodal authority was legitimated once with the regulation of the raports between Moldavia's church and the ecumenical chair. Later on, another important step on the line of state consolidation was the sanctioning of the right to coin money (treasure Corlăteni) during Petru I Musat's time (1371-1391) .

Still from Bogdan's and Latcu's time it was set up the church St. Nicolae from Rădăuti which replaced by a church of stone wall during Petru I Musat's being used as princely necropole till the Good Alexandru's time, when it becomes episcopal office.

The legal statute of moldavian mitropolity was confirmed by bringing by Alexandru the Good, the relics of St. John in 1402 at Suceava. In 1415, as a result of sinode from Constanta, Grigore Tamblac took part as a deputy from Moldavia and from Kiev. The sinode ended without any resultat.

During the Good Alexandru's time, the catholical influence became strongly. At Poland king's impulse it set up a catholical diocese at Baia.

In manuscript field, the Bible illustrated by Gavril Uric from Neamt Monastery (1429) attested that painture art knew in Moldavia a remarkable raising even from the begining of XVth century. It can follow in the pictures of this manuscript the expansion of South-slavian picture and the influence of subtle language of byzantine painture, without being a humile imitation of these forms, which it adapted to local customs.

From embroidery field, it is kept an epitrahil from the Good Alexandru's time, as an epitaph offered by the superior father Siluan to Neamt Monastery, having represented the iconography type that will generalise with the end of 15th century.

The oldest architectural monuments from Moldavia from the second half of 14th century are influenced by wood architecture. The oldest monuments preserved is the church Sf. Nicolae from Rădăuti, a church with triple nave of roman origin, adapted to the requests of ortodoxe culte. This type of church, influenced by occidental traditions, it will be meet after the new triconic type of church, ortodoxe above all, will be the dominant one, ''Saint Trinity" Church from Siret being probably from the end of 14th century.

Begining with this period: the 14th century - the middle of 15th century, Wallachia's culture will be a princely and a feudal art. Through the recognition of canonization of religious hierarchy in Wallachia, it will be established direct conections with Constantinopole and with the Athos Mountain, while through traditional relationships with the countries from Southern Danube, the Romanian Country belong to byzantine art and culture. The relationships with Byzance and with the countries from Southern Danube favoured the penetrating in Wallachia of edifices types, of the models, of technical procedures and of artistical vocabulary requested by the development of the new forms of life, the feudal ones.

In architecture field, in what concern the laic-princely and boyarly-constructions, the informations are quite seldom. The religious edifices bring us important informations. The oldest opera of medieval wallachian architecture is represented by Princely Church St. Nicolae from Curtea de Arges (1351-1352), an edifice of greek inscribed cross type.

The monastery churches of that time belong to simple style, met in former period: the rectangular plan of monastery Cotmeana (1377-1385) , the triconic type - the church of monastery Cozia (1387-1388), the latter being through the most important creations of South-East European architecture. In what concern painture, the oldest ensamble of mural painture is the one of princely church from Curtea de Arges. The pronaos painture of the great church from Cozia belong also to the end of 15th century.

Also in embroidery field it realised special works as the ''epitrahil and bedernita'' from Tismana, as well as the epitaph from Cozia from 1394. These embrioderys made up in centres of Byzantine Empire were ordered by Wallachia's princes.     (Epitrahil from Tismana, Gorj)

In sculpture, it remarks the gysant attributed to Radu the 1st, being the result of an harmonious combining of symbolical decorative elements of heterogen tradition, spreaded both in Orient and in Occident.

The silver ware is double influenced: by a current of western style which is remarked in the buckle from Curtea de Arges, and by the other one byzantine-slavian current represented through works as the cover of Gospel from Tismana, Gogosu, Olteni.

In Transylvania, in the artistical evolution of this period, the predominant role come to the towns, where the handcrafts and commercial activity favourised the forming of a rich people, while a modest art will flower in rural medium from Apuseni, Bihor or Maramures Mountains. It meets stone monuments attesting the persistence of traditional type of church with a single nave-Ribita-1417 and others, representing gothical forms, Râu de Mori, the church from Zlatna.

On town mediun it predomins the gothical style in its maturity or lately forms: the church St. Mihail from Cluj, the Black Church from Brasov. The military buildings from this period uses the stone or the brick, the most representatives monuments being the Bran Castle (1377) or the Castle from Hunedoara (1409).   (The Black Church from Brasov)

From the sculpture field is notable the statue of Sf. Gheorghe from Cluj, a work of special importance for the evolution of figurative sculpture on european plan, and the sarcophagus dedicated by Iancu de Hunedoara to his brother that was in catholical cathedral from Alba Iulia.

In the painture field it ascertains the presence of two currents: a byzantine-romanian one, the other an occidental one. From the first class it can be involved the fresco from the churches Sf. Mărie Orlea, Ostrovul Mare, both from XIVth century, Criscior 1404, Ribita 1417 and others. In the second class we can include the mural paintings from the protestant church from Mălăncrav before 1405 as the crucifying from the protestant church from Sibiu, 1445.

In what concern the economical life this one was a lot affected because of the harden obligations to the Porte, especially with the begining of 14th century.

Once with the appearance of production and of a changes of goods, we can talk about the appearance of the town which is realised especially on two ways: spontaneously or controlled. The place of permanent change is conected with the appearance of town.

In Moldavia, at Suceava, Iasi it existed first commercial zones, after that it develop the urban place. The same thing happened at Câmpulung, Bucuresti, Târgoviste, towns that develop linearly, having as landmark the central zone. The urban models were not spontaneously, but they disposed by an urban european information. The squares of long form have numerous cues in Europe and in Transylvania. Later these spaces will be made plots, a phenomenon which is paralel to the expansion of streets and squares, after oriental model.

In the activity of commercial relations, an essential role had the transylvan centres: Brasov, Sibiu, Caransebes. The principal access ways in Transylvania and in Romania Country were the ways of Bran, of Rucăr, of Dâmbovita ones. The tranzit trade was strong, connecting Black Sea to Baltic Sea on moldavian way, and through Wallachia it assured the link between Danube and the western Europe.