Craiova, which occupied the site of the
Dacian and
Roman city
Pelendava, was formerly the capital of Oltenia. Its ancient
bans, the highest ranking
boyars of the
Wallachian state, were initially those of the
Craiovești family. The
bans had the right of
minting coins stamped with their own
effigies – the origin of the
Romanian word
ban as used for coins. The economic power of the Craiovești family at the end of the 16th century was about 100 villages (182 financial goods). This power gave them a statute of political autonomy so big, that the
hospodars ruling at that time were not able to keep in power without an alliance with this powerful dynasty. From the Craiovești family there were chosen a lot of hospodars to rule the country:
Neagoe Basarab,
Radu de la Afumați,
Radu Șerban (1602–1611),
Matei Basarab,
Constantin Șerban,
Șerban Cantacuzino,
Constantin Brâncoveanu. In 1395 Craiova was probably the scene of a victory won by the
Wallachian Prince Mircea I of Wallachia over
Bayezid I,
Sultan of the
Ottomans (
see Battle of Rovine). Frequently referred to as "a city" after the first half of the 16th century, the Craiova area was always regarded as an important economic region of
Wallachia and Romania at large. During the 1718–1739
Habsburg occupation of Oltenia (see
Banat of Craiova), Craiova's status declined due to economic pressures and increased
centralism, partly leading to an increase in
hajduk actions, in parallel with protests of Craiovan
boyars. In 1761, under Prince
Constantine Mavrocordatos, the
bans relocated to Bucharest, leaving behind
kaymakams to represent them in Craiova. Under Prince
Emanuel Giani Ruset, Wallachia's seat was moved to Craiova (1770–1771), viewed as a place of refuge during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. A large part of the city was burned down by the rebel
pasha Osman Pazvantoğlu in 1800. During the
Wallachian uprising of 1821, inhabitants of the present-day
Dolj County joined
Tudor Vladimirescu's
Pandurs in great numbers, contributing to the expedition on Bucharest. During the first two decades of the 19th century, Craiova witnessed economic prosperity, centered on
handicraft trades and public services. During
Imperial Russian occupation and the early stages of
Organic Statute rules (1828–1834), the city increased its economic output; in 1832 there were 595 shops, 197 of which were made
barracks and 398 were houses built of brick. At the time, Craiova exported wheat, furs, leather, live animals and other products into the
Austrian and
Ottoman Empires. Costache Romanescu, a citizen of Craiova, was among the leaders of the Provisional Government during the
1848 Wallachian revolution. Wallachia's last two rulers,
Gheorghe Bibescu and
Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, came from an important boyar family residing in Craiova – the Bibescu family. '' at Craiova, 1857, by
Theodor Aman Around 1860, there were 4,633 buildings in Craiova, which were 3,220 houses, 26 churches, 11 schools and 60 factories and workshops. In all, the city also housed about 90 industrial establishments, of which 12 were mills, 3 breweries, 2 gas and oil factories, 4
tanning yards and 2
printing presses; 57% of the total number of craftsmen of
Dolj County lived in Craiova (1,088
craftsmen, 687
journeymen and 485
apprentices). The period following the
Independence War was a time of economic and cultural progress. As a result, at the end of the 19th century, the city of Craiova, with its 40,000 inhabitants, had developed small factories (producing chemicals, farming utilities, and construction materials) and textile factories. On October 26, 1896, the Craiova
power station entered service (with
AEG equipment working at 310 CP, supplying 365 streetlights on 39 streets, forming a 30 km-long network); Craiova was the first city in the country to be supplied with electric power by
internal combustion engines. In 1900, Craiova had 43.1% of the industrial units of
Oltenia; these numbered 924 industrial companies (including 20 large industrial establishments, employing 1,078 workers). The number of large industrial establishments rose to 40 by 1925.
Banking also developed at the beginning of the 20th century (when 6 banks and 2
bureaux de change were already operating). In the interwar period, Craiova, as the centre of an agricultural region, experienced little further
industrialization; the number of industrial workers remained comparatively small. In 1939, Craiova had 7 industrial units with over 100 workers: the clothing industry companies
Oltenia and
Scrisul Românesc were well-known all over the country and abroad. The
Treaty of Craiova was signed here on 7 September 1940; under its terms, Romania ceded to
Bulgaria the territory of
Southern Dobruja, which Romania had gained after the 1913
Second Balkan War. In the early 1960s, under the
Communist regime, the city became a centre for the
automotive and
engine building industries, as well as for
aerospace manufacturing,
chemical industry,
food industry,
construction,
electrical engineering,
mining and the
electrical power industry. The construction of housing estates also begins at this time, with Brazda lui Novac being one of the first in 1967–1968, followed by Siloz-Valea Roșie in the same years. Later on in the 1980s the Craiovița Nouă, Rovine, 1 Mai, Sărari and Lăpuș-Argeș housing estates are built. After the
1989 Revolution brought the re-establishment of a
free market and decentralisation in overall management, several industries became subject to
privatisation, while the market opened itself to private initiatives. Industry, although affected by economic changes, remains an important branch, representing circa 70% of Craiova's output. ==Geography==