Ancient and medieval periods The Greek presence in what is now Romania dates back as far as the
apoikiai (colonies) and
emporia (trade stations) founded in and around
Dobruja (
see Colonies in antiquity and Pontic Greeks), beginning in the 7th century BC. Starting with the
Milesian colony at
Istros, the process reached its height after
Tomis was founded in the 5th century BC. Although forever subject to the
Dacian interference and easily disrupted by changes in the politics of neighbour tribal chieftains, the colonies prospered until being briefly submitted in various forms by King
Burebista (late 1st century BC). Immediately after, and for the following centuries, they were stripped of their privileges by their new
Roman masters, and followed the Empire into its crises. In the Middle Ages, the Greek-speaking
Byzantine Empire was a living presence north of the
Danube, maintaining a
cultural hegemony over the lands virtually until its disappearance, and for long periods exercised actual political dominance in the area of modern Dobruja (known to the Byzantines as
Scythia Minor).
Early modern period After the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the
Ottoman Empire, the
Hospodars of
Moldavia and
Wallachia (the
Danubian Principalities) often took on the
patronage of many Greek-proper cultural institutions such as several monasteries on
Mount Athos, gestures guaranteed to provide prestige within
Eastern Orthodox culture. To this was added the exodus of Byzantine officials and commoners to the two countries, which were at the time under a rather relaxed Ottoman tutelage. They took opportunities to advance in office, and from early on included themselves in the inner circle of power. This meant not only the reliance of Princes on a new elite (more often than not, also one to provide it with the funds needed by the administrative effort), but also the gradual ascendancy of Greeks to the thrones themselves. The rapid change brought them much hostility from traditional
boyars. Landowners in a rudimentary economy, accustomed to have an important say in political developments, these found themselves stripped of importance in the new structure, and became bitterly hostile to the immigrants. However, this was not the only notable trend: there were numerous cases of
intermarriage at the top of the social scale (and not only), the arguably most famous of which being the ones inside the very powerful
Cantacuzino family.
The Phanariote period and
Ottomans in
Bucharest, late 1821. With the early 18th century emergence of
Phanariote rule over the Danubian Principalities, Greek culture became a norm. On one hand, this meant a noted neglect for the institutions inside the countries; on the other, the channeling of Princes' energies into emancipation from Ottoman rule, through projects that aimed for the erasing of inner borders of the Empire, moving toward the creation of an all-
Balkan, neo-Byzantine state (seen as the extended identity of Greekdom). To these was added the omnipresence and omnipotence of Greek ethnic clerics at all levels of the religious hierarchy, with many monasteries becoming directly submitted to similar institutions in
Greece, after being gradually granted by successive Princes. Thus, the emergence of
Greek nationalism opened the two lands to revolution, as the main concentrations of political power available to it at the time, and the ones sharing a border with the expected supporter of the cause -
Imperial Russia. The Wallachian stage of the
Greek War of Independence consumed itself in a conflict between the initially supportive
Anti-Ottoman Revolt led by
Tudor Vladimirescu and the
Philikí Etaireía, while Moldavia was under Greek occupation for a limited duration. The outcome only served to stir up animosity, and the Ottomans were receptive to the demands, putting an end to the Phanariote system in 1822. client in
Bucharest, ca. 1880
19th and 20th centuries In time, most Greeks lost their specificity and became fully integrated (for example, a sizable portion of noble families considered "Phanariote" contributed to the adopted culture more than local ones). With new trends of migration, Romania became a less important target for exiled Greeks, and this became limited to people of lower social status—with ethnic Greeks being most visible as entrepreneurs, middlemen traders, and especially sailors (both on the Danube the
Black Sea—in the case of the latter, after the integration of
Dobruja in 1878, which also gave Romania a new population of Greeks, already on the spot). The communities were largely prosperous and maintained specific cultural institutions; they attracted a new wave of arrivals when
Greece was hit by the
Civil War, in the late 1940s. This situation was challenged by
Communist Romania, with the properties of most organizations and many individuals being confiscated, and hundreds of Greek ethnics being imprisoned on sites such as the
Danube-Black Sea Canal. ==Present situation==