Turkic settlement has a long history in the
Dobruja region, various groups such as
Bulgars,
Pechenegs,
Cumans and
Turkmen settling in the region between the 7th and 13th centuries, and probably contributing to the formation of a
Christian autonomous polity in the 14th century. The existence of a strictly Turkish population in the territories of modern Romania can possibly be tracked down to the 13th century. In 1243, the Seljuk Turks in
Anatolia (most of modern Turkey) were defeated by the
Mongols in the
Battle of Kösedağ. The Mongols subordinated the Seljuk Turks and divided their lands between two brothers,
Kilij Arslan IV and
Kaykaus II. Kaykaus II, having been forced to obey his brother, opposed this, for which he had to leave Anatolia together with a large group of partisans and look for refuge in the
Byzantine Empire. He and his partisans were settled by
Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos in a region between
Varna and the
Danube Delta which is known as
Dobruja today. Later, Kaykaus II would attempt an unsuccessful rebellion in the Byzantine Empire and went into exile in
Crimea, but his partisans remained in Dobruja and he would be succeeded as leader by
Sarı Saltık. In 1307, some of the Dobrujan Seljuk Turks would return to Anatolia. Another important event in the history of the Turkish population in Romania was the
Ottoman conquest of the region in the early 15th century. Hence, by the 17th century most of the settlements in Dobruja had Turkish names, either due to colonisations . in
Mangalia, is the oldest Ottoman mosque in Dobruja, completed (1575). Northern Dobruja was annexed by the
Ottoman Empire in 1420, the region remained under Ottoman control until the late 19th century. Initially, it was organised as an
udj (border province), included in the
sanjak of Silistra, part of the
Eyalet of Rumelia. Later, under
Murad II or
Suleiman I, the sanjak of Silistra and surrounding territories were organised as a separate
eyalet. In 1555, a revolt led by the "false" (
düzme) Mustafa, a pretender to the Turkish throne, broke out against Ottoman administration in
Rumelia and rapidly spread to Dobruja, but was repressed by the
beylerbey of
Nigbolu. In 1603 and 1612, the region suffered from the forays of
Cossacks, who burnt down
Isaķči and plundered
Küstendje. In the two
Danubian Principalities, Ottoman suzerainty had an overall reduced impact on the local population, and the impact of Islam was itself much reduced. Wallachia and Moldavia enjoyed a large degree of autonomy, and their history was punctuated by episodes of revolt and momentary independence. After 1417, when Ottoman domination over Wallachia first became effective, the towns of
Turnu and Giurgiu were annexed as
kazas, a rule enforced until the
Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 (the status was briefly extended to
Brăila in 1542). For the following centuries, three conversions in the ranks of acting or former local
hospodars are documented:
Wallachian Princes Radu cel Frumos (1462–1475) and
Mihnea Turcitul (1577–1591), and
Moldavian Prince Ilie II Rareș (1546–1551). At the other end of the social spectrum, Moldavia held a sizable population of Tatar
slaves, who shared this status with all local Roma people (
see Slavery in Romania). While Roma slavery also existed in Wallachia, the presence of Tatar slaves there has not been documented, and is only theorized. The population may have foremost comprised Muslim Nogais from the
Budjak who were captured in skirmishes, although, according to one theory, the first of them may have been
Cumans captured long before the first Ottoman and Tatar incursions. Traditionally, Ottoman documents referring to Wallachia and Moldavia were unilateral decrees issued by the Sultan. and the surrounding regions in 1683. , 1656. , westernmost settlement in Romania. Alongside Dobruja, a part of present-day Western Romania came under direct Ottoman rule in 1551-1718, was the
Eyalet of Temeşvar (today's Timișoara), compromising the regions of
Banat and southern
Crișana. The Ottoman rule extended to
Arad (1551–1699) and as far as
Oradea (1661–1699) in northern Crișana. it is believed that it originated with groups of Romani people serving in the
Ottoman Army during the 16th century, The presence of Ottoman Muslims in the two Danubian Principalities was also attested, centering on Turkish traders and small communities of
Muslim Roma. == Modern history ==