From the late 14th century to the beginning of the 16th century a significant number of Serbs lived in
Wallachia and
Moldavia. Following
Ottoman expansion in the 15th century, Serb mass migrations ensued into
Pannonian Basin primarily to the territories of present-day Serbian province of Vojvodina, but also to
Hungary and
Romania. Serbian Orthodox monasteries began to be built in the area of today's western Romania as early as 15th century, including Kusić and Senđurađ (built by despot
Jovan Branković), and in the 16th century including Bezdin and
Hodoș-Bodrog Monastery (built by the
Jakšić family). During the Ottoman administration of Banat, the area saw new waves of Serbs settling there and constituting a significant portion of the population. Some thirty Serbian Orthodox monasteries were built within the administrative unit
Temeşvar Eyalet. In some historical sources, the Banat region during Ottoman rule was referred to as
Rascia, a historical term for Serbs. Famous Ottoman historical figures from the area, such as
Osman Ağa of Temeşvar was of Serbian descent. The Serb
Uprising in Banat in 1594 against the Ottomans in Temeşvar Eyalet, included territories that are part of present-day Romania. The uprising came as a result of Ottoman tax system of
devshirme, where male children from Serb families were taken as part of taxes and were forcibly converted to
Islam and made to serve as
janissaries. There were reprisals, contemporary sources speaking of "the living envied the dead". After the crushing of the uprising in Banat, many Serbs migrated to Transylvania under the leadership of Bishop Teodor; the territory towards
Ineu and
Teiuș was settled, where Serbs had already lived, building churches as well as opening schools and printing houses. Serbs probably constituted the vast majority of mercenary troops known as
seimeni, given that their nucleus is attested to have been formed by "Serb
seimeni" (as it was during their revolt in 1655), and that the rule of
Prince Matei Basarab had witnessed the arrival of a large group of Serb refugees. Three well-known Orthodox hierarchs came from the
Branković family from
Ineu: Sava I, of Lipova and Ienopole (at the beginning of the 17th century), Longin of Ienopole (1628-after 1645) and Sava II, the metropolitan of
Transylvania at
Alba Iulia (1656-1683). They assumed the role of leaders of the Serbian and Romanian Orthodox population and defended them against Catholics and Evangelicals, stoically enduring Catholic and Calvinist persecutions. Earlier, the despot
Đorđe Branković renounced his title and domains and, being ordained as a monk with the name Maksim, moved to Wallachia at the call of the ruler and became metropolitan. In
Târgovişte he opens the first printing house in Romania, where the Serbian monk Makarije worked, later also Dimitrije Ljubavić. Metropolitans Sava II and Maksim were canonized by both the Romanian and Serbian Orthodox churches. Joseph of Timișoara was metropolitan of Timisoara in 1643, respectively between 1648-1656. Joseph was born in
Ragusa, later moving to the Banat
Partoș Monastery. Joseph came to Banat during Ottoman rule to shepherd Romanian and Serbian Orthodox Christians, as both groups at that time fell under the
Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. Shortly after his death he was proclaimed a saint. He was canonized by the Romanian and Serbian Orthodox Churches as Saint Joseph the New from Partoş. His relics are found in the
Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral. After defeating the Ottoman Turks and ending Ottoman rule, resulting in the
Treaty of Karlowitz of 1699, southern
Crișana (i.e. northern
Pomorišje) was ceded to the
Habsburg monarchy, and, between 1702 and 1751, it was part of the Tisa-Mureș (
Potisje-Pomorišje) section of the Habsburg
Military Frontier. During this period, the Serb population in the region was still significant: the area between
Szeged and
Arad was mainly populated by Serbs, while area in the east of Arad mainly by Romanians. In 1720, the population of Arad, the main city in the region, numbered 177 Romanian, 162 Serbian, and 35 Hungarian families. The
Great Migrations of the Serbs in 1690 and 1737–39 led to additional Serb settlement in present-day Romania. The Habsburg administrative unit of
Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar which existed from 1849 to 1860, had its seat in Timișoara. However, the share of Serbs (less than a third of the total population) and the marginal position of local authorities in the territory of the entire Habsburg Monarchy did not meet the aspirations of the Serb community, so its abolition did not mean anything new for the existence of Serbs in Banat. At this time, the Serbian Gymnasium in Timișoara was founded. In the late 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, was period of a rapid economic development of Banat, including Timisoara. The development of Timisoara and the growth of its population reduced the share and importance of the Serb community in the city. At the end of the
World War I, in November of 1918, the
Serbian Army entered most of Banat. From November 1918 to March 1919, western and central parts of Banat were governed by Serbian administration from
Novi Sad, as part of the
Banat, Bačka and Baranja province of the
Kingdom of Serbia and newly formed
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. However, at the
Paris Peace Conference, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes failed to preserve the central and eastern part of Banat with Timisoara as its center, and it was handed over to Romania in 1919. A particularly difficult issue during the peace conference was the position of the Banat Gorge, inhabited mainly by Serbs. However, after the demarcation, approximately the same number of Serbs and Romanians remained on both sides of the border - about 60 thousand, respectively. The position of Serbs in the
Kingdom of Romania in the
interwar period was good: Serb newspapers were founded, cultural and educational institutions were established as well. Even under
Ion Antonescu's fascist dictatorship during
World War II, the situation of the Serbs remained tolerable. The post-war friendly relations between the communist states of Romania and
Yugoslavia had at first a positive impact on the Serb minority. However, as a result of
Tito–Stalin split in 1948, began the difficult period for Serbs in Romania, which at that time was a "satellite" of the
Soviet Union. There were large-scale
deportations of Serbs to the
Bărăgan Plain, and the suppression of cultural and religious life. After the re-establishment of good neighborly relations in 1956, the position of the Serb minority improved somewhat, but it still remained rather difficult. The closure of Serb schools and cultural institutions as well as the "silent" assimilation, contributed to the decline of the Serb population. Numerous settlements with a Serb majority, especially around Timisoara, became majority Romanian during this period. In 1990, there were half as many Serbs as there were 50 years before. Numerous settlements with a Serbian majority, especially around Timisoara, became majority Romanian. ==Demographics==