History of Moldova

The history of the territory of present-day Moldova, shaped by shifting borders and rule among regional powers, the Principality of Moldavia, Romania, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union.

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Cucuteni–Trypillia culture: A Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological culture that flourished across parts of present-day Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Its settlements are among the region’s most prominent prehistoric remains.
Treaty of Bucharest (1812): The treaty ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812, which ceded eastern Moldavia to the Russian Empire. It established Russian rule over Bessarabia, a decisive territorial turning point.
Russification: Policies that promote Russian language and culture among populations under Russian or Soviet rule. Imperial and Soviet policies expanded Russian’s role in Bessarabia and Moldova.
Moldovan Declaration of Independence: The 1991 declaration establishing the Republic of Moldova as an independent and sovereign state. It formally ended the territory’s incorporation into the Soviet Union.
Moldovenism: A political and cultural idea that treats Moldovans as a distinct nation from Romanians. It draws on historical claims shaped by imperial and Soviet-era identity policies.
Dacians: An ancient Indo-European people of the lower Danube and Carpathian regions, conquered in part by Rome. Dacian communities formed part of the ancient population around the territory.
Russian Empire: A Eurasian empire ruled by the Romanov dynasty from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It governed Bessarabia after annexing it in 1812.
Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet: A Cyrillic script used for the Moldovan language during much of the Soviet period and still used in Transnistria. Its adoption reflected Soviet efforts to distinguish Moldovan from Romanian identity.
Moldovan SSR: A union republic of the Soviet Union established in 1940 and dissolved when Moldova became independent in 1991. The independent republic replaced this Soviet political framework.
Unionism in Moldova: A political movement supporting the unification of Moldova with Romania. Its appeal reflects shared history as well as disagreement over national identity.