Ellis MacVey
Donor
Okay, so, this is a pretty simple alternate history post: how could Romania become an empire (colonial or otherwise), and how could this empire last until at least the early-mid 20th century?
How could a Romanian Empire come into existence?
- Thread starter Ellis MacVey
- Start date
Problem with Romania is that they don't have good access to the meddeteranian, (only through instabul and the black sea) so they have to have Istanbul, or parts of Greece and the Yugoslav countries. Ethnic tensions and other great powers probably will put a damper on any colonial expansions.
Deleted member 90949
No minimum PoD?
Roman Dacia is better developed by the Romans, but they still eventually retreat. A new Dacian king comes to power and uses this former province as a springboard to the conquer the Scythians in what will become Ukraine. After a few centuries they push north with an army of assimilated proto-Romanian speaking mounted archers and conquer up until the Baltic. Through times good and bad, this empire prevails until the twentieth century (even founding colonies in the Caribbean). Then after around seventy years of decline it is partitioned by a alternate Germanic state, a Fennic empire, and some Russian analogue.
Today it is remembered as one of the great empires of humanity, lasting around 1,700 years. Romanian remains a major lingua franca worldwide and Apulca, the historic capital of the empire, is still a major center of commerce and culture. Imperial nostalgia remains in Romanian society, and it is a popular setting in cinema both domestic and foreign.
Roman Dacia is better developed by the Romans, but they still eventually retreat. A new Dacian king comes to power and uses this former province as a springboard to the conquer the Scythians in what will become Ukraine. After a few centuries they push north with an army of assimilated proto-Romanian speaking mounted archers and conquer up until the Baltic. Through times good and bad, this empire prevails until the twentieth century (even founding colonies in the Caribbean). Then after around seventy years of decline it is partitioned by a alternate Germanic state, a Fennic empire, and some Russian analogue.
Today it is remembered as one of the great empires of humanity, lasting around 1,700 years. Romanian remains a major lingua franca worldwide and Apulca, the historic capital of the empire, is still a major center of commerce and culture. Imperial nostalgia remains in Romanian society, and it is a popular setting in cinema both domestic and foreign.
I can come up with a Transylvanian one but it'll be rather multiethnic than "purely" Ro(u)manian [1]
And possibly similar ones for Wallachia and Moldavia.
They'll be more akin to Hungarian imperium than colonial empires though.
[1] as opposed to Roman-ian and Rhomanian.
And possibly similar ones for Wallachia and Moldavia.
They'll be more akin to Hungarian imperium than colonial empires though.
[1] as opposed to Roman-ian and Rhomanian.
Kaze
Banned
Here is a POD that could work if you want it to: Vlad Dracula successfully defeats the Turks (which he did in IRL), he advances into Turkish territory all the way to Istanbul. Using his reputation and fear of what will happen to them if they do not open the city to him, he bloodlessly negotiates the surrender of Istanbul - there you go you have Romania controlling the Bosporus. From the Bosporus you can control Asia Minor, the Middle East, and a good part of the Eastern half of the Med.
-Dracula gets more support and wards off Ottomans more effectively
-Minhea, son of Vlad, secures power in Wallachia and marries into control of Moldovia. He consolidates power and his son capitalizes on the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514 to hand Ottomans a major defeat in 1516, pushing into Bulgaria
-Marriage of Minhea's grandson into Hungarian royal family with Transylvania as dowry and land-based follow-up to Battle of Lepanto pushes Draculean/Romanian forces into Varna, Sofia, and towards Belgrade. Ruthless treatment of Ottoman opponents and survivors under Vlad IV is the stuff of legends, including a recreation of Basil II's 'Bulgaroctonos' event. By the death of Vlad IV, although Adrinople and Greece remain Turkish, much of modern Bulgaria and parts of Serbia are in Romanian hands. A dream of a Romanian port on the Mediterranean come into being at Thessaloniki.
-Matthias I begins the 'Golden Century' following the failed Siege of Vienna by Sulieman the Magnificent. Romanian forces use the siege to begin threatening Istanbul itself, taking Thessaloniki, Mount Athos, Adrinople, and trapping the Sultan's army in Europe. Persian forces take advantage of the situation as Sulieman passes away and two of his sons take control - one in Europe, one in Asia. While the Romanians make like ghosts and attack almost exclusively at night, the Ottomans in Europe suffer withering casualties. Less than a third of their army returns to Istanbul intact and a civil war begins between Selim and (an imposter posing as a living) Bayezid. The war allows the Romanians to consolidate the whole of the Balkans south of Pecs and Szeged and east of Timiosara, also including Chernivtsi and Odessa along with much of SW (OTL) Ukraine.
-Minhea, son of Vlad, secures power in Wallachia and marries into control of Moldovia. He consolidates power and his son capitalizes on the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514 to hand Ottomans a major defeat in 1516, pushing into Bulgaria
-Marriage of Minhea's grandson into Hungarian royal family with Transylvania as dowry and land-based follow-up to Battle of Lepanto pushes Draculean/Romanian forces into Varna, Sofia, and towards Belgrade. Ruthless treatment of Ottoman opponents and survivors under Vlad IV is the stuff of legends, including a recreation of Basil II's 'Bulgaroctonos' event. By the death of Vlad IV, although Adrinople and Greece remain Turkish, much of modern Bulgaria and parts of Serbia are in Romanian hands. A dream of a Romanian port on the Mediterranean come into being at Thessaloniki.
-Matthias I begins the 'Golden Century' following the failed Siege of Vienna by Sulieman the Magnificent. Romanian forces use the siege to begin threatening Istanbul itself, taking Thessaloniki, Mount Athos, Adrinople, and trapping the Sultan's army in Europe. Persian forces take advantage of the situation as Sulieman passes away and two of his sons take control - one in Europe, one in Asia. While the Romanians make like ghosts and attack almost exclusively at night, the Ottomans in Europe suffer withering casualties. Less than a third of their army returns to Istanbul intact and a civil war begins between Selim and (an imposter posing as a living) Bayezid. The war allows the Romanians to consolidate the whole of the Balkans south of Pecs and Szeged and east of Timiosara, also including Chernivtsi and Odessa along with much of SW (OTL) Ukraine.
The only possible scenario: the Vlach-Bulgarian Empire of Asen brothers becomes more Vlach as the time goes rather than more Bulgarian. It would be a Balkan Romanian empire, but it could expand later north of Danube to incorporate present-day Romania.
As for the principalities of Wallachia and Moldova, not many chances, they appeared too late in the game, much powerful neighbours.
As for the principalities of Wallachia and Moldova, not many chances, they appeared too late in the game, much powerful neighbours.
Because to take the city is one thing, to hold it another. They would - eventually - but doing so too early would invite other Balkan states (Hungary, Serbia, Commonwealth, etc.) to attack. With the Straits becoming a bigger source of food in Europe as time goes by they would need to be big enough to fend off almost any single challenger without crumbling quickly as many powers would want an open Straits for trade.
Zagan
Donor
I wrote a very detailed TL featuring a spectacular Romanian Empire some time ago. Sadly, I havn't finished it yet.
