History Sălaj County

1 history

1.1 antiquity
1.2 daco-roman period , middle ages
1.3 under hungarian rule
1.4 modern era

history
antiquity

on 28 july 1978, team of speleologists discovered in cave of cuciulat paleolithic paintings 12,000 years old, unique in romania. called romanian altamira , cave features several red paintings of animals, including horses , felines. these first manifestations of kind known in southeastern europe.

the first villages in current territory of sălaj county 7,500 years old. first ceramic pots in sălaj area same age. first houses several rooms built in county 6,000 years ago. studied bronze age settlement in romanian territory located in sălaj county, in recea.

so far, 63 bronze artifacts have been discovered dating far 17th–9th centuries bc. bronze items period discovered in sălaj county exhibited today in renowned museums in germany, united states, hungary, bucharest. 6 defense citadels dated first iron age, 11th–4th centuries bc.

daco-roman period , middle ages

castra of buciumi



body chain 52 pendants, part of treasure of Șimleu silvaniei, exhibited @ kunsthistorisches museum in vienna.

between 2nd century bc , 1st century ad, current territory of sălaj occupied dacians. there dacian tribal union between crasna , barcău rivers controlled access roads north-west, , transylvania, commerce, salt trade. dacian period come no less 23 dacian thesauri, made of silver coins , ornaments. 3,000 coins , 70 silver ornaments weigh in total 13 kg. largest fortified dacian settlement in romania discovered in sălaj county, dating 1st century ad. in total, in sălaj county discovered sites of 30 dacian villages , 15 dacian citadels defending tribal union in west of current county. these citadels located on hills , fortified ditches , earth walls, on erected wooden palisades. center of tribal union on măgura Șimleului, in complex of settlements , fortifications.

in western half of county, under roman military control, subsequently settled vandals, entered alliance dacians, supported romans fight other barbarians. vandals arrived in area during 1st century ad, coming current territory of denmark.

porta praetoria @ porolissum



dezső citadel in almașu, built between 1247–1278, 1 of oldest , strongest medieval citadels in transylvania.

after conquering dacia, romans built on place of dacian settlement capital of dacia porolissensis, @ porolissum (current moigrad). capital porolissum had 20,000 inhabitants, defended militaries in local castra. work of art should mentioned amphitheater, scale replica of 1 in rome, capacity of 6,000 seats. in 214 ad, roman emperor marcus aurelius antonius visited porolissum. @ porolissum quartered period cohors iii dacorum, made of ethnic dacians, fought infantry.

in sălaj county area identified 9 roman castra (certinae, largiana, optatiana, porolissum, brusturi, buciumi, jac, tihău , zalău) , limes (fortified border) of province. in 275 ad, roman authorities leave province, indigenous people continue live same territories. presence attested archaeologically after leaving region roman imperial authorities.

there followed gepids, passed through area. 2 gepid gold thesauri discovered in Șimleu silvaniei, weighing in total 10 kg of gold , dating 5th century ad, exhibited in museums in vienna , budapest. in 6th–7th centuries ad arrive in area slavic tribes, find here native population.

in middle ages, in 10th century ad, boundary between voivodeship of menumorut , of gelu on meseș mountains. medieval period come more 100 settlements identified in sălaj county (7th–13th centuries). among first counties organized in transylvania crasna county, in 1090, part of current sălaj county.

byzantine chronicles , anonymus gesta hungarorum make first mentions romanians in these places, forms of organization, first documentary attestation of zalău (1220 villa ziloc).

under hungarian rule

starting second half of 11th century, hungarians conquer systematically transylvania organize autonomous voivodate within kingdom of hungary. 1541, transylvania becomes principate under ottoman suzerainty, , 1691, principate within habsburg empire (great principate, starting 1765, prince being king). after formation of austro-hungarian empire (1867), transylvania disappears state, being incorporated hungary. salaj has evolved within history of transylvania, romanian majority population supporting constant process of discrimination. during middle ages, transylvania politics monopolized unio trium nationum (political alliance of nobles, saxon , szekler rulers formed during bobâlna revolt of 1437–1438).

in salaj county medieval citadels , castles belonged noble families (dragu, jibou, gârbou, Șimleu silvaniei, etc.). among them almașu citadel (romanian: cetatea almașului) (nowadays, in ruins), built in 13th century, property of transylvanian voivodes, of petru rareș, prince of moldavia.

michael brave defeating hungarians in guruslău, 1601

the history of salaj county includes important episode related historical facts of maker of first political union of wallachia, transylvania , moldavia, michael brave. on 3 august 1601, armies led michael brave , austrian general giorgio basta defeated hungarian noble army led prince sigismund báthory @ guruslău, near zalău (where erected memorial).

in forefront of struggle national rights of romanians have been personalities of sălaj county. among romanian revolutionaries of 1848 can mentioned alexandru papiu ilarian , simion bărnuțiu, became ideologist of romanian revolution in transylvania.

modern era

following establishment of romanian national party in transylvania (1869) , adoption of passivist tactics (non-participation in political life of hungary), sălaj leaders of party participated in largest protest during political passivism period, memorandist movement (1892–1894). noticed contribution of gheorghe pop de băsești. failure of political passivism determined pnr leaders pass political activism , starting 1905. @ stage of political activism, transylvanian romanians achieve representation in parliament in budapest, there advocating national rights. remarked activity of iuliu maniu, greatest politician in history of sălaj.

in national , international favorable conditions of 1918, leaders of romanians in transylvania organized great national assembly in alba iulia (1 december 1918), plebiscitary character, decided union of transylvania romania. political elites in sălaj had leading role in events. gheorghe pop de băsești elected president of great national council (legislative body), iuliu maniu became president of governing council (executive body), , victor deleu leader of interior within governing council (the 2 institutions have led transilvania during provisional autonomy until april 1920).

leaders of romanian national party (from left): alexandru vaida-voevod, miron cristea , iuliu maniu



administrative map of interwar sălaj county



hungarian army troops entering in zalău, 8 september 1940

in interwar period, sălaj evolved within history of greater romania. remarked iuliu maniu s political activity, president of pnr, president of pnȚ , prime minister of romania. @ beginning of greater romania, sălaj county had 3,815 km , 226,716 inhabitants, of which: 139,878 romanians, 70,405 hungarians, 9,322 slovaks, 831 jews, 6,282 other nationalities. legislation of greater romania offered possibility of functioning of schools or departments in native languages. according documents state archives, sălaj county, in 1933 had 342,642 inhabitants, of which: 202,176 romanians, 90,800 hungarians, 30,840 germans, 17,138 jews, 1,715 other nationalities. number of students was: 44,921 romanians, 20,192 hungarians, 3,287 germans, 2,111 jews, 396 other nationalities.

by second vienna award, concluded on 30 august 1940, nazi germany , fascist italy forced romania cede hungary northwestern transylvania. until march 1945, when ceded part return romania (during petru groza government), sălaj part of hungary. between 1940 , 1944, in sălaj county numerous killings carried out horthy s troops on romanian population, claiming lives of 495 people, of in villages of ip , treznea. starting 14 october 1944, romanian armies carried military operations in territory of sălaj county, gradually liberating hungarian-horthyist occupation.

after 1947, sălaj inhabitants have experienced realities of communist totalitarian regime. among sălaj personalities, can mentioned artist ioan sima who, in 1980, donated county museum of history , art in zalău paintings , graphics, personal archive , library of art.

after december 1989, in conditions of return democratic political regime , euro-atlantic integration, sălaj has become model of interethnic cohabitation, manifested in education. politically, remarked activity of corneliu coposu, former personal secretary of iuliu maniu. name links clotting of romanian democratic convention succeeded first democratic alternation in power in post-revolutionary romania.