HISTORY. The Principality of Moldavia was founded about the middle of the fourteenth cen tury by the Wallach Voivode Bogdan. its cradle appears to have been in the northeastern Car pathians, near the sources of the Theiss. It soon grew to be a large State, embracing, in addition to the present Moldavia, 11ukowina and Bessa rabia. The dominion over this region was coveted by the kings of Poland and Hungary, and the Moldavian princes leaned now on the one power and now on the other, neither being able perma nently to assert its over-lordship. Prince Stephen the Great was a powerful ruler (1457-1504). He defied the armies of the great Sultan, _Mohammed II., winning a signal victory over the Turks at Rakova in 1475. His successors, however, were unable to withstand the growing pourer of the Moslems. and early in the sixteenth century Mol davia became tributary to the Porte. The Turks proceeded to build fortresses in the Moldavian territory, and their hold on the country was gradually tightened, although Moldavia re mained without the sphere of Turkish settle ment. From the early part of the eighteenth century clown to the outbreak of the Greek Revo lution in 1821, which began with Ypsilanti's brave deed at Jassi, Moldavia, as well as Wal lachia. was governed by hospodars appointed by
the Sultan, from the aristocratic (Ireek families, known as Fanariotes. The ambitious designs of Russia in the direction of in the regions held in subjection by the Turks—designs which she sought to advance by claiming a protectorate over the Greek Christians in the Turkish 410 ndnions—violeutly affected the fortunes of Mol davia, which lay in the path of the Russian armies, and was repeatedly subjected to Russian occupation. in IS12 Bessarabia was ceded by Turkey to Russia, Ilnkowina having been previ ously (1777) annexed to Austria. After 1521 native princes were once more at the head of the government. But the protectorate accorded to Russia by Turkey in the Treaty of Adrianople (1529) threatened to make Moldavia and Wal laehia mere dependencies of the Russian Empire. All this was changed by the results of the Cri mean War, terminated by the Treaty of Paris (1856). In 1859-61 the union of 'Moldavia and Wallachia into the Principality of Rumania was consummated. See RI:MANIA. MOLDING. See FOUNDING.