Europe in 1300

Wallachia and Transylvania

Wallachia

Wallachia

This region, lying north of the lower Danube River and including the southeastern portion of the Carpathian Mountains, was technically under the rule of the Kingdom of Hungary, but that kingdom had suffered severely from the Mongol invasions of the late 1200s. With the kingdom weakened, local lords began refusing to pay tribute and formed their own principalities. Wallachia was one of these.

It was still in limbo in 1300, but by 1327 we get clear evidence of an emerging state. Throughout the late Middle Ages, the kings of Hungary and the lords of Wallachia and Transylvania were constantly feuding. In addition, as the Ottomans moved into the Balkans, these eastern principalities tried to play one power against the other, sometimes with less success, sometimes with more.

And, before you ask, yes this is the time of the infamous Vlad the Impaler, though he lived in the 15th century. On this map, Transylvania is to the north of the central part of Wallachia.

Transylvania

In 1300, Transylvania was a mess. It had taken the full brunt of the Golden Horde in the 1200s and had been laid to waste. The few survivors had taken to hiding in the mountains. It was in effect re-colonized starting around 1300 by Hungarians, Vlachs and even Saxons. One of the chief differences between Wallachia and Transylvania was that the latter was firmly Roman Catholic while the former was Orthodox. In the 1400s, Transylvania emerged as an important power in eastern Europe under the leadership of John Hunyadi.