Feudal Period
Among historians the topic of the Roman evacuation of Dacia is a topic of great debate. Under the influence of political considerations in Romania, proof of a historic right for Transylvania was favoured. Therefore, resettling of all inhabitants is questioned. Some historians are convinced no romanized population remained after 271 in Transylvania (referred to as the Migration Theory). Others maintain the theory of a continuous Daco-Roman presence (The Dacio-Roman Continuity Theory).
After the 3rd century, a gap exists in the documented history of Transylvania, spanning several centuries. Archaeological evidence is also scarce. Therefore, there is at present little evidence to resolve this controversy. One can only assume that the cities and larger garrisons were evacuated and therefore Roman urban life came to an end in Transylvania. However, it appears proven that part of the "vulgar-Latin" speaking population and most of the Christianized Dacio-Roman population continued to flourish in smaller remote communities. Some finds dating from the 4th to 7th centuries (evidence of early Christianity, Roman coins, sections of Latin inscriptions like the "Donarium of Birthälm", and others) provide sufficient evidence. This population was, however, decimated through the centuries. Their wooden tools and buildings rotted and became untraceable by archaeologists.
Too often have historic facts been misinterpreted to suit a political purpose. One can only hope the discussions about the continuity or discontinuity of the population in Transylvania during the post Roman era are elevated to a scientific factual plane in the future, especially in the context of the futile historic arguments for territorial claims.
Goths and Gepids 270-567
The Goths and Gepids were Germanic peoples from southern Scandinavia who migrated south to the area around the Black Sea in the 3rd century AD. The frequent incursions of the Ostrogoths (from modern Ukraine) and the Visigoths (from around the Danube) into the Roman Empire caused the Romans to abandon Dacia in 271.
Huns 375-453
The rule of the Goths was ended in 375 by the Huns, a Turkic tribe coming from the plains east of modern Russia. The Huns under the leadership of Attila were a major military force in central Europe and their rule covered much of modern Hungary and Transylvania. The Gepid leader, Ardaric, was the most favoured ally of the Huns. After Attila's death the Huns left Europe.
Gepids
The Gepids occupied the area East of the Tiza (modern Hungary) where they remained within the Hun kingdom. After the fall of the Huns they briefly ruled much of modern Romania until they were forced out by the Ostrogoths. They were subsequently crushed by the Romans and disappeared from history.
Avars Avars 552-796
The Avars, another Asian-Turkic tribe from the east, took control of parts of southern Russia and Eastern Europe from the Huns and Slavs. They occupied most of modern Hungary with their empire stretching from the Black Sea to the Baltic, but in the 8th century their empire shrank and was finally crushed by Charlemagne in 805.
Slavs Slavs 6th century
By the 6th century the Slavs were the largest European group. Their early origins are not known, but from 1AD they were thought to have lived in the marshes east of Russia.
Following the dissolution of the Hun Empire the Slavs made a rapid expansion populating modern Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Little remains of Slavic Romania apart from some place names and possibly the voivode, administrative regions, of the Romanians inherited by the Magyars in Transylvania.
Bulgars 680
The Bulgars, a Turkic tribe from the east, having been forced from their kingdom around the Black Sea, formed the First State of Bulgaria, as rulers of the Slavs. Their kingdom covered the Danube plain to the north (modern Romania) and south (modern Bulgaria). Later the state of Bulgaria was extended further south into Thrace and Macedonia. For a brief year the Bulgarian rule extended into Transylvania.
Magyars 896
Five Magyar tribes and two Kun tribes entered the Danube basin in 896, settling within modern Hungary. Although these tribes had co-existed with Turkic peoples in the Steppe for a long time, their language structure is distantly related to the Ugrian peoples which includes the Finns, Estonians, and peoples of Siberia. In the following centuries the Magyars extended their rule in all directions forming the country now called Hungary after its previous rulers, the Huns.
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