Universitas Valachorum
Encyclopedia
Universitas Valachorum is the Latin
denomination for an Estate
, an institution of self-government of the Romanians
in medieval Transylvania
.
The structure of the Universitas Valachorum placed the leadership of common Romanians upon their own nobility (Voivodes, Knez), enjoying a jurisdiction based on their own laws (Jus Valachicum
). In the face of external danger such as Tatars, Cumans
, Saracens and other pagan
s (omnino Tartarorum vel Cumanum Saracenum vel Meugarium) the Universitas of Romanians was called together with the other Estates of Transylvania (universisque nobilibus Ungarorum, Saxonibus, Syculis et Volachis) to defend Christian
faith - Letter of Lodomerus, archbishop of Esztergom
, 1288
When summoned by the king or the voivod to the general assembly of Transylvania (congregatio generalis), Universitas Valachorum attended the assembly together with the other three Estates of Transylvania: Nobility, Saxons
, and Székelys (Universis nobilibus, Saxonibus, Syculis et Olachis in partibus Transiluanis - András III summoning the assembly of Estates of Transylvania that took place on 22 February 1291).
The last known document attesting the Universitas Valachorum is dated May 1355, as the general assembly of the Estates
(congregatio generalis) was summoned in Turda
/Torda .
After the formation of Wallachia
in 1330 the former Universitas Valachorum was separated in two parts. Those from ultra Alpes in terram Basarab formed the independent ruling class of Wallachia, the Romanians from Transylvania gradually lost their status as an Estate and were excluded from Transylvania's assemblies.
In the year 1366, king Louis I Anjou of Hungary issued a law-and-order Decree of Turda
in part explicitly targeted against the Romanians (presumptuosam astuciam diversorum malefactorum, specialiter Olachorum1, in ipsa terra nostra existencium - the evil arts of many malefactors, especially Vlachs /Romanians that live in that our country; exterminandum seu delendum in ipsa terra malefactores quarumlibet nacionum, signanter Olachorum - to expel or exterminate from this country malefactors belonging to any nation, especially Vlachs/Romanians).
Through the same decree, nobility (nobilis Hungarus) is partially redefined in terms of adherence to the Roman Catholic Church
, thus excluding the Eastern Orthodox schismatic
Romanians.
The main reason for this policy was of political and religious nature: during Louis I's proselytizing campaign, privileged status was deemed incompatible with that of schismatic Eastern Orthodoxy in a state endowed with an apostolic mission by the Holy See
.
Another consequence of the decree was socio-economic: the status of nobleman was determined not only by ownership over land and people, but (from 1366 on) by the possession of a royal donation certificate for the land owned. The Romanian social elite, chiefly made up of aldermen (iudices or knezes), managed to procure few writs of donation; they had ruled over their villages according to the old law of the land (ius valachicum, with its feudal
version, ius keneziale); their lands were, to a great extent, expropriated. Lacking a recognized title to real property, the Eastern Orthodox Romanian elite was not able any more to maintain an Estate of their own and to participate in the country's assemblies.
Insofar as a Romanian elite was preserved, it adjusted to these circumstances by converting to Roman Catholicism
and being absorbed into Hungarian Catholic aristocratic estate (nobilis Hungarus). Those Romanian knezes (and voivods) who did not convert and could not gain the desired privileges gradually declined into the ranks of subjects or even bondsmen.
The last page of the history of Universitas Valachorum was written in 1437, as Transylvania witnessed the official establishment of the "brotherly union" or fraterna unio Unio Trium Nationum
, that is, a community or gathering (universitas) of nobles, Saxons and Székelys, with the view of defending the country against the Ottoman
threat and the inner danger of rebellious peasants. The adoption of the Unio Trium Nationum, which implicitly excluded the Estate of Romanians, gave constitutional sanction to the end of the Universitas Valachorum.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
denomination for an Estate
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
, an institution of self-government of the Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
in medieval Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
The structure of the Universitas Valachorum placed the leadership of common Romanians upon their own nobility (Voivodes, Knez), enjoying a jurisdiction based on their own laws (Jus Valachicum
Lex Antiqua Valachorum
Lex Antiqua Valachorum, meaning "Ancient Wallachian Law", also called Jus Valahicum/Valachorum , represents a collection of the Romanian pre-statal judicial system, with afferent juridical rituals, customs and traditions, kept and transmitted from generation to generation.-In the Romanian...
). In the face of external danger such as Tatars, Cumans
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
, Saracens and other pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
s (omnino Tartarorum vel Cumanum Saracenum vel Meugarium) the Universitas of Romanians was called together with the other Estates of Transylvania (universisque nobilibus Ungarorum, Saxonibus, Syculis et Volachis) to defend Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
faith - Letter of Lodomerus, archbishop of Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
, 1288
When summoned by the king or the voivod to the general assembly of Transylvania (congregatio generalis), Universitas Valachorum attended the assembly together with the other three Estates of Transylvania: Nobility, Saxons
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
, and Székelys (Universis nobilibus, Saxonibus, Syculis et Olachis in partibus Transiluanis - András III summoning the assembly of Estates of Transylvania that took place on 22 February 1291).
The last known document attesting the Universitas Valachorum is dated May 1355, as the general assembly of the Estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
(congregatio generalis) was summoned in Turda
Turda
Turda is a city and Municipality in Cluj County, Romania, situated on the Arieş River.- Ancient times :The city was founded by Dacians under the name Patavissa or Potaissa...
/Torda .
After the formation of Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
in 1330 the former Universitas Valachorum was separated in two parts. Those from ultra Alpes in terram Basarab formed the independent ruling class of Wallachia, the Romanians from Transylvania gradually lost their status as an Estate and were excluded from Transylvania's assemblies.
In the year 1366, king Louis I Anjou of Hungary issued a law-and-order Decree of Turda
Decree of Turda
The Decree of Turda was a decree by Louis I Anjou of Hungary. It had longstanding consequences for the constitutional order and social structure of Transylvania....
in part explicitly targeted against the Romanians (presumptuosam astuciam diversorum malefactorum, specialiter Olachorum1, in ipsa terra nostra existencium - the evil arts of many malefactors, especially Vlachs /Romanians that live in that our country; exterminandum seu delendum in ipsa terra malefactores quarumlibet nacionum, signanter Olachorum - to expel or exterminate from this country malefactors belonging to any nation, especially Vlachs/Romanians).
Through the same decree, nobility (nobilis Hungarus) is partially redefined in terms of adherence to the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, thus excluding the Eastern Orthodox schismatic
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
Romanians.
The main reason for this policy was of political and religious nature: during Louis I's proselytizing campaign, privileged status was deemed incompatible with that of schismatic Eastern Orthodoxy in a state endowed with an apostolic mission by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Another consequence of the decree was socio-economic: the status of nobleman was determined not only by ownership over land and people, but (from 1366 on) by the possession of a royal donation certificate for the land owned. The Romanian social elite, chiefly made up of aldermen (iudices or knezes), managed to procure few writs of donation; they had ruled over their villages according to the old law of the land (ius valachicum, with its feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
version, ius keneziale); their lands were, to a great extent, expropriated. Lacking a recognized title to real property, the Eastern Orthodox Romanian elite was not able any more to maintain an Estate of their own and to participate in the country's assemblies.
Insofar as a Romanian elite was preserved, it adjusted to these circumstances by converting to Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and being absorbed into Hungarian Catholic aristocratic estate (nobilis Hungarus). Those Romanian knezes (and voivods) who did not convert and could not gain the desired privileges gradually declined into the ranks of subjects or even bondsmen.
The last page of the history of Universitas Valachorum was written in 1437, as Transylvania witnessed the official establishment of the "brotherly union" or fraterna unio Unio Trium Nationum
Unio Trium Nationum
Unio Trium Nationum Unio Trium Nationum Unio Trium Nationum (Latin for "Union of the Three Nations" was a pact of mutual aid formed in 1438 by three Estates of Transylvania: the (largely Hungarian) nobility, the Saxon (i.e. German) burghers, and the free Szeklers...
, that is, a community or gathering (universitas) of nobles, Saxons and Székelys, with the view of defending the country against the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
threat and the inner danger of rebellious peasants. The adoption of the Unio Trium Nationum, which implicitly excluded the Estate of Romanians, gave constitutional sanction to the end of the Universitas Valachorum.
Further reading
- Binder Pál, South-transylvanian antecedents and consequences of the formation of the Principality Muntenia, Századok, Budapest, 1995/5http://www.cosys.ro/siculica/acta96/cikkek/ro/binder.htm
- Pop I.-A., Instituţii medivale româneşti. Adunări cneziale şi nobiliare în secolele XIV XVI, Cluj-Napoca, 1991, pp. 9 – 26
- Pop I.-A., Nations and Denominations in Transylvania (13th - 16th Century) p. 111 - 125, In Tolerance and Intolerance in Historical Perspective, edited by Csaba Lévai et al., Edizioni PLUS, Università di Pisa, 2003 http://www.stm.unipi.it/Clioh/tabs/libri/9/08-Pop_111-124.pdf