Romania Declares Independence from Ottoman Empire
Romania's Chamber of Deputies declared independence from the Ottoman Empire on May 9, 1877, with Foreign Minister Mihail Kogalniceanu reading the declaration during a heated parliamentary session. The timing was strategic: Russia had just entered the Russo-Turkish War and was marching through Romania toward the Danube. Romania's independence declaration allowed it to join the war as a belligerent rather than a mere transit corridor. Romanian troops played a crucial role in the Siege of Plevna, suffering 10,000 casualties. The Treaty of Berlin in 1878 recognized Romanian independence but forced it to cede southern Bessarabia to Russia in exchange for Northern Dobruja. Romania was proclaimed a kingdom in 1881 under Carol I of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty.
May 9, 1877
149 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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