In this podcast, we’ll follow the peoples of Romania from ancient times to the present. Before we begin, though, let me share a bit of what you can expect from the story.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to A history of Romania. My name’s Arthur and I’ll be your storyteller. Romania is where I was born and spent my childhood, and though I no longer live there, I still have strong ties to the country, and I think its story is one worth sharing.

Romania sits at the crossroads between the East and the West; it’s a nation that, over the centuries, has struggled with its identity and with its powerful neighbours; it’s a nation that has endured, adapted, and become its own, complicated yet fascinating society; and I’d like to share the people, events, and ideas that have defined it.

The great thing about Romanian history is that you probably know nothing about it. It’s not like the story of the Roman Republic where you know Caesar will come out on top, or like that of the French Revolution where you’re waiting for the king’s head to get cut off. Romanian history is so little known that you’ll be able to experience its events as the people at the time did: fully in the moment, not knowing what will happen next.

And if you’re a Romanian and know plenty about its history, you might get a new perspective on it, as I’ve striven to highlight the stories of people who are often overlooked – like regular villagers, enslaved individuals, and women – and explain their role in Romanian history.

The narrative of the podcast isn’t a nationalist one that elevates today’s nation-state of Romania; it’s a narrative that tries to include all the peoples that have lived on its lands – from migratory tribes riding in with their herds, to settlers invited from faraway lands, to native communities who lived through it all.

To explore all these peoples in their due time, the story is divided into five seasons. Season one, Beginnings, talks about the native Dacians, the conquering Romans, and the conflicts and comingling between these two groups.

Season two, Foundations, examines the emergence of the Romanian people and the formation of their first principalities.

Season three, Burgeonings, explores how, even under Ottoman domination, the Romanians developed a unique identity in a time of great discoveries and reformations.

Season four, Unifications, talks about the attempts by Romanians to come together under a single state through revolutions, wars of independence, and the First World War.

Season five, Identities, tackles Romania from the interwar period through the nation’s complicated role in World War Two, its dark days during the communist era, and its emergence from it up to its entry into the European Union.

Of course, any division of history is arbitrary. No two people will tell the same story in the same way: even if they read the same sources, their interests will subconsciously lead them to focus on different facts, their style will affect the narrative they build, and their beliefs will influence the meaning they give to it all. And so, there’s no way to tell an objective history, which is why I’ve called this podcast A history of Romania, not The history of Romania. I want you to be aware that my telling of this story is but one of many possible ones.

The podcast has slightly evolved since its beginnings, which is why I’ve recorded this updated introduction two years into it. Each season begins with a short recap of the story so far before diving into the thick of the narrative and finishing with a series of thematic episodes. During the narrative, I never look forward in time or anticipate the consequences of the events we’re covering; I want you to live the story in the present with the same curtain over the future which the people at the time had. It’s in the thematic episodes that we look at the significance of events on later history and the present, and at how Romanians’ views of the world and of themselves have changed over time.

I won’t spoil anything, but the narrative has a bit of everything – from the Romans in their heyday to the rampaging Mongols, from revolutionaries wielding muskets on barricades to factories billowing smoke and winds of change, and from totalitarian dictatorships that crush the souls of millions to great poets that stir the hearts of millions more.

I hope you enjoy the story.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the episodes.