The History of Transylvania, Romania is Found in Maps

To say that Europe has a long history would be an understatement- and most people would wonder how much you can generalize after this.  After all Europe has millions of years of history to it- one can still find dinosaur fossils in many parts of the continent.  When it comes to more of a modern history, such as Romania and its relationship with Transylvania,  You can go and read more books, or you can look at maps.  Both tell a story, but one you can learn from by looking at the information graphically instead of trying to form the pictures in your mind from the text.

This map is from about 1600, just after Michael the Brave was killed after uniting the three principalities of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania.  You can see what would become Romania, and also you can see Transylvania.  On the left is Hungary, and the main heading is "Ottoman", referring to the Ottoman Empire which ruled this part of Europe. (You can also see part of the word Empire at the bottom of the map.)  There was no Romania at this time, but there were many of the castles either built or being built we have come to identify with Transylvania and Romania.

You can also learn about the history of schools in Transylvania.  This map shows some of the areas where there were churches and schools.  While it is mostly focused on the German Saxons, this map gives a person an idea of where people lived. There are facts and legends that need to be put into the proper context, especially when it comes to Transylvania.  Maps help people do this.  They can see and learn from them.  Not all the information is there, but some is.

Each map provides details and parts of history.  When it comes to Transylvania, there is a lot of history to deal with.  There are as many legends out there as well, and if a person understands the history, the legends become more interesting.  The map above shows one of the major German Saxon cities, but it also gives a good indication of the type of region in Europe that Transylvania was part of.  You can see the details of mountains and hills and rivers from this map.  The history of Transylvania is found in maps, but you have to know what to look for.