Rebecca Haynes Knihy

Moldova, a new nation-state with deep historical roots, gained independence in 1991 after the Soviet Union's collapse, tracing its origins back to the Principality of Moldavia established in 1359. The region has endured centuries of Ottoman and Russian Imperial control, experiencing a brief period of independence in the early twentieth century before being annexed by the Soviet Union. Today, the unresolved Transnistrian Dispute poses a significant threat to Moldova's sovereignty. This book offers a long-term historical perspective on contemporary Moldova, arguing that the complex relationships Moldovans have with Russia and the West are deeply rooted in history rather than solely a product of the Soviet era. It highlights the contested nature of Moldovan identity and culture, shaped by influences from the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Hungarian and Polish-Lithuanian kingdoms, as well as the Ottoman, Habsburg, Russian, and Soviet empires, and the Romanian state. The narrative encompasses the political and cultural evolution of the medieval Principality of Moldova, its partition, Russian rule in Bessarabia from 1812, the inter-war period under Romanian rule, Soviet Moldova, and the establishment of the independent Republic of Moldova.