reîntregirea

Reîntregirea is a Romanian term that translates to "reunification" or "restoration of wholeness." It most commonly refers to the historical aspiration and subsequent achievement of uniting all Romanian-speaking territories into a single state. This concept gained significant momentum in the 19th century, fueled by Romanian nationalism and the desire to consolidate various principalities and regions that were under foreign rule.

The principal territories involved in reîntregirea were Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania. While Wallachia and Moldavia united in 1859 to form the United Principalities, which later became Romania, Transylvania remained under Hungarian (and later Austro-Hungarian) rule for a much longer period. The dream of a Greater Romania, encompassing Transylvania, persisted throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Reîntregirea was realized in its most comprehensive form following the conclusion of World War I. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire created the conditions for the union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania. This union was formally declared on December 1, 1918, by the National Assembly of Romanians of Transylvania, Banat, and Hungary in Alba Iulia. The subsequent Treaty of Trianon in 1920 officially recognized these territorial changes.

The concept of reîntregirea is deeply ingrained in Romanian national identity and memory, symbolizing the culmination of centuries of struggle for national self-determination and territorial integrity. It remains a significant historical event shaping the modern Romanian state.