Trei Scaune County is one of the historical counties of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

, in the historical region of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

. The county seat was

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...

Geography

The county covered and was located in the central part of

Greater Romania The term Greater Romania ( ro, România Mare) usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea. As a concept, its main goal is the creation ...

, in the southeast of

. Its territory comprised a large part of the current territory of

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romania' ...

. It was bordered west by

Brașov County Brașov County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian, it is known ...

, to the north by the counties of Odorhei, Ciuc, and

Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...

, to the east by

Putna County Putna County was a county (Romanian language, Romanian: ''județ'') in the Kingdom of Romania, in southern Moldavia. The county seat was Focșani. The county was located in the central-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the south of Moldavia. To ...

, and to the south by

Buzău County Buzău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 432,054 and the population density was 70.7/km2. * Romanians – 97% * Roma ...

. The county was disbanded with the administrative reform of 6 September 1950.

History

Prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the territory of the county belonged to

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and mostly was identical with the

Háromszék County Háromszék (''Three Seats''; Romanian: ''Trei Scaune'') was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Situated in south-eastern Transylvania, its territory is now in central Romania (in the counties of Covasna, Brașov and B ...

of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. The territory of Trei Scaune County was transferred to Romania from Hungary as successor state to Austria-Hungary in 1920 under the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...

. After the administrative unification law in 1925, the name of the county remained as it was, but the territory was reorganized. In 1938,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Carol II Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

promulgated a new

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

, and subsequently he had the administrative division of the Romanian territory changed. 10 ''ținuturi'' (approximate translation: "lands") were created (by merging the counties) to be ruled by ''rezidenți regali'' (approximate translation: "Royal Residents") — appointed directly by the King — instead of the

prefects Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

. Trei Scaune County became part of

Ținutul Argeș Ținutul Argeș (or Ținutul Bucegi) was one of the ten Romanian ''ținuturi'' ("lands") founded in 1938, after King Carol II initiated an institutional reform by modifying the 1923 Constitution and the law of territorial administration. Named aft ...

. In 1940, nearly all of the county was transferred back to Hungary with the rest of

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

under the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...

; the small remainder was added to

and to

. In September–October 1944, Romanian forces with Soviet assistance recaptured the ceded territory and reintegrated it into Romania, re-establishing the county. Romanian jurisdiction over the entire county per the Treaty of Trianon was reaffirmed in the

Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945. The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princi ...

. The county was disestablished by the communist government of Romania in 1950 and its territory became part of the Stalin Region. Trei Scaune County was not re-established in 1968 when Romania restored the county administrative system.

Administrative organization

Administratively, Trei Scaune County was divided originally into four districts ('' plăși''): #Plasa Baraolt, headquartered at

Baraolt Baraolt (; hu, Barót, ) is a town and administrative district in Covasna County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The town was mentioned for the first time as a settlement in 1224. It adm ...

, containing 11 villages #Plasa Covasna, headquartered at

Covasna Covasna (, hu, Kovászna, , german: Kowasna) is a town in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of . It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas. The town administers one village, Chiuruș ( hu, Csomakőrös). The ...

, containing 27 villages #Plasa Sfântu Gheorghe, headquartered at

, containing 21 villages #Plasa Târgu Secuiesc, headquartered at

Târgu Secuiesc Târgu Secuiesc (; hu, Kézdivásárhely, ; german: Szekler Neumarkt; la, Neoforum Siculorum) is a municipiu, city in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania. It administers one village, Lunga (''Nyujtód''). History The town was first mentione ...

, containing 29 villages Later, a fifth district was added:

Plasa Ozun, headquartered at
Ozun Ozun ( hu, Uzon, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a commune in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: *Bicfalău / Bikfalva *Lisnău / Lisznyó *Lisnău-Vale / Lisznyópatak *Lunca Ozunului / Vesszőstelep *Măgheruș / Sep ...
, containing 19 villages

Trei Scaune County contained two urban municipalities (cities):

(county capital) and

(also spelt Târgu Săcuesc).

Population

According to the 1930 census, the county counted 136,122 inhabitants, of which 80.4% were Hungarians, 16.0% Romanians, 2.2% Romanies, 0.6% Germans, 0.5% Jews, and other smaller minorities.Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 476-479 From a religious point of view, the population was divided as follows: 40.6% Reformed (Calvinist), 36.1% Roman Catholic, 14.6% Eastern Orthodox, 4.6% Unitarian, 2.3% Greek Catholic, and other smaller minorities.Recensământul general al populației României din 29 decemvrie 1930, Vol. II, pag. 759-760

Urban population

The urban population was 15,925 in the 1930 census, and consisted of 78.2% Hungarians, 15.3% Romanians, 2.3% Jews, 1.6% Germans, 1.4% Romanies, and other smaller minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was made up of 45.0% Reformed, 31.5% Roman Catholic, 13.0% Eastern Orthodox, 3.0% Jewish, 2.9% Greek Catholic, 2.7% Unitarian, 1.7% Lutherans, and other smaller denominations.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trei Scaune County Former counties of Romania Geography of Transylvania 1925 establishments in Romania 1938 disestablishments in Romania 1944 establishments in Romania 1950 disestablishments in Romania States and territories established in 1925 States and territories disestablished in 1938 States and territories established in 1944 States and territories disestablished in 1950