Southern Bessarabia or South Bessarabia is a territory of
Bessarabia which, as a result of the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
, was returned to the
Moldavian Principality in 1856. As a result of the unification of the latter with
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
, these lands became part of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
.
In 1878, despite opposition from Romania, the
Berlin Treaty, which followed the
Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), transferred this region back to the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(which reintegrated it into the
Bessarabia Governorate
The Bessarabia Governorate (, ) was a part of the Russian Empire from 1812 to 1917. Initially known as Bessarabia Oblast (Бессарабская область, ''Bessarabskaya oblast'') as well as, following 1871, a governorate, it included ...
).
The transfer of the territory took place in October 1878. From 13 to 18 October, Russia took over Southern Bessarabia while the Romanian officials withdrew.
[Frederick Kellogg, Purdue University Press, 1995, ''The Road to Romanian Independence'', p. 191]
Administrative divisions
The area of the region was and covered 3
counties
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
:
*
Cahul County
Cahul County was a county of Bessarabia. In the Middle Ages, its territory belonged to the Fălciu County, but after the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire in 1812 it became a county by itself.
History
Two smaller, Codru County and ...
*
Bolgrad County
*
Ismail County
Ismail County was a county ( județ) of Romania between 1925 and 1938 and between 1941 and 1944, in Bessarabia, with the capital city at Ismail.
Geography
The county was located in the eastern part of Greater Romania, in the south of the histori ...
Gallery
File:Romania administrative divisions, 1864.svg, Counties of Romania, 1864-1878 (including the 3 counties Cahul, Bolgrad and Ismail)
See also
*
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...
*
Administrative divisions of Moldavia A ''ținut'' (pl. ''ținuturi''; sometimes translated in English as "region", "district" or "municipality"Gerald J. Bobang, ''The emergence of the Romanian national State'', East European Quarterly, 1979. . p. 227.) were the traditional subdivision ...
*
Administrative divisions of Romania
Romania's administration is relatively centralized and administrative subdivisions are therefore fairly simplified.
According to the Constitution of Romania, its territory is organized administratively into communes, cities and counties:
* At ...
References
* Ion Nistor, Istoria Basarabiei, edit. Humanitas, București, 1991
Modern history of Romania
Bessarabia
Moldavia
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