Entries here consist of Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
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"Endless" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011). The song was released on 25 November 2011 as the fourth single from the album. It was written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. A flamenco-influenced mid-tempoclub-ballad, "Endless" features an acoustic and Spanish guitar in its instrumentation.
Music critics gave favorable reviews of the track, pointing it out as a highlight on I Am the Club Rocker. At the 2011 Balkan Music Awards, the song won in the Best Song in the Balkans from Romania in 2011 category. To promote "Endless", an accompanying music video was shot by Alex Herron and uploaded onto Inna's YouTube channel on 24 November 2011 to positive response. It was connected to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is observed on 25 November. The singer had also launched a foundation against domestic violence simultaneously with the video's release. She further promoted the recording through various live performances. Commercially, "Endless" reached the top ten in Romania and Slovakia. (Full article...)
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"Cliché (Hush Hush)" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her Japan-only reissue of the same name (2013). Written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, it was first released for digital download on 3 October 2012 in Romania through MediaPro. Described as a dance-pop track that features eurodance elements into its sound, "Cliché (Hush Hush)" discusses different themes of love. An accompanying music video for the single was posted onto YouTube on 27 September 2012, being filmed by Iulian Moga at Palatul Snagov. It was generally praised by music critics, with Los 40 Principales citing it under their list of Stan's best clips. Particularly, a scene of the video was compared to vampire movies for teenagers, while another one to 1970s film works. The track peaked at number 91 in native Romania, as well as at numbers 11 and 28 in Japan and Italy, respectively. It was promoted by several live performances, including a tour throughout the United States and an appearance at French music event Starlooor 2012. (Full article...)
Stephen decided to recapture Chilia (now Kiliia in Ukraine), an important port on the Danube, which brought him into conflict with Hungary and Wallachia. He besieged the town during the Ottoman invasion of Wallachia in 1462, but was seriously wounded during the siege. Two years later, he captured the town. He promised support to the leaders of the Three Nations of Transylvania against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in 1467. Corvinus invaded Moldavia, but Stephen defeated him in the Battle of Baia. Peter Aaron attacked Moldavia with Hungarian support in December 1470, but was also defeated by Stephen and executed, along with the Moldavian boyars who still endorsed him. Stephen restored old fortresses and built new ones, which improved Moldavia's defence system as well as strengthened central administration. Ottoman expansion threatened Moldavian ports in the region of the Black Sea. In 1473, Stephen stopped paying tribute (haraç) to the Ottoman sultan and launched a series of campaigns against Wallachia in order to replace its rulers – who had accepted Ottoman suzerainty – with his protégés. However, each prince who seized the throne with Stephen's support was soon forced to pay homage to the sultan. (Full article...)
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The founding of Moldavia (Romanian: Descălecatul Moldovei) began with the arrival of a Vlach (Romanian) voivode (military leader), Dragoș, soon followed by his people from Maramureș, then a voivodeship, to the region of the Moldova River. Dragoș established a polity there as a vassal to the Kingdom of Hungary in the 1350s. The independence of the Principality of Moldavia was gained when Bogdan I, another Vlach voivode from Maramureș who had fallen out with the Hungarian king, crossed the Carpathians in 1359 and took control of Moldavia, wresting the region from Hungary. It remained a principality until 1859, when it united with Wallachia, initiating the development of the modern Romanian state. (Full article...)
After the start of World War II, Gheorghe Tătărescu initiated a move to rally political forces in opposition to Ion Antonescu's dictatorship, and sought an alliance with the Romanian Communist Party (PCR). He was twice expelled from the PNL, in 1938 and 1944, creating instead his own group, the National Liberal Party-Tătărescu, and representing it inside the communist-endorsed Petru Groza cabinet. In 1946-1947, he was also the President of the Romanian Delegation to the Peace Conference in Paris. Then, relations between Tătărescu and the PCR began to sour, and he was replaced from the leadership of both his own party and the Foreign Ministry when his name was implicated in the Tămădău Affair. Following the Communist takeover, he was arrested and held as a political prisoner while being called to testify in the trial of Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu. He died soon after his release from prison. (Full article...)
Charles came to the Kingdom of Hungary upon the invitation of an influential Croatian lord, Paul Šubić, in August 1300. Andrew III died on 14 January 1301, and within four months Charles was crowned king, but with a provisional crown instead of the Holy Crown of Hungary. Most Hungarian noblemen refused to yield to him and elected Wenceslaus of Bohemia king. Charles withdrew to the southern regions of the kingdom. Pope Boniface VIII acknowledged Charles as the lawful king in 1303, but Charles was unable to strengthen his position against his opponent. Wenceslaus abdicated in favor of Otto of Bavaria in 1305. Because it had no central government, the Kingdom of Hungary had disintegrated into a dozen provinces, each headed by a powerful nobleman, or oligarch. One of those oligarchs, Ladislaus III Kán, captured and imprisoned Otto of Bavaria in 1307. Charles was elected king in Pest on 27 November 1308, but his rule remained nominal in most parts of his kingdom even after he was crowned with the Holy Crown on 27 August 1310. (Full article...)
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In Slavic folklore, the raskovnik or razkovniche (SerbianCyrillic and Macedonian: расковник; Bulgarian: разковниче[rɐsˈkɔvnit͡ʃɛ]; Russian: разрыв-трава; Polish: rozryw) is a magical herb. According to lore, the raskovnik has the magical property to unlock or uncover anything that is locked or closed. However, legends claim it is notoriously difficult to recognize the herb, and reputedly only certain chthonic animals are able to identify it. (Full article...)
An accompanying music video for "Gimme Gimme" was shot by Edward Aninaru in October 2016 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and was uploaded onto Inna's YouTube channel simultaneously with the single's release. During the filming sessions, the singer was accompanied by a Romanian and South American team, and both John Perez and Khaled Mokhtar served as directors of photography. The clip portrays Inna exploring the city and ends with her appearance at a party at night. Music critics were positive towards the recording, calling it summery and noting its club-oriented style. Commercially, it reached the top 20 in Romania, Turkey and the French, Polish and British club charts. (Full article...)
A defrockedRomanian Orthodox priest with an unconventional lifestyle, Creangă made an early impact as an innovative educator and textbook author, while pursuing a short career in nationalist politics with the Free and Independent Faction. His literary debut came late in life, closely following the start of his close friendship with Romania's national poetMihai Eminescu and their common affiliation with the influential conservative literary society Junimea. Although viewed with reserve by many of his colleagues there, and primarily appreciated for his records of oral tradition, Creangă helped propagate the group's cultural guidelines in an accessible form. Later critics have often described him, alongside Eminescu, Ion Luca Caragiale and Ioan Slavici, as one of the most accomplished representatives of Junimist literature. (Full article...)
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Yo (English: "I" or "Me") is the sixth studio album by Romanian singer Inna, released on 31 May 2019 by Global Records and Roc Nation. Inna began work on the record in 2016; inspired by a recent trip to Latin America, she decided the album would feature only Spanish language material. Inna contributed significantly to the songwriting process of Yo, and collaborated extensively with Romanian producer David Ciente on its songs. An experimental and heavily gypsy music-influenced effort, Yo marks the first time Inna took control over an album's creative process; it acts as a departure from her past EDM releases. Lyrically, Inna sings about love, and presents several female characters seen from different perspectives throughout the album.
Upon its release, music critics received Yo with positive reviews, commending its experimental nature and the resulting expansion of Inna's artistry. To promote the album, five singles were released from September 2018 to May 2019—"Ra", "Iguana", "Sin Ti", "Tu Manera" and "Te Vas". Of these, "Iguana" experienced commercial success in Romania, peaking at number four on the country's Airplay 100 chart. In addition, Inna made several public appearances in the United States and Mexico to promote "Ra", such as the 2018 Telehit Awards and 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, alongside promotion through Inna's inclusion in magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vogue México y Latinoamérica. A music video directed by Bogdan Păun was filmed for each of the album's tracks, which feature the singer embodying different women as part of independent storylines. (Full article...)
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"Miracle" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Paula Seling and Romanian-Norwegian performer Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu for the latter's 2014 studio album A Bit of Pop Won't Hurt Anyone. It was written by Beyond51, Frida Amundsen, Ovi and Philip Halloun, while production was solely handled by Beyond51. The track was made available for digital download on 28 February 2014 in various countries, along with CDs released in Romania and Norway by the Romanian Television (TVR) and DaWorks, respectively. "Miracle" has been described as a love-themed dance and eurodance song, featuring techno beats and a piano in its instrumentation. Reviewers compared the recording to the music of multiple producers, including Benny Benassi and Avicii.
The track represented Romania in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning the pre-selection show Selecția Națională. This marked the second time that Seling and Ovi took part in the contest, previously having placed third in 2010 with "Playing with Fire". In 2014, the country reached 12th place in a field of 26, scoring a total of 72 points. During the duo's show, the background LED screen displayed blue tones alongside butterflies and colour streams, while a circular piano was also used onstage as a symbol for unity. Several pyrotechnics were present during the performance, including the first use of holograms in the contest's history. "Miracle" received mixed reviews from music critics, who praised the duo's vocal delivery and the song's composition and dance nature, but criticized its lack of innovation and low-quality lyrics. (Full article...)
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The Romanian Air Corps or Aviation Corps (RAC) (Romanian: Corpul de Aviație) was the air arm of the Romanian army until the formation of the Romanian Air Force. It was established on 1 April 1913 as the Military Aeronautics Service (Serviciul de Aeronautică Militară) and subordinated to the Engineer Inspectorate, being organized in two branches – the aviation and the balloon branch. On 23 August 1915, the RAC was formed as an independent military arm and operated until 1 January 1924 when it became an equal to the Army and Navy, being redesignated as the Royal Romanian Air Force (Aeronautica Regală Română).
"Cola Song" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Inna for Body and the Sun (2015), the Japanese counterpart of her fourth studio album Inna (2015), and the American counterpart of her third studio album, Party Never Ends. It was made available for digital download on 15 April 2014 through Atlantic Records, which was the result of the singer signing a record deal with the label earlier that year. Initially planned to be named "Soy Latinna", the recording contains guest vocals from Colombian reggaeton performer J Balvin, who wrote and produced the song along with Andrew Frampton, Breyan Isaac, Thomas Joseph Rozdilsky and Andreas Schuller. The single is musically an electro house, electronic and Latin track which incorporates saxophone and horn in its instrumentation, and elements from Inna's previous collaboration with Schuller on "Piñata 2014" (2013).
"Iguana" is a song by Romanian singer Inna. It was digitally released on 30 November 2018 as the second single for her sixth studio album Yo (2019) by Global Records and Roc Nation, although having already been made available for streaming and airplay earlier that month. It was written by Inna and Cristina Maria Chiluiza, while production was solely handled by David Ciente. Musically, the uptempo track has been described as being club and salsa-influenced, extending Inna's change in direction introduced with "Ra" (2018). The song's lyrics are in Spanish and see Inna discussing jealousy and lovesickness.
Upon its release, "Iguana" was well-received by music critics, who pointed out its catchiness and praised Inna's emotional vocal delivery. An accompanying music video was premiered on Inna's YouTube channel simultaneously with the song's digital release and was directed by Bogdan Păun. During the clip, the singer is shown at a night fiesta in an intoxicated state—as speculated by a reviewer—fighting back for her alleged love interest, who resides with another woman at an outside bar. The song was further promoted by live performances in Romania and Mexico, and reached number four on Romania's Airplay 100 chart. "Iguana" was used for the 2020 Milan Fashion Week. (Full article...)
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"It's My Life" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Cezar, released as part of a CD single in 2013 through the Romanian Television (TVR). It was solely written and produced by Cristian Faur. Musically, the track has been described as an operatic pop and dubstep song, with the latter genre being predominantly present in the track's bridge. A love song, its instrumentation consists of electronic beats, while Cezar prominently uses his "feminine" falsetto register. Reviewers likened his vocal delivery to the works of Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville and Australian musician Nick Cave.
"It's My Life" represented Romania in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden after winning the pre-selection show Selecția Națională. The country reached 13th place in a field of 26, scoring a total of 65 points. Cezar's show featured him dressed in a black sequin cloak standing between fluorescent lighting tubes, while dancers who emerged from a red material placed under him performed interpretive dance. The performance was met with mixed reactions and often featured in publications' lists of Eurovision's most outstanding and peculiar performances. The track itself received similar reviews, with critics arguing over its catchiness, originality, composition and dance nature, as well as over Cezar's vocals. (Full article...)
Andreea Diaconu (Romanian pronunciation:[anˈdrejaˈdjakonu]; born 28 March 1991) is a Romanian model. She is one of the most popular models from Romania. She has been featured on the covers of magazines from France, Romania, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland. Diaconu posed for Vogue magazine for the first time at age 21, for the February 2013 issue. She is the face of Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Belstaff. In 2014, she was part of the spring campaign for Belstaff, featuring David Beckham.
Diaconu is notably the second Romanian, after Diana Moldovan, to pose for the famous Victoria's Secret catalog. Moldovan and Diaconu have also opened three health food restaurants called Moo Moo near Bucharest. (Full article...)
... that film critic and censor D. I. Suchianu wanted Romanian moviegoers to cease "falling asleep whenever they're not shown a naked breast [or] a hip that's getting some action"?
... that Romanian-born Helen O'Brien escaped advancing Russians on the King's horse, opened Eve, and worked as a spy for MI5 and MI6?
... that Matei Donici, a general in the Imperial Russian Army, secretly wrote poetry with Romanian-nationalist and anti-Russian messages?
... that Caloian, a ritual once practiced in southern and eastern Romania, involved the burial of a figurine by young girls, one of whom acted as a priest?
Image 20Seal of Michael the Brave during the personal union of the two Romanian principalities with Transylvania (from History of Romania)
Image 211941 stamp depicting a Romanian and a German soldier in reference to the two countries' common participation in Operation Barbarossa. The text below reads the holy war against Bolshevism. (from History of Romania)
Image 29The map that shows the Dacian invasion of Boii and Taurisci (from History of Romania)
Image 30Romania has seen its largest waves of protests against judicial reform ordinances of the PSD-ALDE coalition during the 2017–2019 Romanian protests. (from History of Romania)
Image 40Lieutenant Emil Rebreanu was awarded the Medal for Bravery in gold, the highest military award given by the Austrian command to an ethnic Romanian; he would later be hanged for desertion while trying to escape to Romania. (from History of Romania)
Image 41Physical and administrative map of Romania, with the historic regions in grey (Țara Românească means Wallachia). (from Geography of Romania)
Image 63The Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1786, Italian map by G. Pittori, since the geographer Giovanni Antonio Rizzi Zannoni (from History of Romania)
Image 72Romania after the territorial losses of 1940. The recovery of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina was the catalyst for Romania's entry into the war on Germany's side. (from History of Romania)
Image 73Proclamation of Union between Transylvania and Romania (from History of Romania)
Image 74Bran Castle (German: Törzburg, Hungarian: Törcsvár) built in 1212, is commonly known as Dracula's Castle and is situated in the centre of present-day Romania. In addition to its unique architecture, the castle is famous because of persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad III Dracula. (from History of Romania)
Image 92Ethnic map of Greater Romania according to the 1930 census. Sizeable ethnic minorities put Romania at odds with Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union throughout the interwar period. (from History of Romania)