The Animated History of the Romanian People: From the Roman Conquest (102 AD) to 1940 (King CAROL II)
Frescos by Costin Petrescu (May 10, 1872 – October 15, 1954) Romanian Athenaeum
Dacian Wars: Trajan stands before conquered Dacia, gazing over new lands as Roman legions cross the Danube bridge at Severin. Beside him is Apollodorus of Damascus. Later, Roman cohorts advance, the Tropaeum of Adam-Klissi rising on the horizon.
106 AD
102 AD
The Daco-Roman fusion: shown as a sacred idyll near a Dacian funerary stone from Alba Iulia. A young Dacian woman, widow or orphan, kneels to place an offering on the altar, while a Roman legionary beside her shares the solemn moment.
271 AD
106 AD
The barbarian invasions: under a darkening sky, the steadfast Roman Sentinel on horseback faces the coming storm of barbarian invasions. Waves of foes crash against Rome’s resolve: Let the great waves of fire come — none shall move me from this place.
after 271 AD
The formation of the Romanian people and culture: as the dark clouds fade, sunlight reveals the humble dawn of Romanian life. Descending from the mountains, people build wooden homes, shrines, settlements. The peasants prepare their axe and bow to defend their land.
before 1290 AD
The formation of Țeara Rumânească (Wallachia): from beyond the mountains appears an armed knight with companions in helmets and mail. The long-awaited guest has “descended” here, and the local people, young and old, greet him with honor, offering bread and salt.
cca 1291/92 AD
cca 1310/15 AD
The reign of Mircea the Elder: the battle-hardened Romanian society forms a powerful army. Mircea the Elder, founder of the Military State, stands as an equal before envoys of the Turkish power. Near the Romanian camp, the great walls of Cozia Monastery rise in light.
1418 AD
1386 AD
The reign of Alexander the Good: the strengthened Romanian land gains organized rule. At Moldovița Monastery, Alexander the Good, its founder, is seen leaving the church, granting swords and charters to his loyal advisers—thus the Administrative State is born for centuries.
1400 AD
1431 AD
The reign of John Corvinus: The strengthened Romanian people rise for greater deeds. John Corvinus, with Vlad Dracul and Stephen II, raises the cross to drive out the Turks. Behind them stands the proud silhouette of the Hunedoara Castle.
1441 AD
1448 AD
The reign of Vlad Țepeș: Draculea rides on horseback at the head of a troop of Wallachian knights, leading them valiantly, while the imposing Poenari Fortress rises dramatically in the distant background.
1448 AD
1476 AD
The reign of Stephen the Great: before Suceava Fortress, Stephen the Great, surrounded by soldiers and clergy, stands at the height of his glory as a brave Christian. Envoys of Pope Sixtus IV present him the sword of victory and the title “Athleta Christi”, Defender of Christianity.
1457 AD
1504 AD
The reign of Neagoe Basarab: During an era of peace and faith, Neagoe Basarab and Lady Despina, with their court, stand gracefully before the grand Curtea de Argeș Monastery, a symbol of devotion and splendor
1512 AD
1521 AD
The reign of Michael the Brave: the valiant voivode, leading his captains, banners, and army, enters Alba Iulia as ruler of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, united by his victorious sword.
1593 AD
1601 AD
The era of Matei Basarab and Vasile Lupu: amidst war and turmoil, a cultural awakening emerges. Chroniclers appear, and Romanian printing flourishes under Matei Basarab in Wallachia and Vasile Lupu in Moldavia, with Târgoviște walls and Iași’s Three Hierarchs Church in the background.
1632 AD
1654 AD
The reign of Dimitrie Cantemir: the erudite ruler of Moldavia, emerges as a towering cultural figure. A true polymath, he writes major works of history, philosophy, literature, geography, and science—Description of Moldavia, Hieroglyphic History, The Divan (council) or the Wise Man’s Debate with the World, and his study of the Ottoman Empire—marking the integration of Romanian culture into the European intellectual sphere.
1693 AD
1711AD
The reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu: in Wallachia, Constantin Brâncoveanu ushers in the hallmark era of Romanian religious art. Painters and sculptors work by the Hurezi Monastery porch, while the spread of Romanian books awakens national consciousness, sparking popular revolts.
1688 AD
1714 AD
The uprising from 1784: the martyrs Horea, Cloșca, and Crișan lead the 1784 Transylvanian uprising, with the moți rising to break the chains of serfdom. In the background stands the church of Țebea, the sacred altar of the Apuseni martyrs.
1784 AD
1784 AD
The 1821 Revolution: Tudor, the great Oltean, receives from the boyars of Bucharest the act confirming the rights demanded by the Adunarea Norodului. Nearby stands Bishop Ilarion of Argeș, with an Oltenian culă behind him and, farther off, the towers of Hurezi Monastery, from where the revolutionary army set out. The figure of Gheorghe Lazăr, teacher of Romanian learning, links the Transylvanian uprising with Tudor Vladimirescu’s movement.
1821 AD
1821 AD
The 1848 Transylvania Revolution: in the Apuseni Mountains, Avram Iancu, followed by Buteanu, the tribunes, and the moți army, marches beneath the first Romanian tricolor, accompanied by “priests with the cross held high,” to win the people’s freedom by the sword.
1848 AD
1848 AD
The 1848 Revolution in the Romanian Principalities: young boyars inspired by Western democratic ideals embrace their peasant brothers and raise the banner of “Brotherhood and Justice.” In the background rises Bucharest’s Metropolitan Hill, stage of many national movements.
1848 AD
1848 AD
The unification of Țara Românească (Wallachia) and Moldova under A.I. Cuza: the 2 principalities are shown as two young women in traditional dress, spin the shared thread of national destiny in the 1859 Union. Under Cuza Vodă, peasants receive land reform, aided by Mihail Kogălniceanu.
1859 AD
1866 AD
The reign of Carol I: obtains the Independence and creates the Romanian Kingdom, is shown on horseback among his soldiers, receiving a captured enemy flag. Nearby, Queen Elisabeta tends the wounded, I.C. Brătianu appears, and the Cernavodă bridge marks his reign.
1866 AD
1914 AD
The Great War: Romanian trench soldiers emerge from a fortified shelter and rise to attack. Around them lie wooden crosses, barbed wire, and bomb bursts, capturing the harsh, heroic struggle for national unification.
1916 AD
1918 AD
The Greater Romania : King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie ride in coronation attire before the Alba Iulia Cathedral. Behind them follow I.C. Brătianu, mounted soldiers, passing four maidens symbolizing Romania, Transylvania, Bukovina, and Bessarabia.
1918 AD
1930 AD
1859 AD
Modern Romania (scene now erased from the Athenaeum): King Carol II, “the king of culture,” descends with his son, the Grand Voivode Mihai, before the people, urging them to strengthen the “Great Heritage” through education. In the foreground, a peasant mother entrusts her children to the youthful generation, guided toward a future built on cultural and civic renewal.
1930 AD