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TRANSYLVANIA2 (Lat. Transsilvania; Ge...

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 211 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TRANSYLVANIA2 (See also:Lat. Transsilvania; Ger. Siebenbiirgen; Hung. Erdely; Rumanian, Ardeal) , a former principality (Grossfurstentum) occupying the extreme eastern portion of the See also:kingdom of See also:Hungary. It is bounded by Hungary proper on the W. and N., by See also:Bukovina on the N.E. and by See also:Rumania on the E. and S., and has an See also:area of about 21,000 sq. m. Transylvania has the See also:form of an irregular circle, and is a high See also:plateau of a mean See also:altitude of 1000–1600 ft. above See also:sea-level, surrounded on all sides by mountains. These are known under the See also:general name of Transylvanian Mountains (q.v.), which are the See also:south-eastern continuation of the Carpathian See also:system, and fill the interior of the See also:country with their ramifications. On the See also:west or Hungarian See also:side there are comparatively easy passes into the interior, but on the See also:east and south frontiers the lofty mountains give Transylvania the aspect of a huge natural fortress. Among the highest peaks are Negoi (8345 ft.), Bucsecs (8230 ft.), Pictrosu (7544 ft.) and See also:Konigstein (7352 ft.). There are numerous valleys, ravines and canons in the network of mountains covering the interior of the country. The See also:principal plains are: in the valley of the Szamos near See also:Des and Besztercze (Bistritz); in the See also:middle course of the Maros the beautiful Hatszeg valley; the fertile Cibin valley around Nagy-Szeben; the valley of the Aluta near Csik-Szereda, and the one extending from Reps to the Roteturm pass; and lastly the beautiful and fertile Burzenland in the vicinity of Brasso: The altitude of the valleys generally increases towards the east of Transylvania, the lowest depression being found in the western See also:part of the Maros valley. Almost in the centre of the country lies a fertile See also:plain about 6o m. in length and 5o m. in breadth, called Mezoseg or ' The Latin name appears first after the 12th See also:century, and signifies " beyond the See also:woods," i.e. from Hungary; the Hungarian and Rumanian name both mean " See also:forest See also:land." The See also:German name is usually derived from the seven principal fortified towns or " burgs," founded by the German colonists, though some authorities prefer to connect it with the Cibin Mountains on the south frontier.

the Transylvania plain. The principal See also:

rivers of Transylvania, which are either tributaries of the See also:Theiss, or flow See also:direct into the See also:Danube, are: the Maros, which rises in the mountains forming the eastern See also:wall of Transylvania, and taxing first a See also:northern course flows through the country from east to west; its principal affluents are the Gorggeny, the See also:Great and Little Kokel or Nagy and Kis Kiikiillo, the See also:Steel-1 (Sztrigi) and the Cserna on the See also:left, and on the right the Ampoly and the Aranyos, which is See also:rich in auriferous sediments. The Aluta (Alt or Olt) rises not far from the Maros, but takes a southerly direction and pierces the Carpathians at the Roteturm pass, to enter Rumania; its principal tributaries in Transylvania are the Vargyas, the Homorod, the Cibin and the Burzen. The Szamos, formed by the junction of the Great (Nagy) and Little (Kis) Szamos, whose principal affluent is the Bistritz; the Zsil or Jiul; and the See also:White and the See also:Swift Koros are the other principal rivers. The largest See also:lake of Transylvania. is the Czeger or llodosser See, 13 M. See also:long, situated near Szamos-Ujvar, while a great number of small but beautiful See also:mountain lakes are found. The See also:climate of Transylvania is healthy; hot summers alternate with very See also:cold winters, but the rainfall is not great. Transylvania abounds in See also:mineral springs of all kinds, especially saline and chalybeate, the principal ones being found at Borszek, Elopatak, Homorod, Rodna, Tusnad and Zaizon. The principal occupations of the inhabitants are See also:agriculture, See also:cattle-rearing and See also:mining. Of the See also:total area of Transylvania 22.6 % is arable land; 16.5°A,' meadows and gardens; 9.5% pastures and c.5% vineyards; while 37.3% is covered by forests and 13.5% is unproductive See also:soil. The vegetation of Transylvania is luxuriant, except of course in the higher mountain zones. Fruits abound, as apples, See also:pears, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, chestnuts and almonds; mulberries are also cultivated. The See also:vine flourishes best in the valley of the Maros.

The See also:

chief See also:crop is See also:maize; but See also:wheat, See also:rye and other grains, potatoes, See also:saffron, See also:hemp, See also:flax and See also:tobacco are also grown. On the boundary mountains the trees are mainly coniferous; in the interior oaks, elms, beeches and ashes are conspicuous. Bears, wolves, foxes, boars and various varieties of See also:game are found, and on some of the mountains the See also:chamois. There is abundant pasturage on which excellent cattle are reared; and in some districts buffaloes are bred for See also:draught purposes. More important is the breeding of a sturdy See also:race of horses, thousands of which are annually exported. The mountains maintain large flocks of See also:sheep, of which two kinds are distinguished—with a See also:fine See also:short-stapled and a coarse long-stapled See also:wool respectively. Silkworms are bred, and some See also:silk is spun; and the export of See also:honey and See also:wax is not inconsiderable. Transylvania possesses the richest See also:gold mines in See also:Europe, and this See also:metal is also " washed " in some of the streams, chiefly by See also:gipsies. The gold is often found in See also:conjunction with See also:tellurium (first discovered in Transylvania in 1782) and is extracted principally at Nagyag, Kapnik-Banya, Zalatna and Vorospatak. In 1900 the value of the gold extracted was £300,000. See also:Silver, See also:copper, See also:lead and See also:iron are worked to some profit, while See also:arsenic, See also:alum, Lad. See also:marble, See also:porcelain, See also:precious and See also:building stones are also found. See also:Coal is See also:mined in the valley of the Zsil, but the abundance of See also:timber has retarded its exploitation.

Some of the saline springs yield See also:

salt enough to render their evaporation profitable. The principal places where salt is extracted are at Maros-Ujvar, Des-Akna, Kolozs, Torda and Vizakna. In 1900 the value of the mineral products, except salt, was £1,000,000. The See also:industry of Transylvania, although not very See also:developed, made some progress during the last See also:quarter of the 19th century, and is mostly in the hands of the " See also:Saxons." The principal branches are See also:brewing, distilling, See also:flour-milling, See also:sugar, See also:leather, See also:paper, See also:petroleum-refineries, See also:cloth and earthenwares. The See also:production of See also:linen from flax and hemp is a See also:home industry throughout Transylvania. The See also:commerce is fairly active, and is mainly in cattle, See also:dairy products, See also:wood and wooden articles, and petroleum. The See also:population in Igloo numbered 2,456,838. Until 1848 the chief See also:influence and privileges, as well as the only See also:political rights, were divided among the three " privileged nations " of the Hungarians, See also:Szeklers and Saxons. The first are the descendants of the Magyar conquerors. The Szeklers are of disputed origin, but closely akin to the See also:Magyars (see SZEKLERS). The Saxons are the posterity of the German immigrants brought by See also:King Geza II. (1141–1161) from See also:Flanders and the See also:lower See also:Rhine to cultivate and repeople his desolated territories.

At first these were known as Teutones, Teutonici Hospites and Flandrenses, but since the beginning of the 13th century the general name of " Saxons," as tantamount to " Germans," has prevailed. They are generally the most advanced See also:

section of the population. Their See also:literary See also:language is High German, but their spoken language is more of the See also:Low German See also:character. The Hungarians and Szeklers together number 814,994, and the Saxons 233,019, but by far the most numerous See also:element, though long excluded from See also:power and political equality, is formed by the Rumanians, 1,397,282 in number, who arespread all over the country. The gipsies of Transylvania, who are heard of under a See also:voivode or See also:prince of their own in 1417, are estimated at 50,000; many of them have taken to agriculture or gold-washing. See also:Jews, Armenians, Bulgarians, Ruthenians and Greeks are also represented in the medley of peoples. The Magyars are mostly See also:Roman Catholics or Unitarians, the Germans Protestants, and the Rumanians adherents of the See also:Greek See also:Church Transylvania, which was completely incorporated with Hungary in 1868, forms since 1876 one of the seven large administrative divisions into which Hungary was divided in that See also:year. It was subdivided into fifteen countries, and contains the following principal towns: See also:Kolozsvar, Brassb, Nagy-Szeben, Maros-Vasarhely, Besztercze, Fogaras, Torda, See also:Segesvar, Gyula-Fehervar, Des, Szamos-Ujvar. See also:History.—Transylvania formed part of the Roman See also:province of See also:Dacia. After the withdrawal of the See also:Romans the country became for centuries the See also:prey of the various peoples who swept across it in their restless migrations. At the beginning of the 1 rth century (1004) See also:Stephen I. of Hungary made himself See also:master of the land, which was thenceforward governed as a Hungarian province by a voivode. As mentioned above, King Geza II. introduced German colonists, who founded Nagy-Szeben (Hermannstadt), and in 1211 King Andreas II. called in the German See also:Teutonic orders, who settled in the Burzenland.

These German colonists were granted See also:

special privileges, and founded many of the Transylvanian towns. As by the See also:death of King See also:Louis II. in 1526 the Hungarian See also:crown See also:fell to the See also:house of See also:Austria, the voivode See also:John Zapolya succeeded in rendering him-self See also:independent. He and his successors, who were generally elected by the See also:people, were supported by the See also:Turks against the House of Austria, while the difficult nature of their country pre-served them on the other See also:hand from becoming too dependent on their powerful See also:allies. After the defeat of the Turks at See also:Vienna in 1683, their influence in Transylvania waned, and in 1699, by the See also:peace of Carlowitz, the See also:Porte acknowledged the See also:suzerainty of See also:Leopold I. of Austria over Transylvania. By the Leopoldine diploma of 1691 Leopold had guaranteed the See also:ancient rights and See also:laws of the land, and See also:united it formally with the Hungarian crown. In 1765 Maria See also:Theresa made it a See also:grand principality (Grossfurstentum). The efforts of the Rumanian inhabitants to secure recognition as a See also:fourth " nation," and the opposition of the non-Magyar population to a closer See also:union with Hungary, led to troubles See also:early in the 19th century, culminating in 1848. In 1849 Transylvania was divided from Hungary by an imperial See also:decree, and became an See also:Austrian crown-land; but in 186o Transylvania became an autonomous province, with a° See also:separate See also:Diet, and a high executive power of its own. The Diet assembled in Nagy-Szeben in 1863 decreed the See also:complete separation from Hungary, the union with Austria, and the recognition of the Rumanians as the " fourth nation." But the Hungarian See also:government did not recognize this Diet, and the Diet assembled at Kolozsvar in 1865, in which the Hungarians had the See also:majority, decreed again the union with Hungary. By the See also:compromise of 1867 Austria granted the union of Transylvania with Hungary, which was completed in 1868. Transylvania lost every vestige of See also:autonomy, and was fully and completely incorporated with Hungary. Since that See also:time the Magyarization of the principality has steadily been carried through, in spite of the See also:bitter protests and discontent of both the Saxons and Rumanians.

A Hungarian university was founded at Kolozsvar in 1872; and Hungarian is recognized as the See also:

official language. See F. Umlauft, See also:Die See also:Lander Osterreich-Ungarns in Wort and Bild, vol. xiii. (Vienna, 1881) ; E. A. Bielz, Siebenburgen (3rd ed., Hermannstadt, 1903) ; L. H. Gehhardi, Geschichte des Grossfurstentums Siebenbiirgen (Vienna, 1803) ; S. Szilagyi, Monumenta comitialia regni Transsylvaniae, vols. i.--xxi. (See also:Budapest, 1880-1898); F. Teutsch, Geschichte der Siebenbileger Sachsen (2 vols., 3rd ed., Hermannstadt, 1899).

End of Article: TRANSYLVANIA2 (Lat. Transsilvania; Ger. Siebenbiirgen; Hung. Erdely; Rumanian, Ardeal)

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