Formation of the Principality of Moldavia

Timeline

1. 1340–1345Moldavian river valley · MoldaviaIn the 1340s the Kingdom of Hungary, to consolidate its eastern frontier, encouraged Wallachian nobles to migrate and settle in the eastern Moldavian region, where Wallachian communities gradually formed an independent political and social body.
2. 1345–1353Baia · MoldaviaAccording to Moldavian chronicle tradition, the Wallachian noble Dragoș led his followers into the Moldavian river valley and, with Hungarian support, established an early voivodate regime centered at Baia; the legend of hunting the aurochs became an important part of the founding myth.
3. 1359–1365Moldavia · MoldaviaBogdan I threw off Hungarian suzerainty, defeated Hungarian armies, and formally established the independent Principality of Moldavia, with its capital in the Soroca area; Orthodoxy became the state religion, and the principality became an important political entity north of the Black Sea.