#republica socialistă românia

Romania is a good example of the fluid multi-national nature of many of the small states in Europe - prior to its conquest by the Ottomans in the mid-16th Century, there were many city-states in the area, many of which, in turn, had their own patrilineal aristos (most commonly, princes).  Near the end of Ottoman ascendancy in that part of Europe, various of the Danubian principalities joined together (notably Moldavia and Wallachia) to form the United Principalities, the precursor to the modern state of Romania.  After the Ottomans formally departed in 1877, the Kingdom of Romania was founded under Carol I, a German prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.  The inter-bellum years were not particularly kind to Romania and its people, and post-WWII was even less so, as the influence of the Soviet reaches allowed for the authoritarian (and, quite frankly, sadistic) rule of the Ceaușescus until their execution by their own people in 1989 as Communism fell in Europe.  Romanian, as you know, is a romance language - and I guess here we see what happens when romance and internecine authoritarian squabbles mix.  Harkening back to the good old days of Ancient Rome indeed…..

Stamp details:
Top left:
Issued in: 1864
From: Bucharest, Romanian United Principalities
YC #11

Top right:
Issued on: December 31, 1866
From: Bucharest, Romania
MC #16

Second row left:
Issued in: 1885
From: Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania
MC #57

Second row right:
Issued in: 1919
From: Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania
MC #254

Third row left:
Issued on: April 8, 1948
From: Bucharest, Romanian People’s Republic
MC #1118

Third row right:
Issued on: August 25, 1965
From: Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania
MC #2427

Bottom left:
Issued on: January 8, 1990
From: Bucharest, Romania
MC #4585

Bottom right:
Issued on: January 23, 2019
From: Bucharest, Romania
MC #7493

Recognized as a sovereign state by the UN: Yes (since December 14, 1955)
Official name: Romania; România
Member of the Universal Postal Union: Yes (since July 1, 1875)