Initially inhabited by Dacians, Oltenia was incorporated in the Roman Empire. In 129, during Hadrian's rule, it formed Dacia Inferior, one of the two divisions of the province ; Marcus Aurelius' administrative reform made Oltenia one of the three new divisions as Dacia Malvensis, its capital and chief city being named Romula. It was colonized with veterans of the Roman legions. The Romans withdrew their administration south of the Danube at the end of the 3rd century and Oltenia was ruled by the foederatiGermanicGoths. In the late 4th century Oltenia came under the rule of the Taifals before invasion by the Huns.
From 681, with some interruptions, it was part of the Bulgarian Empire. In 1233, the Kingdom of Hungary formed the Banate of Severin in the western part of the region that would persist until the 1526 Battle of Mohács. Around 1247 a polity emerged in Oltenia under the rule of Litovoi. The rise of the mediaeval state of Wallachia followed in the 14th century, and the voivode was represented in Oltenia by a ban - "the Great Ban of Craiova". This came to be considered the greatest office in Wallachian hierarchy, and one that was held most by members of the Craiovești family, from the late 15th century to about 1550. The title would continue to exist up until 1831. During the 15th century, Wallachia had to accept the Ottomansuzerainty and to pay an annual tribute to keep its autonomy as a vassal. From the Craiovești family, many bans cooperated with the Turks. However, many rulers, including the Oltenian-born Michael the Brave, fought against the Ottomans, giving Wallachia brief periods of independence.
Modern times
After 1716, the Ottomans decided to cease choosing the voivodes from among the Wallachian boyars, and to appoint foreign governors. As the governors were Orthodox Greeks living in Phanar, Constantinople, this period is known as the Phanariote regime. in the 18th century Two years later, in 1718 under the terms of the Treaty of Passarowitz, Oltenia was split from Wallachia and annexed by the Habsburg Monarchy ; in 1737, it was returned to Wallachia under Prince Constantine Mavrocordatos. Under the occupation, Oltenia was the only part of the Danubian Principalities to experience Enlightened absolutism and Austrian administration, although these were met by considerable and mounting opposition from conservative boyars. While welcomed at first as liberators, the Austrians quickly disenchanted the inhabitants by imposing rigid administrative, fiscal, judicial and political reforms which were meant to centralize and integrate the territory. In 1761, the residence of Bans was moved to Bucharest, in a move towards centralism. It remained there until the death of the last Ban, Barbu Văcărescu, in 1832. In 1821, Oltenia and Gorj County were at the center of Tudor Vladimirescu's uprising. Vladimirescu initially gathered his Pandurs in Padeș and relied on a grid of fortified monasteries such as Tismana and Strehaia.
Symbol
The traditional heraldic symbol of Oltenia, also understood to represent Banat, is part of the coat of arms of Romania : on gules field, an orlion rampant, facing dexter, holding a sword, and standing over an or bridge and stylised waves.
