other · Balkans and Hungary

Banat of Craiova

1718 CE – 1739 CE · capital Craiova

Habsburg-ruled Oltenia, the western third of Wallachia, held by Austria for two decades after the Treaty of Passarowitz.

Origins

In the Austro-Turkish war of 1716 to 1718 Habsburg forces occupied Oltenia, the part of Wallachia west of the Olt river. The Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718 ceded it to the Habsburg monarchy, which organised it as a province with its seat at Craiova, the traditional residence of the Wallachian bans.

Rule and society

The province was governed by an imperial administration with a local boyar, Gheorghe Cantacuzino, as ban at first. Vienna introduced a census, regular taxes, a postal service and stricter control over boyars and monasteries, reforms that curbed noble privileges but raised burdens; many peasants fled across the Olt. Orthodox religion and Romanian-speaking society remained unchanged.

Decline and legacy

Habsburg defeat in the war of 1737 to 1739 led to the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, which returned Oltenia to Wallachia under Ottoman suzerainty. The episode left detailed Austrian maps and surveys of the region.

Lineage

Principality of Wallachia 1310 CE – 1859 CEBanat of CraiovaPrincipality of Wallachia 1310 CE – 1859 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Banat of Craiova. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/banat-of-craiova
MLA
“Banat of Craiova.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/banat-of-craiova. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Banat of Craiova.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/banat-of-craiova.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Banat of Craiova’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/banat-of-craiova (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻