List of massacres in Romania

The following is a list of massacres that have occurred in the territory of present-day Romania (numbers may be approximate):

Name Date Present location Deaths Notes
Siculeni massacre 7 January 1764 Csík-Mádéfalva, Principality of Transylvania, Habsburg monarchy (today Siculeni, Harghita County) 400 Székelys Memorial plaque unveiled on the spot in 1899 mentions 200 victims.
Revolt of Horea, Cloșca and Crișan late 1784 Grand Principality of Transylvania, Habsburg Monarchy (today primarily Hunedoara County, Alba County, and Arad County, to a lesser extent also Brașov County, Sibiu County, Cluj County, Timiș County) About 4,000 victims Mostly Hungarian nobles and Hungarian civilians in towns were targeted in a total of 133 settlements. Further thousands were forcedly converted to Romanian Orthodoxy.[1]
Mihalț massacre 2 June 1848 Michelsdorf, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Mihalț, Alba County) 12 armed Romanian peasants After an illegal attack on a noble estate in the village, thousands of armed peasants from Obreja, Cistei, and Crăciunelu de Jos gathered to refuse the entry of the imperial investigative committee, and the entry of the official regiment sent by Anton von Puchner, commander in chief of the Austrian troops in Transylvania. The resulting armed clash killed 12 Romanian peasants and 1 Hungarian soldier. This was the first Transylvanian armed conflict in 1848 and played a major role in the exacerbation of political-ethnic differences in the region.
Nadab massacre 10 September 1848 Nadab, Arad County, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Nădab, Arad County) 3 ethnic Romanians Hungarian troops killed ethnic Romanian civilians after they opposed conscription.[2]
Aranyoslóna massacre 12 September 1848 Aranyoslóna 30 Romanians Hungarian troops massacred ethnic Romanian civilians after they tried to avoid conscription.
Geoagiu massacre October 1848 Gergesdorf, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Geoagiu, Hunedoara County) 85 ethnic Hungarians[3]: 424  Mostly civilians
Bucerdea Vinoasă massacre October 1848 Botschard, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Bucerdea Vinoasă, Alba County) 73 ethnic Hungarians[3]: 424  Mostly civilians
Stremț massacre October 1848 Nussschloss, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Stremț, Alba County) 25 ethnic Hungarians[4] Local noble families
Alba Iulia massacre October 1848 Karlsburg, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Alba Iulia, Alba County) 42 ethnic Hungarians Civilians[3]: 337 
Grindeni massacre October 1848 Gerendkeresztúr, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Grindeni, Mureș County) 200 ethnic Hungarians Civilians[3]: 424 
Lunca Mureșului massacre October 1848 Holten, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Lunca Mureșului, Mureș County) 60 ethnic Hungarians Civilians[3]: 424 
Hațeg massacre October 1848 Wallenthal, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Hațeg, Hunedoara County) 15 ethnic Hungarians Civilians massacred on the order of the Romanian Orthodox priest.[3]: 376 
Ocna Mureș massacre October 1848 Miereschhall, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Ocna Mureș, Alba County) 90 ethnic Hungarians Civilians living in the town[3]: 376 
Micăsasa massacre October 1848 Feigendorf, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Micăsasa, Sibiu County) 150 ethnic Hungarians All locals except for one family were massacred[5]
Sângătin massacre 14 October 1848 Kleinenyed, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Sângătin, Sibiu County) 140–175 ethnic Hungarians Mostly civilians
Zlatna massacre 22–24 October 1848 Kleinschlatten, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Zlatna, Alba County) 8–10 Romanian spearmen
700 ethnic Hungarians		 All the Hungarian civilians fled from the town but were raided near the village Presaca Ampoiului and were all massacred. The town was completely destroyed.[3]: 420 [6]: 682 [7]
Ighiu massacre 29 October 1848 Grabendorf, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Ighiu, Alba County) 200 ethnic Hungarians The entire Hungarian population of the village, except for the Hungarian priest was massacred.[3]: 420 
Bochia massacre 30 October 1848 Boklya, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Bochia, Arad County) 30 ethnic Hungarians[3]: 424  Mostly civilians
Unirea massacre 13 November 1848 Oberwinz, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Unirea, Alba County) 200 ethnic Hungarians[3]: 424  The whole village was destroyed and most civilians massacred
Aiud massacre 8–17 January 1849 Straßburg am Mieresch, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Aiud, Alba County) 800–1,000 ethnic Hungarians Mostly civilians. The whole city with the ancient Bethlen College was burned and destroyed.[6]: 682  Mass rape and torture.[8]
Iara massacre 15 and 17 January 1849 Jahren, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Iara, Cluj County) 150 ethnic Hungarians and 33 ethnic Romanians Civilians[3]: 433 
Benic massacre January 1849 Unter-Hahnenberg, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Benic, Alba County) 400 ethnic Hungarians[3]: 424  By the order of the Romanian Greek Catholic priest, the entire Hungarian population was wiped out[6]: 695 
Heria massacre January 1849 Brenndorf, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Heria, Alba County) 18 ethnic Hungarians
Abrud massacre 9 and 17 May 1849 Großschlatten, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Abrud, Alba County) 1,100–1,200 ethnic Hungarians Mass torture and rape. Casualties were mostly miners and officers and their families.[3]: 433 
Buceș massacre 9 May 1849 Bucsesd, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Buceș, Hunedoara County) 200 ethnic Hungarians
Butyin massacre 6 August 1848 Butyin, Arad County, Grand Principality of Transylvania, Austrian Empire (today Buteni, Arad County) 8 ethnic Romanians Ethnic Romanians killed for opposing the plundering by Hungarian troops.[9]
Massacres during the Peasants' Revolt March–April 1907 Western Moldavia and southern Wallachia, Kingdom of Romania cca. 11,000 peasants Peasants rebelling against economic conditions killed in various places across the country
1916 Galați massacre 13 June 1916 Galați, Covurlui County, Kingdom of Romania (today Galați, Galați County) 9 workers Workers participating in an anti-war demonstration shot by the army[10][11]
Lăzarea massacre 22 September 1916 Gyergyószárhegy, Austria-Hungary (today Lăzarea, Harghita County) 8 Hungarian civilians The leadership of the village was shot in a mass grave without trial, further 57 civilians only escaped because a high-ranking officer arrived and stopped the massacre.[12]
Beliș massacre [ro] 8 November 1918 Jósikafalva, Austria-Hungary (today Beliș, Cluj County) 45–50 civilians[13][14] Mostly ethnic Romanians
Theater's Square massacre 13 December 1918 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania up to 102 workers Striking workers shot by the army
Tărcaia and Grădinari massacres [ro] 19 April 1919 Köröstárkány and Kisnyégerfalva, Hungarian Soviet Republic (today Tărcaia and Grădinari, Bihor County) 108 ethnic Hungarians All civilians.[15]
Lupeni massacre 6 August 1929 Lupeni, Hunedoara County, Kingdom of Romania 22 workers Striking workers shot by the army and the gendarmerie
Grivița massacre 16 February 1933 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania 7 workers Striking workers shot by the army and the gendarmerie
1940 Galați massacre 30 June 1940 Galați, Covurlui County, Kingdom of Romania (today Galați, Galați County) 80 to 400 Bessarabian and Jewish refugees Bessarabians returning home and Jewish Romanians wanting to escape the anti-Semitic regime shot while waiting to cross into the Soviet Union
Dorohoi pogrom 1 July 1940 Dorohoi, Dorohoi County, Kingdom of Romania (today Dorohoi, Botoșani County) 53 Jews Jewish community in Dorohoi claims the death toll between 165 and 200.[16]
Nușfalău massacre 8 September 1940 Szilágynagyfalu, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Nușfalău, Sălaj County) 11 ethnic Romanians
Treznea massacre 9 September 1940 Treznea, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Treznea, Sălaj County) 93 ethnic Romanians and Jews
Ip massacre 14 September 1940 Ip, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Ip, Sălaj County) 157 ethnic Romanians 158, including an unborn child[17]
Jilava massacre 26 November 1940 Jilava, Ilfov County, Kingdom of Romania 64 political detainees
Bucharest pogrom 22 January 1941 Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania 120 Jews Other five Jews were missing and presumed dead.[18]
Iași pogrom 29 June - 6 July 1941 Iași, Iași County, Kingdom of Romania 13,266 Jews Under the direction of Marshal Ion Antonescu, one third of the city's Jewish population was exterminated
Aita Seacă massacre 4 September 1944 Szárazajta, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Aita Seacă, Covasna County) [19][20] |
Luduș massacre 5–13 September 1944 Marosludas, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Luduș, Mureș County) 15 Jews and 2 ethnic Romanians
Sărmașu massacre 17 September 1944 Nagysármás, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Sărmașu, Mureș County) 126 Jews
Hărcana massacre [ro] 24 September 1944 Hărcana, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Hărcana, Cluj County) 18 ethnic Romanians
Various massacres by the Maniu Guard September–October 1944 Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary 49 ethnic Hungarians Mihăileni, Gheorgheni, Sândominic, Zimbor, Aghireș, Huedin
Moisei massacre [ro] 14 October 1944 Majszin, Northern Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary (today Moisei, Maramureș County) 29 ethnic Romanians Two men were also seriously injured.[21][22]
Eugen Grigore case July 1974 Ciurea, Iași County, Socialist Republic of Romania 24 Romani Around 50 other people were also injured.[23]
Romanian Revolution of 1989 16–25 December 1989 Main Romanian cities, Socialist Republic of Romania 1,104
Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș 19–21 March 1990 Târgu Mureș, Mureș County, Romania 5 Hundreds of people were also wounded.
June 1990 Mineriad 13–15 June 1990 Bucharest, Romania 6–100
September 1991 Mineriad 25–28 September 1991 Bucharest, Romania 4
Hădăreni riots 20 September 1993 Hădăreni, Mureș County, Romania 3
2012 Bucharest hair salon shooting 5 March 2012 Bucharest, Romania 5 A 51-year old man killed 2 people and injured another 8 people in a salon in Bucharest.
Gheorghe Dinca killings 25 July 2019 Caracal, Romania 2 A 65-year old man is suspected to kill 2 minor girls.
Săpoca Hospital massacre 18 August 2019 Săpoca, Buzău County, Romania 7 A 38-year-old man hospitalised at The Săpoca Hospital killed 5 people and hurt 8 with an infusion stand
Bascov killings 9 August 2022 Bascov, Argeș County, Romania 5 A 52-year-old mentally ill man killed 5 members of his family.[24]
Timișoara killings 29 June 2023 Timișoara, Timiș County, Romania 2 A 38-year old man killed 2 elder people.
  1. ^ Dr. Kosztin Árpád, Az Erdélyben elkövetett magyarellenes román kegyetlenkedések időrendje és leltára, Budapest, 2000, pp. 13.
  2. ^ Ela Cosma. Cronologia anilor 1848/1849 Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine History Institute "George Barițiu", Cluj-Napoca. "10 septembrie 1848, Nădab – conflictul dintre câteva mii de români, înarmați cu coase, refuzând recrutarea în armata ungară, și unitățile militare din Arad, ce omoară și ucid mai mulți răsculați."
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Gracza, György (1894), History of the 1848–49 Hungarian War of Independence, vol. II, Budapest{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Verzeichniss der, während der jüngsten Revolution im Kronlande Siebenbürgen auf verschiedene Weise gefallenes Menschenopfer. Wien, 1851, 24–25. o.
  5. ^ Jakab, Elek (1894). The War of Independence. Vol. II. Budapest. p. 385.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ a b c Jancsó, Benedek (1896). History and Current State of Romanian Irredentist Movements. Vol. II. Budapest.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Horváth Mihály, History of the War of Independence of Hungary, Budapest, 1894, Volume II, pp. 405.
  8. ^ Kemény Gábor, Nagy-Enyednek és vidékének veszedelme 1848-49-ben : történeti vázlat, Pest, 1863, pp. 347-348.
  9. ^ (Romanian) Dumitru Suciu, Soldați fără uniformă ai Landsturmului românesc și starea protopopiatelor ortodoxe din Transilvania după Războiul Național din 1848–1849 p. 11-12. Accessed 2013-06-28. Archived 2013-06-30.
  10. ^ Mazilu, Cornelia (6 February 2021). "„Revoluţionarul" inventat de bolşevici care încă are statuie în centrul unui mare oraş din România - adevarul.ro". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  11. ^ Dobrincu, Dorin (7 September 2020). "Geneza comunismului românesc (XVIII)". moldova.europalibera.org (in Romanian). Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  12. ^ Láng Melinda: Szépapám rossz időben rossz helyen... Az 1916-os gyergyószárhegyi tragédia http://www.muvelodes.ro/index.php/Cikk?id=1178
  13. ^ "105 ani de la masacrul de la Beliş – ziarulfaclia.ro". ziarulfaclia.ro (in Romanian). 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Masacrul de la Beliș a fost un tragic eveniment petrecut intre 7 - 8 noiembrie anul 1918 - Mesagerul de Nord". mesageruldenord.ro (in Romanian). 7 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  15. ^ Eva Nyari, Le Moment de L'éternite, Paris, 2014, pp. 18.
  16. ^ I. Scurtu, Constantin Mocanu, Doina Smarcea, Documente privind istoria României între anii 1918–1944, Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing House, Bucharest, 1995, pp. 529–530
  17. ^ Dr. Petre Țurlea, Ip și Trăznea: Atrocități maghiare și acțiune diplomatică, Encyclopedic Publishing House, Bucharest, 1996
  18. ^ Iaacov Geller, Rezistența spirituală a evreilor români în timpul Holocaustului, pp. 430–431, Hasefer Publishing House, 2004
  19. ^ Cosmin Pătrașcu Zamfirache (6 December 2016). "Cum s-au măcelărit secuii cu românii în urmă cu 72 de ani. Misterele carnagiului de la Aita Seacă și teroarea declanșată apoi". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  20. ^ The Aita Seacă (Szárazajta) massacre (in Hungarian)
  21. ^ Gheorghe Coman, Pe urmele eroilor de la Moisei, Limes Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, 2000
  22. ^ "79 de ani de la Masacrul din Moisei din 14 Octombrie 1944 – Maramures Online". maramuresonline.ro (in Romanian). 14 October 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Cine a fost, de fapt, Eugen Grigore? Povestea nefardată a criminalului omagiat de galeria Stelei" [Who was, in fact, Eugen Grigore? The unadulterated story of the murderer honored by Steaua's gallery] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  24. ^ "Bărbatul din Argeș care și-a ucis 5 membri ai familiei a fost arestat preventiv". Digi24 (in Romanian). August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.