The events of May 17, 1848Transylvania and the Revolution
Transylvania has been an inherent part of Hungary 
since the foundation of the Hungarian state, i.e., 1000 A.D. In fact, it was the very area where the seven Hungarian tribes arrived in 896 A.D. and occupied the sparsely inhabited land. Another Hungarian group, called the Székelys (who also spoke Hungarian) had already been there, since about 400 A.D., as the leftover remnants of the Huns of Attila.
Later, the Hungarian kings of the House of Árpád, starting with Géza II (1141-1162), settled Saxons from Germany in Transylvania. (For a Hungary/Transylvania locating map click here.) . The Romanians (a.k.a. "Vlachs") immigrated to Transylvania, starting in the 13th century spurred later by pressures from the advancing Ottoman occupation.
Within these nationality groups there were further divisions based on land ownership, nobility vs. serfs and even religious factions. The liberal pronouncements in Hungary at first elicited sympathetic responses within most factions, but soon gave way to suspicion.
Transylvania had its own Diet, in which the Hungarian (i.e., Magyar) and Székely nationalities were represented, but the Romanians (known as Vlachs or Wallachs at the time)were excluded. Fearing the reforms would undermine their traditional power, many Saxons and Hungarian nobles became suspicious of the trends. With the Transylvanian diet reluctant to move, the Vlachs convened a mass congress at Blaj, with about 40 thousand mostly peasant participants on May 15-17. Drawn up by Simion Barnutiu (law student) their "National Petition" demanded the abolition of serfdom, a Romanian militia, Romanian schooling, Romanian representation in the Transylvania Diet which met at Kolozsvár (today's Cluj Napoca).
They also created a Romanian National Guard on the spot.
On June 10, they brought demands to Ferdinand V, residing in Innsbruck, who, however, referred them to Hungarian Prime Minister Batthyány. In the meantime the Transylvanian diet on May 30 unanimously voted for union (to be more precise reunion) with Hungary. Bringing their demands to Pest, the Romanian delegation was told they can only be met to the extent they enjoyed the rights of Hungarian citizenship. This created deep alienation and eventually led to Romanian alliance with Austria against Hungary. A number of Saxons were also apprehensive of Transylvania again becoming part of Hungary, lest their German culture and language be overwhelmed; their "Universitas"organization protested. For more on Transylvania
click here
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