Pandours, arnaouts and hajduks in 1821 / Panduri, arnăuţi, haiduci şi tâlhari la 1821

This article focuses on a period of political-military effervescence for Romanian countries when, for the first time in a long time, Romanians are an important part of the events. It is the period around 1821, the years that have prepared both Eteria and Tudor Vladimirescu’s movement and the following years with the fierce Turkish repression. The article tries to capture the causes of the actions, sometimes contradictory, division into groups, political-diplomatic backstage, the struggles for national ideals and social justice, but also those for power or wealth, which generated disunity of Christians in front of Turkish army. We wanted to divide them in outlaws (meaning fighters for freedom and justice of their people) and robbers, being convinced that at the year 1821 outlaws and robbers were in all Christian groups (arnaouts, Greeks, Russians, pandours or boyars).