Original: It is subject of controversy whether elements of the mixed Daco -- Roman population survived in Transylvania through the Dark Ages ( becoming the ancestors of modern Romanians ) or the first Vlachs appeared in the area in the 13th century after a northwards migration from the Balkan Peninsula .
Simplified: In the past , it was a part of Hungary , was an independent principality , belonged to the Ottoman Empire or was a province of Austria-Hungary .