Editing Bucharest (section)

=== Early settlement and medieval period ===
Archaeological evidence in the broader Bucharest area indicates human activity over many centuries, but the city is first clearly attested in written sources in '''1459''', when it appears in documents connected to the rule of [[Vlad III Dracula|Vlad III]] in Wallachia. During this period, Bucharest functioned as a fortified market settlement and strategic point on routes linking the Danube, the Carpathians, and regional trade centers.

Across the 16th and 17th centuries, the settlement expanded in population and administrative importance. Fortifications, churches, and princely residences contributed to its consolidation as a political and economic node within Wallachia.