The purpose of this narrative is twofold: on the one hand, to examine the role played by tsarist Russia in the formation of an independent Romanian state, and on the other, to study the reaction of a Balkan nationality to the influence of a neighboring great power that was both a protector and a menace. The period of emphasis is the years from 1821, when a revolt with both Romanian and Greek leadership occurred in the Danubian Principalities, to 1878, when Romanian independence was accepted by the powers in the Treaty of Berlin. All of the events pertaining to Russian–Romanian relations do not receive equal attention; the weight is placed on those episodes that were crucial to the formation of the modern Romanian state and its leadership: the establishment of the Russian protectorate, the revolution of 1848, the reorganization of the Principalities after 1856, the double election of Alexander Cuza and his subsequent unification of the administrations and legislatures of the Principalities, the advent of Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1866, and, finally, the Balkan crisis of 1875–1878.

The relationship of Russia and the Romanian Principalities involved far more than the issues common in diplomatic history. The conservative nature of Russian autocracy and the basically liberal stance of the Romanian national leadership after 1848 made political ideology a major cause of friction. The Russian government was always deeply concerned about the political institutions established in the Principalities. In addition, two related questions, the revolutionary movements and the status of Orthodox institutions, played a major role in the mutual relationship.