Principality of Moldavia

Moldova, 1346–1859. Draft, not yet reviewed

Moldavia was a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. It was first an independent state and later an autonomous state under Ottoman overlordship, and it existed until 1859, when it united with Wallachia. Under Stephen the Great, the state reached its most glorious period. Under Bogdan III the One-Eyed, Ottoman overlordship was confirmed.

Seat of power: Iași

Rulers

Lațcu of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1368–1375

Lațcu converted to Catholicism and tried to strengthen his realm's autonomy by establishing a Roman Catholic diocese directly subordinated to the Holy See.

Portrait of Lațcu of Moldavia: Post of Moldova, Public domain, file

Petru II of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1375–1391

Petru founded the Suceava Citadel, the Neamț Citadel and Neamț Monastery, and built the Holy Trinity Church in Siret. He fixed the princely seat of Moldova at Suceava.

Portrait of Petru II of Moldavia: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Alexander I of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1400–1432

Alexander expanded the bureaucratic system by creating the "Council of the Voivode" and the Chancellory. He built the Bistrița Monastery, where he is buried.

Portrait of Alexander I of Moldavia: Ag0350835, CC0, file

Stephen II of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1433–1447

Stephen II deposed his brother Iliaș I with the assistance of several boyars and of the Wallachian Prince Vlad II Dracul. Later Stephen caught Iliaș and gouged out his eyes.

Iliaș I of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1435–1443

Władysław III helped institute a shared rule of the two brothers over Moldavia.

Stephen III of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1457–1504

Stephen restored old fortresses and built new ones, which improved the defence system of Moldavia. Stephen repulsed Corvinus at the Battle of Baia, after Corvinus invaded Moldavia.

Portrait of Stephen III of Moldavia: Ninhursag3, CC0, file

Bogdan III the One-Eyed

lord of Moldavia, 1504–1517

Bogdan raided southern Poland after his request to marry was refused twice. In October 1509, Bogdan was severely defeated on the Dniester river.

Portrait of Bogdan III the One-Eyed: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Stephen IV of Moldavia

lord of Moldavia, 1517–1527

Stephen IV succeeded to the throne as son of the previous ruler, Bogdan III.

Portrait of Stephen IV of Moldavia: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Petru Rareș

lord of Moldavia, 1527–1538

Petru entered Transylvania on the side of Zápolya and crushed Ferdinand at Feldioara on 22 June 1529. He then shifted his attention to Poland and in 1530 occupied Pokuttya.

Alexandru Lăpușneanu

lord of Moldavia, 1552–1561

Alexandru Lăpușneanu was ruler of Moldavia and the son of Bogdan III the One-Eyed.

Portrait of Alexandru Lăpușneanu: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Peter the Limp

lord of Moldavia, 1582–1591

Petru was elected prince of Moldavia, but unlike most of his ancestors he was a weak prince.

Portrait of Peter the Limp: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Ieremia Movilă

lord of Moldavia, 1595–1606

Ieremia was placed on the throne in Iași by the Polish Chancellor Jan Zamoyski.

Portrait of Ieremia Movilă: Unknown author, Public domain, file

Vasile Lupu

lord of Moldavia, 1634–1653

Vasile was a capable administrator and a brilliant financier. He built the Trei Ierarhi Monastery in Iași and founded the Academia Vasiliană.

Portrait of Vasile Lupu: Dirk Jansz van Santen, Public domain, file

Mihai Racoviță

lord of Moldavia, 1716–1726

Mihai Racoviță was appointed ruler of Moldavia by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III.

Portrait of Mihai Racoviță: Archives familiales, Public domain, file

Mihail Sturdza

lord of Moldavia, 1834–1849

He established the Academia Mihăileană in Iași, the first university in Romania. In 1844 he decreed the emancipation of the Gypsies.

Portrait of Mihail Sturdza: Pierre Petit, Public domain, file

Culture

Between 1543 and 1546, under Petru Rareş, the fortress was rebuilt in stone as a perfect circle with five bastions.
The walls of the fort are not built straight but in a curved shape to better resist projectiles. Each tower has 4 levels, and the first two lower ones were used for artillery.
The fort was an important link in a chain of fortifications on the Dniester.
Moldavia included sizable Latin Catholic communities, as well as Armenians of the non-Chalcedonian Armenian Apostolic Church.

Picture

It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established by the Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great in 1499.

Image: Photobank MD from Chisinau, Moldova, CC0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.