Principality of Wallachia
Romania, 1330–1859. Draft, not yet reviewed
Wallachia was one of the two historical Romanian principalities that laid the foundation for the establishment of the modern Romanian state. By 1330, the state had consolidated following Basarab I's victory in the Battle of Posada against the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1417, Wallachia was forced to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire for the first time; this suzerainty lasted until the mid-19th century. In 1859, Wallachia united with Moldavia to form the United Principalities.
Seat of power: Câmpulung
Rulers
Basarab I of Wallachia
lord of Wallachia, 1330–1352
Basarab I was a voivode and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia. He seized the Banate of Severin and raided the southern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Wallachians ambushed the royal troops in the Battle of Posada, between the 9 and 12 November 1330, ending Hungarian suzerainty in Wallachia.
Portrait of Basarab I of Wallachia: not credited, Public domain, file
Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia
lord of Wallachia, 1352–1364
In the year 1359, he founded the Eastern Orthodox Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia. After initially resisting pressures to become the Kingdom of Hungary's vassal, he yielded to King Louis I in 1354 due to threat posed by the Golden Horde. The Wallachian voivode renounced Hungarian suzerainty in 1359.
Portrait of Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia: see above, Public domain, file
Vladislav I of Wallachia
lord of Wallachia, 1364–1377
In February 1369, Vladislav I subdued Vidin and recognised Louis I of Hungary as his overlord, in return for Severin, Amlaș, Făgăraș and 120,000 ducats. In 1375, Louis I took Severin again, but Vladislav I recovered it, in 1376–1377. During his reign, the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobrudja was split in two parts, as a single bishop did not suffice for the entire country, thus creating the Metropolis of Oltenia.
Portrait of Vladislav I of Wallachia: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Mircea the Elder
lord of Wallachia, 1397–1418
During the reign of Mircea the Elder, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history, gaining Dobruja in 1388, the Banate of Severin in 1388/9 and Podunavia. He is considered the most important Wallachian ruler during the Middle Ages and one of the great rulers of his era.
Portrait of Mircea the Elder: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Vladislav II of Wallachia
lord of Wallachia, 1447–1456
The most accepted view is that Vladislav assassinated Vlad II Dracul, ruler of Wallachia, and was subsequently placed on the throne by John Hunyadi. Vladislav retaliated by embargoing all Wallachian trade to Brașov County, then part of Hunyadi's Transylvania. At the end of their duel, Vlad killed Vladislav in front of their hosts.
Portrait of Vladislav II of Wallachia: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Radu cel Frumos
lord of Wallachia, 1462–1475
In 1462, he defeated his brother, Vlad III, alongside the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II. According to the Serbian Janissary Konstantin Mihailović, Radu was a commander of the Janissary; in the campaign against his brother Vlad III, Radu was at the head of 4000 horsemen.
Portrait of Radu cel Frumos: The signature seems to say M. B. Secareaun, 1881, but Google does not yield any results for this name., Public domain, file
Vlad Călugărul
lord of Wallachia, 1481–1495
Vlad was placed on the throne by Ștefan III of Moldavia, who had invaded Wallachia that June and routed Basarab IV at Râmnicu Vâlcea. Although Vlad IV was restored, he was soon forced to accept the Sultan's suzerainty. His fairly long reign by comparison to those before him was due in part to his having the support of Ștefan III of Moldavia.
Portrait of Vlad Călugărul: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Radu IV the Great
lord of Wallachia, 1495–1508
His reign was a peaceful one, focused on internal organization, supporting the Church and culture, without major wars. In 1507, he brought to Târgoviște the Serbian hieromonk Macarie, who printed the first book on Romanian territory, the Liturgy (1508), making Târgoviște an important printing center in southeastern Europe. Radu fortified the city and erected large religious buildings: the Dealu Monastery and the new headquarters of the Metropolitanate.
Neagoe Basarab
lord of Wallachia, 1512–1521
Neagoe Basarab replaced Vlad cel Tânăr after the latter rejected Craioveşti tutelage and was noted for his abilities and competence. He wrote a mirror for princes called The teachings of Neagoe Basarab to his son Theodosie, written in Church Slavonic. In 2008, he was posthumously canonised as a Christian saint by the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Portrait of Neagoe Basarab: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Radu Paisie
lord of Wallachia, 1534–1545
Paisie took the throne as a boyar favorite in the wake of Vlad Vintilă's assassination. He reaffirmed his fealty to the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, and contributed to Suleiman's expeditions into Hungary. In cultural history, Paisie is remembered as the patron of Church Slavonic, and as the monarch who completed monastery complexes at Argeș, Cozia, Dealu, and Tismana.
Portrait of Radu Paisie: see above, Public domain, file
Mircea the Shepherd
lord of Wallachia, 1545–1554
The Ottoman Empire named him ruler in January 1545 in place of his stepbrother Radu Paisie. A chronicle relates that two weeks after his installation, he ordered that a number of boyars be killed. Mircea the Shepherd died in 1559, being buried in the Curtea Veche Church in Bucharest, which he had rebuilt.
Portrait of Mircea the Shepherd: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Peter the Younger
lord of Wallachia, 1559–1568
On 24 October 1559, Peter, who was still a minor, was confirmed by the Sublime Porte as the new ruler of Wallachia. Because he was too young, the country was led by his capable mother Lady Chiajna, who was able to neutralize the intrigues of the pretenders to the throne. Peter established the Plumbuita Monastery in 1560 and continued his father's work on restoring the Curtea Veche Church and the Snagov Monastery.
Portrait of Peter the Younger: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Alexandru II Mircea
lord of Wallachia, 1568–1577
Raised by the Turks in Istanbul, he hardly knew his country of origin before gaining the throne of Wallachia. Like his great-grandfather Vlad III Dracula, he was known for cruelty, by slaughtering dissident boyars. Eventually, Alexandru was poisoned by noblemen claiming to be loyal to him.
Portrait of Alexandru II Mircea: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Nicholas Mavrocordatos
lord of Wallachia, 1719–1730
He became ruler of Wallachia, being thus the first Phanariot in that country. According to Anton Maria Del Chiaro, the Florentine secretary to Constantin Brâncoveanu, Mavrocordatos tortured and otherwise persecuted Wallachian boyars who had supported the Cantacuzinos. He was also noted for awarding tax exemptions to the majority of high-ranking boyars, as one of the first rulers to concede to the growth of monetary economy and the decay of manorialism.
Portrait of Nicholas Mavrocordatos: Burgstaller, Public domain, file
Alexander Ypsilantis
lord of Wallachia, 1771–1782
As principal acts of his reign in Wallachia, Ypsilanti enforced a series of reforms. Issued in 1780, the Code sought to amend fiscal, administrative, judicial and political flaws. During his judicial reform, Ypsilanti created civil courts in each Wallachian county.
Portrait of Alexander Ypsilantis: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- The citadel is situated on top of a mountain and accessed by climbing 1,480 concrete stairs.
- Before Poenari Castle was constructed in the mid-15th century, another castle around the same location was erected near the beginning of the 13th century by the Wallachians, called Castle Argeș.
- A smaller replica of Poenari Castle was built in 1906 in Bucharest in Carol Park.
- The name Wallachia is an exonym, generally not used by Romanians themselves.
Picture
Poenari Castle is a ruined castle in Romania which was a home of Vlad the Impaler.
Image: Emmanuel BRUNNER Manu25, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.