Life with the Ottomans

An artistic depiction of Radu from the 19th century.

In 1436, Vlad II Dracul ascended to the throne of Wallachia. He was ousted in 1442 by rival factions
in league with Hungary, but secured Ottoman support for his return by agreeing to pay tribute to the
Sultan and also send his two legitimate sons, Vlad III and Radu, to the Ottoman court, to serve as
hostages of his loyalty.
The boys were taken to the various garrisons at Edirne. Radu eventually became friends with Murad
II's son, Mehmed II. While at the Ottoman court as boys, Vlad and Radu were educated in logic,
the Quran and the Turkish and Persian language and literature. The boys' father, Vlad II Dracul, with
the support of the Ottomans, returned to Wallachia and took back his throne from Basarab II.[2]
While Vlad III was eventually released to take his place on the Wallachian throne in 1448, after his
father was killed by John Hunyadi, Radu might have converted to Islam.

Personal life
Radu cel Frumos was a well-educated ruler who sought to advance the position of his countrymen
within the Ottoman Empire. His converting to Islam is disputed given his entering in Ottoman service,
and a large number of letters he wrote referring to himself as 'Christ-loving' and 'right-faithful'.[citation
needed]
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.[3] He is believed to have taken part in the operations that are collectively known as
the Fall of Constantinople.
His wife was Maria Despina, considered to be a Serb or Albanian princess.[4] His daughter was Maria
Voichița, who later married Prince Stephen III of Moldavia.
Struggles for the rule of Wallachia

Vlach-Bulgarian royal charters: Writ issued on 14 October 1465 by Radu cel Frumos, from his residence
in Bucharest.

In November 1447, John Hunyadi launched an attack against Wallachia due to its alliance with the
Ottomans by the treaties signed by Vlad II Dracul and his duplicity in Varna Campaign (1444).
Radu's father fled, but Mircea II was captured by boyars from Târgoviște and was blinded with a red-
hot poker before being buried alive. A short time after their father was captured and killed by the
forces of John Hunyadi, Vlad III was released in 1448 and was the Ottoman Turks' candidate for the
throne of Wallachia, the first of a succession of times he would hold the throne, this first time for only
a matter of months.
Radu's brother Vlad III later went on to take the throne from Vladislav II in 1456 and began his
second reign for which he was to become famous. Like his older brother Mircea II, Vlad III was an
able military commander and now found himself opposing the Ottomans.
Radu, at the age of 22, became a leading figure at the Ottoman court. In 1461, Mehmed II began
preparing to invade Wallachia. After consulting his astrologers, the thirty-year-old sultan resolved to
personally lead the punitive expedition. His personal Janissary guard was larger than the entire army
of Vlad III. Moreover, it was time for the sultan to show his recognition of his beloved Radu the
Handsome, his loyal companion who was now ready to replace his bloodthirsty brother on the throne
of Wallachia.[5]
In 1462, a massive Ottoman army marched against Wallachia, with Radu at the head of the
Janissary. Vlad III retreated to Transylvania. During his departure, he practised a scorched
earth policy, leaving nothing of importance to be used by the pursuing Ottoman army. When the
Ottoman forces approached Târgoviște, they encountered over 20,000 of their kind impaled by the
forces of Vlad III, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching
sight was too much even for them to bear therefore they returned to Ottoman forces to regroup.
Vlad III waged a guerrilla campaign against the Ottoman forces commanded by the Grand
Vizier Mahmud Pasha in May 1462, pursuing them in their retreat as far as the Danube. On 16 and
17 June, he again defeated a sizable Ottoman force in what has become known as The Night
Attack, which resulted in heavy casualties to the Ottoman army, as well as logistical losses.
After Mehmed II suffered losses from The Night Attack, Radu and his loyalists campaigned on the
Danubian plains for support to replace his brother. It was not difficult to convince them; he only had
to promise the boyars that he would restore their privileges and assure the defectors from Vlad III’s
camp that they would not be punished. But above and beyond this, he preached of a lasting peace,
a gentle reign, and no revenge for any past wrongdoings. Radu sent envoys to the Saxon cities
hardest hit by Vlad III, tempting them with old-fashioned advantageous trade regulations and
vouching for the sanctity of their families. His good nature attracted instant allies, including
inhabitants of Bucharest and Târgoviște, who had enough of the cruelty of his brother.
Radu chased Vlad III to his castle north of Curtea de Argeș and, finally, out of Romania itself, which
was incorporated under Ottoman control. Taking advantage of their fortune the Ottomans
strengthened their commercial presence in the Danube against any Hungarian influence and
intervention in the region.[6]
Meanwhile, his brother Vlad III, due to his harsh policies towards the boyars (whose power struggles
he blamed for the state of the realm), was betrayed by them. Vlad III travelled to Hungary to ask for
help from his former ally, Matthias Corvinus. But instead of receiving help he found himself arrested
and thrown into the dungeon over false charges of treason.
After the victorious campaign north of the Danube, the Ottomans placed the young Radu (then 26
years of age) as the Bey of Wallachia. Soon after, the Janissary under his command began attacks
and raids on Vlad III's mountain stronghold on the Argeș River, Poenari Castle. During his reign the
Ottoman Sipahi's gained a strong foothold in the south of the country.
In 7 March 1471, Radu fought the Battle of Soci against Stephen III, his future son-in-law, for
possession of Chilia (now Kiliya in Ukraine).[7] Slavo-Romanian chronicles relate that Stephen III had
a "war with Radu voivode for Soci". Stephen III's relationships with Radu were hostile. He invaded
Wallachia on several occasions during Radu's reign, dethroning him four times in response to
Radu's vassalage.[8]
In 1473, following an agreement with the Ottomans, Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân (Basarab Laiotă the
Old) took over the throne. Between 1473 and 1475 Radu briefly returned twice to the throne.