Mircea the Elder

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Mircea the Elder

Voivode of Wallachia

Despot of Dobruja

Mircea the Elder. Fresco in the Episcopal Church of Curtea de Argeș

Voivode of Wallachia
(1st reign)

Reign 23 September 1386 – November 1394

Predecessor Dan I of Wallachia

Successor Vlad I of Wallachia

Voivode of Wallachia
(2nd reign)

Reign January 1397 – 31 January 1418

Predecessor Vlad I of Wallachia

Successor Michael I of Wallachia

Born c. 1355

Died 31 January 1418 (aged 62–63)

Burial 4 February 1418

Cozia Monastery, Vâlcea County

Spouse Doamna Mara

Doamna Anca

Issue Michael I of Wallachia

Radu II Praznaglava

Alexandru I Aldea

Vlad II Dracul
Ana of Wallachia

Arina

House Basarab

Father Radu I of Wallachia

Mother Doamna Calinichia

Religion Orthodox Christian[1]

Mircea the Elder (Romanian: Mircea cel Bătrân, pronounced [ˈmirtʃe̯ a tʃel bəˈtrɨn] ⓘ; c.
1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in
1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after
whose death he inherited the throne.
After the death of his step-brother Dan I, Mircea takes over the throne in 1386,
as Wallachia, on one side, was going through a process of economic, administrative,
religious development, but also of strengthening the army, and on the other side it was
confronted with the expansion tendencies of the Hungarian Kingdom and Poland, which
were aiming at controlling the mouths of the Danube, but also those of the Ottoman
Empire in the Balkans.[2]
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 (which is
suspected to be the Timok Valley, or the name of the Danube river valley in Slavonic as
stated in Mircea's letter "both sides of Danube"). In addition, he was also granted the
fiefdoms of Amlaș (Omlás) and Făgăraș (Fugurash) in Transylvania.
The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his
grandson Mircea II ("Mircea the Younger"), although some historians believe the epithet
was given to him as a sign of respect by later generations.[3] He is considered the most
important Wallachian ruler during the Middle Ages and one of the great rulers of his era,
[3]
and starting in the 19th century Romanian historiography has also referred to him
as Mircea the Great (Mircea cel Mare).[4]
Family[edit]
Mircea was the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and his wife, Doamna Calinichia,
[5]
thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab.[6] He was the father of Michael I of
Wallachia, Radu II of Wallachia, Alexander I Aldea and Vlad II Dracul,
and grandfather of Mircea II, Vlad Țepeș (Dracula), Vlad Călugărul and Radu cel
Frumos,[citation needed] all of whom became rulers of Wallachia. Mircea II and Vlad Țepeș were
both able military commanders (Vlad Țepeș became one of the most famous leaders in
history, and is commonly believed to be the inspiration for the novel Dracula by Bram
Stoker).[citation needed]
Reign[edit]
 Arms of Mircea I which was also used by other voivodes
in the House of Basarab throughout time.
Mircea's reign is often considered to have brought stability to Wallachia. Found in a
volatile region of the world, this principality's borders constantly shifted, but during
Mircea's rule, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history: from the Southern
Carpathians in the north to the Danube in the south, and from today's Iron Gates on
the Danube in the west to the Black Sea in the east.[7] Also Mircea's titles show his
lands: "I, in Christ God, the faithful and charitable God and the loving and self-sacrificing
Christ, Io Mircea, the great ruler and lord of God's mercy and the gift of God, ruling and
reigning over all the land of Ungrovlahia [Wallachia] and the parts above the mountains,
duke of the Tartar parts and of Amlaș and Făgăraș, and the ruler of the Banat of
Severin, and on both sides throughout Podunavia, even to the great sea and ruler
of Dârstor's fortress." Mircea strengthened the power of the state and organized the
different high offices, promoted economic development, increased the state's revenue,
and minted silver money that enjoyed wide circulation not only inside the country but
also in neighboring countries. He gave the merchants of Poland and Lithuania trade
privileges and renewed those his predecessors had given to the people of Brașov. As a
result, Mircea was able to afford increasing his military power. He fortified
the Danube citadels and strengthened "the great army" made up of townspeople and of
free and dependent peasants. He also proved to be a great supporter for the Eastern
Orthodox Church.[8] Mircea the Elder is the first in the region to deal with slaves giving
300 gypsy dwellings to a monastery in 1388.[9]
While organizing the country and its institutions, Mircea also formed a system of lasting
alliances which enabled him to defend the independence of the country.[citation needed] Through
the intermediary of Petru Mușat, the prince of Moldavia, he concluded a treaty of
alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland in 1389.[10] The treaty was renewed in
1404 and 1410.[11] He maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg, the
king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle
against Ottoman expansion.[12][13]
Conflicts with the Ottoman Empire[edit]

The seal of Voivode Mircea from 1390, depicting the coat of arms
of Wallachia
His interventions in support of the Bulgarians south of the Danube who were fighting
against the Turks brought him into conflict with the Ottoman Empire. In 1394, Bayezid
I crossed the Danube river, leading 40,000 men, an impressive force at the time. Mircea
had only about 10,000 men so he could not survive an open fight. He chose to fight
what would now be called a guerrilla war, by starving the opposing army and using
small, localized attacks and retreats (a typical form of asymmetric warfare). On October
10, 1394, the two armies finally clashed at the Battle of Rovine, which featured a
forested and swampy terrain, thus preventing the Ottomans from properly spreading
their army; Mircea finally won the fierce battle and threw the Ottomans out of the
country.[14][15] This famous battle was later epically described by the poet Mihai
Eminescu in his Third Epistle. However, Mircea had to retreat to Hungary, while the
Turks installed Vlad Uzurpatorul on the throne of Wallachia.[16]
In 1396, Mircea participated in an anti-Ottoman crusade started by Hungary's monarch.
The crusade ended with the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Nicopolis on September 25.
[14]
In the next year, 1397, Mircea, having defeated Vlad the Usurper with help from
the Voivode of Transylvania, Stibor,[17] stopped another Ottoman expedition that crossed
the Danube, and in 1400 he defeated yet another expedition of Turks crossing the
country.[18]
The defeat of Sultan Beyazid I by Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) at Ankara in the summer of
1402 opened a period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire and Mircea took advantage of
it to organize together with the Hungarian king a campaign against the Turks. In 1404
Mircea was thus able to impose his rule on Dobruja again. Moreover, Mircea took part in
the struggles for the throne of the Ottoman Empire and enabled Musa to ascend that
throne (for a brief reign). It was at this time that the prince reached the height of his
power.[19]
Towards the end of his reign, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans; in return for a
tribute of 3,000 gold pieces per year, the Ottomans desisted from making Wallachia a
province ("pashalik").[20]
Legacy[edit]
 Wallachia under Mircea cel Bătrân, c. 1390
The "bravest and ablest of the Christian princes", as he was described by German
historian Leunclavius, ruled Wallachia for 32 years.[21] Mircea was a ktetor, building
among other monuments, the Cozia Monastery near Călimănești in ca. 1390. He had
churches built after Serbian architectural styles, after the models of the Lazarica
Church, Veluće, Naupara, and Kalenić monastery.[22]
In popular culture[edit]
Mircea was played by Sergiu Nicolaescu in the 1989 film Mircea, which was also
directed by Nicolaescu.[23]
See also[edit]
showAncestors
of Mircea the
Elder

Mircea the Elder

House of Basarab
Born: 1355 Died: 1418

Regnal titles
Succeeded by
Voivode of
Preceded by Vlad I
Wallachia
Dan I Uzurpatorul
1386–1394/1395
(The Usurper)
restored as
Preceded by Voivode of Succeeded by
Vlad I Uzurpatorul Wallachia Mihail I
1397–1418

Notes[edit]
1. ^ "Mircea cel Bătrân". Enciclopedia României (in Romanian).
2. ^ "Constantin C. Giurescu A History of The Romanian Forest | PDF | Nature". Scribd.
Retrieved 2023-12-21.
 3. ^ Jump up to:a b Dr. Brackob, A.K. (2018). Mircea the Old: Father of Wallachia, Grandfather of
Dracula. Buffalo, U.S.A.: Center for Romanian Studies / Histria Books. pp. 9–
11. ISBN 9781592110018.
4. ^ Hasdeu, p. 130; Xenopol, p, 89; Iorga, p. III
5. ^ Panaitescu, P. P. "II. Mircea cel Bătrân. Originea și familia lui". Mircea cel Bătrân (PDF) (in
Romanian) (II ed.). Corint.
6. ^ Giurescu, pp.362
7. ^ Giurescu, pp.363
8. ^ Severeanu, Ducații Țării Române și cu numele a doi domnitori: Vlad I și Mircea I, București,
1935, pp. 250–260
9. ^ Achim, Viorel (2004). The Roma in Romanian History. Central European University Press.
p. 14. ISBN 963-9241-84-9.
10. ^ M. Manea, A. Pascu, B. Teodorescu, Istoria Românilor din cele mai vechi timpuri până la
revoluția din 1821, Ed. Didactică și Pedagogică, București, 1997, p. 231.
11. ^ Constantin C. Giurescu, Dinu C. Giurescu, Istoria românilor. Vol. 2, Ed. Științifică și
Enciclopedică, București,1976. p. 83
12. ^ "Marele Mircea voievod", București, 1987
13. ^ 1388–1390: Kaplai Ianos; 1390–1391: Mihai Perényi; 1392: Gerbeni Szemere; 1392–1393:
Ditrich Bebek.
14. ^ Jump up to:a b Stoica, Vasile (1919). The Roumanian Question: The Roumanians and their
Lands. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Printing Company. p. 16.
15. ^ Giurescu, pp. 367
16. ^ P. P. Panaitescu, Mircea cel Bătrân. Ed. Corint, București,2000, p.303
17. ^ N. Djuvara, O scurtă istorie ilustrată a Românilor. Ed. Humanitas, București, 2013, p.119
18. ^ Giurescu, pp. 368.
19. ^ Giurescu, pp. 369
20. ^ Giurescu, p. 370.
21. ^ C-tin C. Giurescu, p. 384
22. ^ Ion Pătroiu (1987). Marele Mircea Voievod. Editura Academiei Repubvlicii Socialiste
România. p. 460.
23. ^ "Proud Heritage (1989)". IMDb.

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mircea I of Wallachia.

 (in Romanian) Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Istoria critică a românilor, vol. I,

Bucharest, 1875
 (in Romanian) A. D. Xenopol, Istoria românilor din Dacia Traiană, vol. I, Iași,
1889
 (in Romanian) Nicolae Iorga, Studii și documente cu privire la istoria
românilor, vol. III, Bucharest, 1901
 (in Romanian) Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Românilor, vol. I, Bucharest,
1938
 (in English) Dr. A.K. Brackob, Mircea the Old: Father of Wallachia,
Grandfather of Dracula, Buffalo U.S.A., 2018
show
Authority control databases
Categories:
 14th-century Romanian people
 Christians of the Battle of Nicopolis
 Princes of Wallachia
 1350s births
 1418 deaths
 People of the Ottoman Interregnum
 This page was last edited on 6 April 2024, at 09:42 (UTC).
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