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Mircea the Elder

Wallachia under Mircea cel Bătrân, c. 1390

Mircea cel Bătrân (reigned 1386–1418) was one of the most important rulers of Wallachia. His name translates to "Mircea the Elder." This byname was given to him after his death, in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II (Mircea cel Tânăr — "Mircea the Younger"). Starting in the 19th century, Romanian historiography has also referred to him as Mircea cel Mare ("Mircea the Great").^[1]

Mircea was the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and lady Calinica, thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab.

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 river Olt in the north to the Danube in the south, and from the Danube's Iron Gates in the west to the Black Sea in the east.

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 Braşov. As a result, Mircea was able to afford to increase 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 Church.

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. Through the intermediary of Petru Muşat, the prince of Moldavia, he concluded a treaty of alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland in 1389. The treaty was renewed in 1404 and 1410. He maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg, the king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against Ottoman expansion.

His interventions in support of the Christian peoples south of the Danube who were fighting against the Turks brought him into conflict with the Ottoman Empire. In 1394 Beyazid I (also known as "Yıldırım Beyazıt", "the Thunderbolt") crossed the Danube river, leading 40,000 men^{[citation needed]}, an impressive force at the time. Mircea had only about 10,000 men^{[citation needed]} so he could not survive an open fight. He chose what today we would call guerrilla warfare by starving the opposing army and utilizing 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^{[citation needed]} and threw the Ottomans out of the country^{[citation needed]}. This famous battle was later epically described by the poet Mihai Eminescu in his Third Epistle.

Helped by Sigismund of Luxemburg, Mircea then also got rid of Vlad Uzurpatorul, a puppet of the Ottoman's Sultan, who was seeking the throne. 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. In the next year, 1397, Mircea stopped another Ottoman expedition that crossed the Danube^{[citation needed]}, and in 1400 he defeated yet another expedition of Turks crossing the country^{[citation needed]}.

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 Dobrogea 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.

Towards the end of his rein, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans who recognized the freedom of Wallachia in return for a 3,000 gold pieces per year tribute (a small amount). Keeping the country free from becoming an Ottoman province ("pashalik") also meant keeping the Ottomans away from Western Europe, a feat which retrospectively might not sound impressive, but was a very important accomplishment at the time.

The "bravest and ablest of the Christian princes", as he was described by German historian Leunclavius, ruled Wallachia for thirty-two years. Apart from his military successes Mircea was an art lover, leaving us among other monuments beautiful Cozia Monastery, built after the model of the Krusevac Church (Krusevac) in Serbia.

1. ^ Hasdeu, p. 130; Xenopol, p, 89; Iorga, p. III

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Mircea cel Bătrân

• (Romanian) Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Istoria critică a românilor, vol. I, Bucharest, 1875
• (Romanian) A. D. Xenopol, Istoria românilor din Dacia Traiană, vol. I, Iaşi, 1889
• (Romanian) Nicolae Iorga, Studii şi documente cu privire la istoria românilor, vol. III, Bucharest, 1901