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| Birth Name(s) : Mihai Viteazul |
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Full Mihai Viteazul Biography
Michael the Brave (Romanian: Mihai Viteazul, Hungarian: Vitéz Mihály) (1558-9 August 1601) was the Prince of Wallachia (1593-1601), of Transylvania (1599-1600), and of Moldavia (1600). During his reign, which coincided with the Long War, these three principalities forming the territory of present-day Romania and Moldova were united for the first time under a single Romanian ruler, though the unification lasted for less than six months. He is regarded as one of Romania's greatest national heroes.
He is argued by most historians to have been the illegitimate son of Wallachian Prince Pătraşcu cel Bun, while others believe he merely invented his descent in order to justify his rule. His mother was named Teodora, of the Orasul de Floci, and was a member of the Cantacuzino family. Michael's political career was quite spectacular, he became the Ban of Mehedinţi in 1588, stolnic at the court of Mihnea Turcitul by the end of 1588, and Ban of Craiova in 1593 - during the rule of Alexandru cel Rău. The latter had him swear before 12 boyars that he was not of princely descent . Still, in May 1593 conflict did break out between Alexandru and the Ban and Michael was forced to flee to Transylvania. He was accompanied by his half-brother Radu Florescu, Radu Buzescu and several other supporters. After spending two weeks at the court of Sigismund Bathory he left for Constantinople, where with help from his cousin Andronic Cantacuzino and Patriarch Jeremiah II he negotiated Ottoman support for his accession to the Wallachian throne. He was invested Prince by the Sultan in September 1593 and started his effective rule on October 11.
Not long after this, he began to fight his Ottoman overlord. The next year he joined a Christian alliance of European powers against the Turks, and signed treaties with Sigismund Bathory of Transylvania and Aron Vodă of Moldavia. He started a campaign against the Turks in the autumn of 1594, conquering several citadels near the Danube, including Giurgiu, Brăila, Hârşova, and Silistra.
In 1595 Sigismund Bathory staged an elaborate plot and had Aron of Moldavia removed from power and replaced him with hatman Ştefan Rǎzvan. Sigismund himself gave the latter both the investment act and the insignia of power, thus acting in overlord of Moldavia. On May 24th (June 3rd) 1595 at Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár) Ştefan Rǎzvan signed a binding treaty, formally placing Moldavia under Transilvanian sovereignty.Michael the Brave and his troops (Gheorghe Tattarescu's 19th century rendition)
Only a month later in the same city of Alba Iulia, Wallachian boyars signed on Michael's behalf a similar treaty. Thus, by July 1595 Sigismund Bathory was de facto Prince of all the three countries: Transilvania, Wallachia and Moldavia. From the point of view of Wallachian internal politics, the Treaty of Alba Iulia officialized what could be called a boyar regime reinforcing the already important political power of the noble elite. According to the treaty a council of 12 great boyars was to take part alongside the voivode in the executive rule of the country. Boyars could no longer be executed without the knowledge and approval of the Transilvanian Prince and if convicted for treason their fortunes could no longer be confiscated. Apparently Michael was displeased with the final form of the treaty negotiated by his envoys but had to comply. He would try to avoid the obligations imposed on him for the rest of his reign.
From an ecclesiastical point of view the Treaty of Alba Iulia had another important consequence, it placed the Eastern Orthodox bishops in Transylvania under the authority of the Metropolitan Seat of Târgovişte.
On August 13, 1595, at the Battle of Călugăreni (near the Neajlov river), Michael defeated an Ottoman army led by Sinan Pasha. Despite the victory, because he had too few troops to mount a full scale battle he retreated to his winter camp in Stoeneşti. Subsequently, he joined forces with Sigismund Bathory's 40,000-strong army (led by István Bocskay), and freed Târgovişte (October 8), Bucharest (October 12) and Brăila, temporarily removing Wallachia from Ottoman rule. The fight against the Ottomans continued in 1596, when Michael made several incursions south of the Danube at Vidin, Pleven, Nicopolis, and Babadag, where he was assisted by the local Bulgarians during the massive First Tarnovo Uprising.
Michael then began negotiating with the Emperor over his official position in Transylvania. The latter wanted the principality under direct Imperial rule with Michael acting as governor. The Wallachian voivode, on the other hand, wanted the title of Prince of Transylvania for himself and equally claimed the Partium region. He was, nevertheless, willing to acknowledge Habsburg overlordship.
Michael is also commemorated by the monks of the Athonite Simonopetra Monastery for his great contributions in the form of land and money to rebuilding the monastery which had been destroyed by a fire. |
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