The Founding of Moldavia: From Dragoș to Alexander the Good

Moldavia emerged through two distinct events in the 14th century. The first was the arrival of Dragoș, a voivode from Maramureș, around 1352, when King Louis I of Hungary organized a defensive march east of the Carpathians against the Tatars, centred on the Moldova valley. Tradition, preserved by the chroniclers, tells that Dragoș came down in pursuit of an aurochs, an animal that became the symbol of Moldavia. The state he founded was a Hungarian vassal and proved to be a frontier polity. Only a few decades passed between the two moments, but they changed the political map of the region for good.

The second, more important event was Moldavia’s break from Hungarian rule, achieved by Bogdan I, also a voivode from Maramureș, who crossed the mountains in 1359 and rebelled against the king. Bogdan won Moldavia’s independence, becoming its first independent prince, at the head of a distinct state. To consolidate his position, he fought the Hungarian troops and repelled Hungary’s attempts to regain the territory. Bogdan died around 1365, and his son Latcu moved the residence to Siret, introduced Catholicism into court circles and sought support from Rome.

The Mușat dynasty, which followed, gave Moldavia distinguished princes. Peter I Mușat (c. 1375–1391) moved the capital to Suceava, minted coins and obtained a loan from the King of Poland, Vladislav Jagiello, in 1388, in exchange for recognizing Polish suzerainty. He laid the foundations of Moldavia’s access to the Black Sea by occupying the area of Chilia and Cetatea Albă. Roman I (1391–1394), “great voivode, lord of the land of Moldavia from the mountains to the sea,” extended the borders, while Stephen I and Iuga continued the policy of strengthening the state.

Alexander the Good (1400–1432) was a ruler of great organizing talent. During his reign the Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized the Metropolitanate of Moldavia, based in Suceava, in 1401, which strengthened the independence of the Church. He regulated relations with Poland by treaties and in 1420 and 1422 halted Ottoman attempts to capture Cetatea Albă, which he defended with the support of the army and through trade. He created the system of offices, with the princely Council, and strengthened the army. He was buried at Bistrița Monastery, which he had founded.

After the death of Alexander the Good in 1432, Moldavia went through a long period of struggles for the throne among his sons and grandsons, including Ilie and Stephen, and then Peter Aron, which weakened the country. In 1456, Peter Aron accepted the payment of tribute to Sultan Mehmed II, which marked the beginning of Ottoman suzerainty over Moldavia. Even so, the country kept its internal autonomy, its dynasty and its church. This status would be defended in the second half of the 15th century by its greatest prince, Stephen the Great.