Stephen the Great and Holy (1457–1504)

Stephen III, called the Great, ruled Moldavia for almost 47 years, from 1457 to 1504, and remains the best-known medieval ruler of the Romanians. He ascended the throne on 12 April 1457, after the victory at Doljești over Peter Aron, with the support of an army gathered from the Lower Country and with help from Wallachia. His reign rested on a strong army of soldiers and free peasants, on skilful diplomacy and on the resolute defence of the borders. The chronicler Grigore Ureche portrays him as a man “proud and great of soul.”

Stephen’s first objective was to consolidate the country and defend it against powerful neighbours. In 1465 he captured Chilia, an important Danube port held by Hungary, to secure Moldavia’s access to maritime trade. In 1467, at Baia, he defeated the army of the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, who had come to punish him for the conquest of Chilia. The king was wounded and fled to Transylvania. The victory showed that Moldavia could not be easily subdued and was celebrated by raising stone churches. These victories strengthened his authority at home and his prestige in Christian Europe.

Stephen’s most brilliant victory was that of Vaslui (Podul Înalt), on 10 January 1475, against the Ottoman army led by the beylerbey Hadım Suleiman Pasha, estimated at more than 100,000 men, against some 40,000 Moldavians. Fog, marshy ground and the prince’s tactics brought a resounding success, which Pope Sixtus IV called “athlete of Christ.” Stephen asked Christendom for help, but remained alone. In 1476, Sultan Mehmed II came in person and defeated the Moldavian army at Valea Albă (Războieni), on 26 July, but Moldavia was not conquered.

After these struggles, Stephen continued to defend the country. In 1484, Sultan Bayezid II captured Chilia and Cetatea Albă, two vital ports that Moldavia never regained. In 1485, Stephen recognized Polish suzerainty in order to obtain support, then turned to a policy of understanding with the Porte, accepting the payment of tribute in exchange for peace. The Polish king John Albert invaded Moldavia in 1497 but was crushed in the Cosmin Forest, and Stephen thus preserved his internal political independence. In this way, by combining arms with diplomacy, Stephen saved Moldavia from becoming a pashalik.

Stephen was also a great builder of churches. He is said to have raised or restored about 40 churches and monasteries, among them Putna (1466–1469), where his tomb lies, Voroneț (1488), Neamț, Probota and Pătrăuți, renowned for their Gothic architecture blended with Byzantine and for their exterior paintings. He died on 2 July 1504, at Suceava, and was buried at Putna. The Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him in 1992 as Saint Voivode Stephen the Great and Saint, and his image remains a symbol of faith and national dignity.