Wallachia’s Mircea I (posthumously called Mircea the…

Wallachia’s Mircea I (posthumously called Mircea the Elder), the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and Lady Calinica, thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab, is often considered to have brought stability to Wallachia.

Found in a volatile region of the world, this principality's borders constantly shift.

Mircea, ruling from 1386, has strengthened the power of the Wallachian state and organized the different high offices, promoted economic development, increased the state's revenue, and minted silver money that enjoys wide circulation not only inside the country but also in neighboring countries.

He has awarded trade privileges to the merchants of Poland and Lithuania and renewed those his predecessors had given to the German colonists of Brasov.

As a result, Mircea has been able to afford to increase his military power.

He has fortified the Danube citadels and strengthened "the great army" made up of townspeople and of free and dependent peasants.

He has also proven to be a great supporter for the Church.

While organizing the country and its institutions, Mircea had also formed a system of lasting alliances which have enabled him to defend the independence of the country.

Through the intermediary of Petru Musat, the prince of Moldavia, Mircea had concluded a treaty of alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło, king of Poland, in 1389.

He also maintains close relations with King Sigismund of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against Ottoman expansion.

Mircea’s interventions in support of the Christian peoples south of the Danube who are fighting against the Turks bring him into conflict with the Ottoman Empire.

Bayezid I (also known as "the Thunderbolt") had crossed the Danube river in 1394, leading forty thousand men, an impressive force at this time, but the asymmetric warfare waged by Mircea’s forces had ended in a Turkish defeat at Rovine.

However, the Ottomans had retaliated by deposing Mircea and installing as king their puppet Vlad Uzurpatorul.

After a failed attempt to break the Ottoman grip, …