Ștefan Tomșa or Ștefan VII ( pl, Stefan VII Tomża) (died 5 May 1564 in Lwów) was the

ruler of Moldavia This is a list of monarchs of Moldavia, from the first mention of the medieval polity east of the Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians and until its disestablishment in 1862, when Unification of Moldavia and Wallachia, it united with Wallachia, the ot ...

in 1563 and 1564.

Career

Tomșa served as hatman and came to power as leader of a boyar revolt against the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Ioan Iacob Heraclid Iacob Heraclid (or Eraclid; el, Ἰάκωβος Ἡρακλείδης; 1527 – November 5, 1563), born Basilicò and also known as Iacobus Heraclides, Heraclid Despotul, or Despot Vodă ("Despot the Voivode"), was a Greek Maltese soldier, adv ...

, whose attempts to impose the new usages in

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

offended the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

sensibilities of nobles. Ioan Iacob, better known in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n history as Despot Vodă, sought refuge in the city of

Suceava Suceava () is the largest urban settlement and the seat town ( ro, oraș reședință de județ) of Suceava County, situated in the historical region of Bukovina, northeastern Romania, and at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. Klaus Pet ...

. Ștefan Tomșa was claimed the ruler of Moldavia on 8 August 1563. Suceava fell to Ştefan Tomșa's forces in October 1563, and the new ruler killed his predecessor with a mace. Ștefan Tomșa defeated an invasion by the neighbouring

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

n prince Petru cel Tânăr, but was unable to obtain recognition by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

as ruler of Wallachia.

Alexandru Lăpușneanu Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu (1499 – 5 May 1568) was Ruler of Moldavia between September 1552 and 18 November 1561 and then between October 1564 and 5 May 1568. His wife and consort was Doamna Ruxanda Lăpușneanu, the daughter of Peter IV Rare� ...

, who had been deposed by Ioan Iacob in 1561, was returned to power with Ottoman assistance in January 1564, and Ștefan Tomșa fled to neighbouring Poland. Tomșa was imprisoned with his boyars in Buczacz. On the request of the Sultan boyars were sent to Turkey. The Sultan wanted also Ștefan Tomșa. Tomșa on the request of the Polish King

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

was sentenced to death and beheaded in Lwów on 5 May 1564. He was buried in Lwów. His sons were later rulers of the principalities, Ștefan IX Tomșa in Moldavia, and Leon Tomșa in Wallachia.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefan Tomsa Rulers of Moldavia 1564 deaths Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Year of death unknown Place of death missing