Constantin II Șerban (? – 1682) was

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

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 ...

between 1654 and 1658,

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ...

son to Radu Şerban. According to

custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a ...

, being born out of wedlock did not disqualify Constantin from becoming prince.

Reign

His rule saw the rebellion of the '' seimeni'' mercenaries (1655). In order to deal with the issue, Constantin Şerban allied himself with the

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...

George II Rákóczi, including himself in the latter's plans for emancipation from Ottoman rule. In 1657, the

Porte Porte may refer to: * Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire * Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy * John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator * Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who compe ...

deposed him; Constantin Şerban went on to fight alongside Rákóczi, managing to upset Ottoman presence in

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

and briefly occupying the throne in Iaşi, at two different moments (in 1659 and 1661). Paul of Aleppo documents the derelict state of Wallachia during the Ottoman intervention, including an account of the

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

population fleeing for the

Transylvanian Alps The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the ...

("''where the Wallachians were accustomed to take refuge in time of need''"). In 1656, the Prince ordered the building of the

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Cathedral (today:

Patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

), partly modeled on the Curtea de Argeş Monastery – but larger and more austere. In his honour, the church was given the patronage of

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 " canoni ...

Saints Constantine (his

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

) and

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

. In 1658, he set fire to the city, trying to prevent his adversary

Mihnea III Mihnea III Radu ( tr, Radu Gioan Bey; 1613 – 5 April 1660), was a Prince of Moldavia, and ruler of Wallachia from March 1658 to November 1659. His father was alleged to have been the Voivode Radu Mihnea. Family Ancestry claims Radu's ance ...

from making use of its facilities.

References

Gheorghe I. Brătianu Gheorghe (George) I. Brătianu (January 28 1898 – April 23–27, 1953) was a Romanian politician and historian. A member of the Brătianu family and initially affiliated with the National Liberal Party, he broke away from the movement to ...

, ''Sfatul domnesc şi Adunarea Stărilor în Principatele Române'', Bucharest, 1995 * Constantin C. Giurescu, ''Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre'', Bucharest, 1966, p. 73-75

External links

Paul of Aleppo's account of Wallachia
(in Romanian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Serban, Constantin Rulers of Wallachia Rulers of Moldavia Mutilated pretenders to the Wallachian throne 17th-century Romanian people Year of death unknown Rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia Year of birth unknown Craiovești

Reign

See also

References

External links