Vladislav II (died 20 August 1456) was a

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

of the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

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 so ...

, from 1447 to 1448, and again from 1448 to 1456. The way Vladislav II came to the throne is debatable. The most accepted view is that Vladislav assassinated

Vlad II Dracul Vlad II ( ro, Vlad al II-lea), also known as Vlad Dracul () or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395 – November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impa ...

, ruler of Wallachia, and was subsequently placed on the throne by

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...

, on the other, Vladislav II was helped by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

to replace Dan III which was assigned by the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

.Giurescu p.14

Conflict with John Hunyadi

It is not known if Vladislav II had been invited to take part in the

Battle of Kosovo (1448) The Second Battle of Kosovo ( Hungarian: ''második rigómezei csata'', Turkish: ''İkinci Kosova Muharebesi'') (17–20 October 1448) was a land battle between a Hungarian-led Crusader army and the Ottoman Empire at Kosovo Polje. It was ...

or not. It is certain, however, that he did not send any troops in aid and as a result,

took back 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 Ap ...

n possessions of

Făgăraș Făgăraș (; german: Fogarasch, Fugreschmarkt, hu, Fogaras) is a municipiu, city in central Romania, located in Brașov County. It lies on the Olt (river), Olt River and has a population of 28,330 as of 2011. It is situated in the historical regi ...

and Amlaș on 23 April 1452. Vladislav retaliated by embargoing all Wallachian trade to

Brașov County Brașov County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian, it is known ...

, then part of Hunyadi's Transylvania. However, on 15 November 1455, after Hunyadi informed the people of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...

that the embargo would be lifted, Vladislav seized back Transylvanian possessions, and attacked the Făgăraș fortress and in the process burns a few Saxon villages. In response, Hunyadi gives

Vlad III Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was List of rulers of Wallachia, Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often c ...

; a son of the rival Drăculești house of Basarab (the future

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...

) military support and, with the help of the Saxons whose villages were burned down, disposed Vladislav II.

Death

On July 22, 1456, Vlad II Dracul's son

Vlad III Dracula Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...

led a small army of mercenaries into Wallachia, when they were intercepted by Vladislav and his men near

Târgșor Târgșor is a former medieval market town in what is now Prahova County, Romania. The town peaked around 1600, after which it declined to become the village of Târgșoru Vechi, located about southwest of Ploiești. History Built in a heavily ...

. The commanders agreed to settle the dispute in

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repres ...

, so Vladislav and Dracula engaged in hand-to-hand combat in front of their hosts until Vlad Dracula struck a killing blow to Wallachia's Voivode. Vladislav was not buried at the

Snagov Monastery Snagov (population: 7,272) is a commune, located north of Bucharest, in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania. According to the 2011 census, 92% of the population is ethnic Romanian. The commune is composed of five villages: Ciofliceni, Ghermăneșt ...

, which he founded; instead, he was buried at the

Dealu Monastery Dealu Monastery is a 15th-century monastery in Dâmbovița County, Romania, located 6 km north of Târgoviște. The church of the monastery is dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Necropolis Dealu Monastery narthex is considered one of the largest ...

. His gravestone is marked "August 22, 1456", however, that was the date of the engraving and not the date of his death. By August 22, Vlad III had already replaced Vladislav on the throne of Wallachia.

Legacy

Vladislav founded Snagov Monastery in 1453, where a wooden sculpted door has been preserved to this day, and is exhibited at the Religious Art Museum of

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 of ...

. At

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

in 1450, Vladislav gave Koutloumousiou Monastery a charter and gave a gift of 10,000 Akçet to St. Elijah Skit.

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vladislav 02 Of Wallachia Rulers of Wallachia 1456 deaths House of Dănești Year of birth unknown Burials at Dealu Monastery, Viforâta (Dâmboviţa County) 15th-century Romanian people