Ștefan Răzvan (died December 1595) was a

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

(

prince A prince is a 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, in some European states. The ...

) of

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

as Ștefan VIII Răzvan (between 24 April 1595 and August 1595).

Biography

Ștefan Răzvan's father was a Muslim Roma from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

who emigrated north of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

, in Wallachia, while his mother was a Romanian peasant from the new country of settlement. At that time, all Romani people living in the Romanian states of Wallachia and Moldavia were slaves. The rule was also applied to any Romani immigrants, except Muslim Ottoman citizens. Benefiting from this exception, the father and later the son could remain free and become active members of the local society. Other theories exist about his origin, including one that states that his father was a Roma enslaved by

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

. Răzvan appears as a political player at the beginning of

's rule in Wallachia (1593–1601), as a close noble ally of the Wallachian prince. He previously converted from

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, attracting the wrath of the Ottoman Turks. He had the social status of a boyar and was a cultured person. Later, he became involved in the politics of the neighbouring Romanian country of Moldavia, where he was appointed as part of the princely council, with the title of hatman (second in rank in the army after the prince), during the reign of Aaron the Tyrant. He led the campaigns of the Moldavian army against Tighina, Chilia, Cetatea Albă, and northern

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

, then occupied by the Ottomans. Răzvan became popular among the soldiers and, with their support and the help of the

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Sigismund Báthory, he ousted Aaron the Tyrant (whose image was eroded among the population) on 24 April 1595. Răzvan's leadership did not last long, because the neighboring political power, the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

, did not agree with his alliance with Transylvania and Wallachia. They invaded Moldavia in August, bringing Ieremia Movilă as the prince accepted by the Poles. The decisive battle was fought on the Suceava plains (on 3 December 1595) and concluded after three hours, with a Polish victory. Răzvan fled towards Transylvania, but he was captured and impaled.

References

Bibliography

* ''Istoria și tradițiile minorității rromani'', p. 28, 2005, Sigma, Bucharest, Delia Grigore, Petre Petcuț and Mariana Sandu

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Razvan, Stefan Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Sunni Islam Romanian Romani people Romani Christians Romani politicians Monarchs of Moldavia 1595 deaths Year of birth unknown Romanian former Muslims People executed by impalement People of the Long Turkish War 16th-century Moldavian people