Ștefan Răzvan
| Ștefan Răzvan | |
|---|---|
 Ștefan Răzvan on his coin | |
| Prince of Moldavia | |
| Reign | 24 April – August 1595 |
| Predecessor | Aaron the Tyrant |
| Successor | Ieremia Movilă |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | December 1595 |
Ștefan Răzvan (died December 1595) was a voivode (prince) of Moldavia as Ștefan VIII Răzvan (between 24 April 1595 and August 1595).
Biography[edit]
Ștefan Răzvan's father was a Muslim Roma from the Ottoman Empire who emigrated north of the Danube, in Wallachia, while his mother was a Romanian peasant from the new country of settlement.[1] 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.[2][3]
Răzvan appears as a political player at the beginning of Michael the Brave's rule in Wallachia (1593–1601), as a close noble ally of the Wallachian prince. He previously converted from Islam to Christianity, 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, then occupied by the Ottomans. Răzvan became popular among the soldiers and, with their support and the help of the Transylvanian prince Sigismund Báthory, he ousted Aaron the Tyrant (whose image was eroded among the population) on 24 April 1595.[4]
Stefan Razvan, the ruler of Roma ethnicity who was with Michael the Brave in his fight against the Ottomans. He had entered the Polish army as a young man and, distinguishing himself through unusual bravery in the war between the Poles and the Muslims, he was raised from a simple soldier to the highest military ranks by the king of Poland, Stefan Bathori. After returning to Moldova, he entered the service of Aaron The Tyrant, who gave him the rank of Hatman and sent him to Sigismund Bathori in May 1593.[1][2]
In order to strengthen the army against the background of strong rivalries between the two great families of boyars, the Lăpușnenii and the Movileștii, as well as the discontent of the peasants and threats from outside the borders, a strong and faithful man was needed, so in 1593, Razvan was appointed hatman, leader of the army of Moldavia. As a leader of armies, a good soldier and a master of several languages, he carried out military and diplomatic missions between Moldavia, Transylvania and Wallachia. He led the anti-Ottoman campaign in Moldavia and became very popular among the soldiers. With the population and his allies dissatisfied with the rule of Aron Voda, Stephen Razvan, with the support of Sigismund Bathory and his soldiers, overthrew Aron Voda and became Voivode of Moldavia on April 24, 1595. Stephen Razvan supports the Christian alliance of Michael the Brave. [3][4]
Then, Razvan received from Aron the command of his Hungarian guard. He attracted the love of these soldiers and managed, with the help of Bathori, to overthrow his lord and thus ascended to his place, on the throne of Moldavia, later on he went on to politically unify and align himself with the rest of the danube kings like Wallachia and Transylvania.[5][6]
During Răzvan's reign he implemented several economic and social reforms aimed at helping all ethnicities improve their quality of life including roma slaves which was previously unheard of. This made him very popular amongst the Moldavian people.[7][8]
During this time the Battle of Calugareni concluded with a retreat for Micheal the Brave. This led to the outnumbered Mihai retreats north, unable to stop Sinan Pasha’s advance of 100,000 Men. Unaffected by the tactical defeat at Calugareni, the Ottomans are able to replace their losses and start incorporating Wallachia into the empire. The two capitals Targoviste and Bucharest fall just three days after the battle. Wallachia, which had produced so much resistance under Mihai the Brave, looks destined to become an Ottoman province. [9][10]
Having retreated to the Bran Pass, Mihai knows that he needs a second victory to inflict enough losses on the Ottomans if he is to discourage further attacks on Wallachia and maybe seek a political compromise. But in the weeks following the battle of Calugareni many Wallachian peasants leave his army to defend their homes from akinji attacks. As a result of all these factors, Mihai’s army is down to 8,000 men.[11][12]
But by October, the Transylvanian voivode finally arrives with his army. Help also comes from Moldavia. Stefan Răzvan - a highly competent military leader and voivode, who is very popular among his men – arrives with his contingent. The 3 voivodes waste no time. Their combined army numbers around 32,000 men and 100 cannons. At this time Sinan has up to 40,000 combat troops at his disposal, while the rest are dispersed across Wallachia. Armies of the three voivodes advance on Targoviste. The Ottoman garrison retreats to Bucharest. [13][14]
Upon learning of the approaching army Sinan decides to retreat south across the Danube and regroup. Not wanting to leave anything for the advancing enemy, the Ottomans sack and burn Bucharest, and blow up the wooden fortifications. In order to catch the fleeing Ottomans, the 3 Romanian voivodes pass by Bucharest, sending only a small Moldavian contingent to enter the city, and continue marching on the road to Calugareni and Giurgiu.[15][16]
While the Ottomans are crossing the pontoon bridge over the Danube, the 3 Romanian voivodes appear to the north of Giurgiu. Even before the rest of the column has arrived the quick thinking Mihai is the first to attack. He doesn’t want to give the enemy any time to fully form their battle line. After hours of fighting the Ottomans lost about 3000 men, while another several thousand were wounded. The battle of Giurgiu marked the end of the Ottoman ambition to transform Wallachia into an Ottoman province. [17][18]
After the battle Sinan began planning a general invasion of Wallachia, to massacre and displace the population as punishment for their resistance. But Sinan never got the chance to execute his plans. His retreat from Wallachia was regarded as shameful. The man who had masterminded so many victories in Hungary against the Holy League was stripped of his position as Grand Vizier.[19][20]
On October 20, 1595, During Stephan Razvan’s absence from moldavia due to the battle Stephen Razvan and his army joined with the armies of Michael the Brave and Sigismund Batory, defeating the Ottoman army at Giurgiu. Taking advantage of his absence from Suceava, the Poles invade Moldavia and install Ieremia Movilă, a known enemy of Michael the Brave, as their ruler. Returning from the battlefield, Stephen Razvan heads for Moldavia in an attempt to recapture the Citadel. The Battle of Areni, near Suceava, takes place on December 3, 1595 and concluded after three hours, with a Polish victory. [21][22]
Later, caught by Ieremia Movila's men, he suffered a terrible death. "With terrifying cruelty, he ordered to put Razvan in the dungeon, then cut off his nose and lips, and then put him on the stake, leaving him like this - a scene of mourning - to the army and the inhabitants countries. In the minute that the unfortunate Razvan Voda was moaning in pain on the stake, with cruel barbarism they brought his brother before him to cut off his head.”[23][24]
References[edit]
- ^ Rotaru, Julieta (January 2021). "Considerations About the 'Turkish Gypsies' as Crypto-Muslims in Wallachia". History and Culture of Roma. Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Dr. Vesselin Popov. Isbn/Gtin 978-3-96939-071-9.
- ^ "Wallachia and Moldavia". Council of Europe.
- ^ Hancock, Ian (2002). We are the Romani People. University of Hertfordshire Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-902806-19-8.
- ^ The Roma in Romanian History. p. 41.
Bibliography[edit]
- Istoria și tradițiile minorității rromani, p. 28, 2005, Sigma, Bucharest, Delia Grigore, Petre Petcuț and Mariana Sandu
External links[edit]
Media related to Ștefan VIII Răzvan at Wikimedia Commons
