List of princes of Wallachia

Last updated November 03, 2024

This is a list of princes of Wallachia , from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the creation of Romania.

Notes

Dynastic rule is hard to ascribe, given the loose traditional definition of the ruling family. On principle, princes were chosen from any family branch, including a previous ruler's bastard sons, being defined as os de domn, "of Voivode marrow", or as having heregie, "heredity" (from the Latin hereditas); the institutions charged with the election, dominated by the boyars, had fluctuating degrees of influence. The system itself was challenged by usurpers, and became obsolete with the Phanariote epoch, when rulers were appointed by the Ottoman Sultans; between 1821 and 1878 (the date of Romania's independence), various systems combining election and appointment were put in practice. Wallachian rulers, like the Moldavian rulers, bore the titles of Voivode ("duke") or/and Hospodar ("lord, master"); when writing in Romanian, the term Domn (from the Latin dominus ) was used.

Most rulers did not use the form of the name they are cited with, and several used more than one form of their own name; in some cases, the ruler was only mentioned in foreign sources. The full names are either modern versions or ones based on mentions in various chronicles.

List

Early rulers

House of Basarab

From the early 15th-century the family was divided in two main branches:

Dănești branch

Drăculești branch

Ruler	Years	Marriage	Notes
Radu Negru	c. 1290 – 1310	Unknown	Radu Negru is legendary voivode of Wallachia; some historians consider it to be just a nickname of Thocomerius or Basarab I.
Basarab I the Founder (Basarab I Întemeietorul)	c. 1310 – 1352	Margareta two children	Son of Thocomerius; first non-legendary ruler of Wallachia.
Nicolae Alexandru	1352 – 16 November 1364	Maria Lackfy five children Clara Dobokai two children Margareta Dabkai no children	Son of Basarab I; he was already co-ruling with his father since 1344.
Vladislav I Vlaicu-Vodă	16 November 1364 – 1377	unknown	son of Nicolae Alexandru
Radu I	1377 – 1383	Anna one child Kalinikia c.1354 or 1355 two children	Son of Nicolae Alexandru.
Dan I	1383 – 1386	Maria of Serbia one child	Son of Radu I. After his death, his descendants formed the Danesti family.
Mircea I the Elder (Mircea I cel Bătrân)	23 September 1386 – November 1394 January 1397 – 31 January 1418	Maria Tolmay six children Anca no children	Son of Radu I. Wallachia reached one of its peaks. He was deposed by a usurper, Vlad, in 1394, but was restored in 1397.
Vlad I the Usurper (Vlad I Uzurpatorul)	November 1394 – January 1397	Unknown	Second son of Dan I, usurped the throne.
Mihail I	31 January 1418 – August 1420	unknown two children	Son of Mircea I, co-ruled with his father since 1415.
Radu II the Bald (Radu II Praznaglava)	August 1420 – October 1422^[1] December 1426 – March/June 1427	unknown	War of succession in Wallachia, which opposed Radu II, brother of Mihail I, to the Danesti pretender Dan II (son of Dan I and member of the Order of the Dragon), where both had brief periods of power in succession.
Dan II the Brave (Dan II cel Viteaz)	October 1422 - December 1426 March/June 1427 - 1 June 1431	unknown five children
Alexandru I Aldea	1 June 1431 – December 1436	unknown	Son of Mircea I, ousted Dan II of the throne.
Vlad II the Dragon (Vlad II Dracul)	December 1436 – 1442 1443 – 7 December 1447	Unknown one child Cneajna of Moldavia three children	Illegitimate son of Mircea cel Bătrân; member of the Order of the Dragon (thus Dracul); While in negotiations outside Wallachia with the Ottoman Empire, his son Mircea was named prince. He returned to the throne in 1443, winning against John Hunyadi, and deposing also Basarab II. He was assassinated in 1447. His descendants, from his sobriquet, founded the Draculesti family.
Mircea II the Younger (Mircea al II-lea cel Tânăr)	September – December 1442	Unmarried	Son of Vlad II Dracul, sometimes not counted; he ruled while his father was absent, on his way to pay the tribute to the Ottoman Empire; Deposed by John Hunyadi. Returned in 1446, co-ruling with his father. He was blinded and buried alive by Hunyadi in 1447.
Basarab II	1442–1443	Maria (Dobra) two children	Son of Dan II; Placed in the throne by John Hunyadi, in war with Vlad II.
Vladislav II	7 December 1447 – 20 August 1456	Neacşa one child	Son of Dan II; supported by John Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary; The way he came to the throne is debatable, but the most accepted is that he killed Vlad II, and was then replaced in the throne by Hunyadi. Returned in 1448, after deposing Vlad the Impaler, and ruled again until his death in a combat hand-to-hand against Vlad III, who retook the throne
Vlad III the Impaler (Vlad Țepeș)	20 August 1456 – July 1462 June 1476 - January 1477	Unknown one child Justina Szilágyi Between 1475 and 1476 no children	Son of Vlad II Dracul, invaded briefly Wallachia in 1448 (October–November) while Vladislav II was away. His real rulership would begin after killing Vladislav II in battle. Vlad III was at war against the Ottomans.
Radu III the Fair (Radu cel Frumos)	August 1462 – November 1473 23 December 1473 – March 1474 March - bet. June/September 1474 October 1474 – January 1475	Maria one child	Son of Vlad II Dracul; from 1473 in war with Basarab III.
Basarab III Laiotă the Old (Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân)	November - 23 December 1473 March 1474 bet.June/September - October 1474 January1475 - June1476 January–December 1477	Unmarried	Son of Dan II; In war against Radu III.
Basarab IV The Young Impaler (Basarab IV Țepeluș cel Tânăr)	December 1477 – September 1481 November 1481 – 23 March 1482	Maria one child	Son of Basarab II. His first reign was briefly contested by: Mircea (II), an illegitimate son of Vlad II Dracul, supported by Stephen III of Moldavia from July to November 1480.
Vlad IV the Monk (Vlad Călugărul)	September - November 1481 23 March 1482 – November 1495	Rada Smaranda Before 1460 four children Maria Palaiologina 1487 one child	Son of Vlad II.
Radu IV the Great (Radu cel Mare)	November 1495 – 23 April 1508	Catherine of Zeta 1494 four children	Son of Vlad IV.
Mihnea I the Bad (Mihnea cel Rău)	23 April 1508 – 29 October 1509	Smaranda no children Voica three children	Son of Vlad III. Abdicated to his son. Died 1510.
Mircea III the Dragon (Mircea III Dracul)	29 October 1509 – 26 January 1510	Maria of Serbia 1519 two children	Son of Mihnea I.
Vlad V the Younger (Vlad cel Tânăr)	8 April 1510 – 23 January 1512	Anca of Zeta Before 1508 one child	Son of Vlad IV; also known as Vlăduț
Neagoe Basarab	23 January 1512 – 15 September 1521	Milica of Serbia 1505 six children	Possibly son of Pârvu Craiovescu (Craiovești family) or Basarab IV; The most accepted theory is that he claimed the throne as a son of Basarab IV, being in fact son of Pârvu. It's possible that the matter arose from the fact that Neagoe's mother was a mistress of Basarab IV. Cultural zenith in Wallachia.
Regency of Milica of Serbia (15 September - December 1521)			Under regency of his mother. His rule was briefly challenged by: (Vlad) Dragomir the Monk, possible son of Vlad the Younger who contested the throne in September-October of 1521. Teodosie was defeated in 1521, fled with his mother, and died in exile the following year.
Teodosie	15 September - December 1521	Unmarried
Radu V of Afumati (Radu de la Afumati)	December 1521 – April 1523 19 January - June 1524 September 1524 – April 1525 August 1525 – 2 April 1529	Voica of Bucsani three children Ruxandra of Wallachia After 1525 no children	Son of Radu IV; allied with the Craiovești.
Vladislav III	April - 8 November 1523 June - September 1524 19 April - August 1525	Unknown	Nephew of Vladislav II.
Radu VI Bădica	November 1523 – 19 January 1524	Unknown	Illegitimate son of Radu IV.
Basarab VI	6 January - 5 February 1529	Unknown	Non-dynastic; Son of Mehmed-bey.
Moise	January 1529 – June 1530	Unknown	Son of Vladislav III. Last of the Dănești. Deposed, died 29 August of that same year.
Vlad VI the Drowned (Vlad Înecatul)	June 1530 – September 1532	Anna of Moldavia 1531 no children	Son of Vlad V.
Vlad VII Vintilă de la Slatina	September 1532 – 10 June 1535	Zamfira one child Rada one child	Illegitimate son of Radu IV.
Radu VII Paisie	10 June 1535 – 1545	Stana three children Ruxandra of Wallachia c.1541 three children	Son of Radu IV. Had to face some very brief boyar usurpations or mere attacks to his sovereignty: Barbu Craiovescu III (1535) Șerban din Izvorani (2 June - 15 July 1539) Laiotă Basarab (27 April - 2 June 1544)
Mircea IV the Shepherd (Mircea Ciobanul)	January 1545 – 16 November 1552 11 May 1553 – 28 February 1554 24 December 1557 – 25 September 1559	Chiajna of Moldavia June 1546 seven children	Son of Radu IV.
Radu VIII Ilie the Cowherd (Radu Ilie Haidăul)	16 November 1552 – 11 May 1553	Unknown	Son of Radu V. Deposed; died 1558.
Pătrașcu the Good (Pătrașcu cel Bun)	28 February 1554 – 24 December 1557	Voica of Slatioare four children	Son of Radu VII.
Regency of Chiajna of Moldavia (25 September 1559 - 1564)			Son of Mircea IV. Deposed and died in exile in the following year.
Petru I the Younger (Petru cel Tânăr)	25 September 1559 – 8 June 1568	Jelena Crepovic of Transylvania 22 August 1563 one child
Alexandru II Mircea	8 June 1568 – 11 September 1577	Catherine Salvaresso 1558 Pera one child	Son of Mircea III Dracul; popularly called Oaie Seacă (Barren Sheep). His rule was briefly challenged by: Vintilă, a son of Pătrașcu, usurped/contested the throne between March and June of 1574.
Regency of Catherine Salvaresso (11 September 1577 - July 1583)			Initially under regency of his mother, both were deposed by the usurper Petru Cercel. Mihnea paid for the assassination of his usurper, returned and ruled alone. In 1591, he was deposed and died in exile in Constantinople, in 1601.
Mihnea II the Turk (Mihnea Turcitul; Mehmet Bey)	11 September 1577 - July 1583 6 April 1585 – 19 May 1591	Neaga de Cislau June 1582 three children
Petru II of the Earring (Petru Cercel)	July 1583 – 6 April 1585	Unmarried	Son of Pătrașcu; deposed Mihnea II, but ended up assassinated by his order.

House of Basarab, with interventions of Bogdan-Muşat and Movilești dynasties

Ruler	Years	Family	Notes
Ștefan I Surdul (Stephen the Deaf)	1591–1592	Bogdan-Muşat
Alexandru III cel Rău (Alexander III the Bad)	1592–1593	Bogdan-Muşat	also ruled Moldavia (1592)
Mihail II Viteazul (Michael II the Brave)	1593–1600	Drăculești	according to some, the illegitimate son of Petru Pătrașcu cel Bun; also ruled Transylvania (1599–1600) and Moldavia (1600), briefly bringing the three principalities under a personal union.
Nicolae Pătrașcu	1599–1600	Drăculești	Son of Michael II, co-ruled with his father since 1599.
Simion Movilă	1600–1601 1602	Movilești
Radu IX Mihnea	1601–1602 1611 1611–1616 1620–1623	Drăculești	son of Minhea II Turcitul
Radu X Șerban	1602–1610 1611		Nephew of Neagoe Basarab. 1st rule
Transylvanian occupation: direct rule of Gabriel Báthory (1611)
Gabriel Movilă	1616 1618-1620	Movilești	son of Simion Movilă
Alexandru IV Iliaș	1616–1618 1627-1629
Alexandru V Coconul (Alexander the Child-Prince)	1623–1627	Drăculești	son of Radu Mihnea
Leon Tomșa	1629–1632
Radu XI Iliaș	1632
Matei Basarab	1632–1654	Brâncovenești
Constantin I Șerban	1654–1658		illegitimate son of Radu Șerban
Mihnea III	1658–1659

Pre-Phanariote period

The Ottoman influence in the Wallachian rulers' election grows from the mid-17th century onward. From 1659, the rulers elected are mostly scions of Greek families, and increasingly less linked to the original Wallachian ruling family. The process reached its peak with the called Phanariote period (1715-1859), where, between the rulers, there was already no connection (or a very distant one) with the dynasty of Basarab.

Various dynasties

Ruler	Years	Family
Gheorghe Ghica	1659–1660	Ghica
Grigore Ghica I	1660–1664 1672–1673	Ghica
Radu Leon	1664–1669
Antonie Vodă din Popeşti	1669–1672
Gheorghe Ducas	1673–1678
Șerban Cantacuzino	1678–1688	Cantacuzene
Constantin Brâncoveanu	1688–1714	Brâncovenești
Ștefan Cantacuzino	1714–1715	Cantacuzene

Phanariotes (1715–1821)

Ruler	Years	Family	Notes
Nicolae Mavrocordat	1715–1716 1719-1730	Mavrocordato
Habsburg occupation (1716)
Ioan Mavrocordat	1716–1719	Mavrocordato
Constantin Mavrocordat	1730 1731–1733 1735–1741 1744–1748 1756–1758 1761–1763	Mavrocordato
Mihai Racoviță	1730–1731 1741–1744	Racoviță	1st rule
Grigore II Ghica	1733–1735 1748–1752	Ghica
Matei Ghica	1752–1753	Ghica
Constantin Racoviță	1753–1756 1763–1764
Scarlat Ghica	1758–1761 1765–1766	Ghica
Ștefan Racoviță	1764–1765	Racoviță
Alexandru I Ghica	1766–1768	Ghica
Russian occupation (1768)
Grigore III Ghica	1768–1769	Ghica
Russian occupation (1769-1770)
Emanuel Giani Ruset	1770–1771	Rosetti	also called Manole or Manolache
Alexander Ypsilantis	1774–1782	Ypsilanti	1st rule
Nicolae Caragea	1782–1783	Caradja
Mihai Suțu	1783–1786 1790–1793 1801-1802	Soutzos
Nicolae Mavrogheni	1786–1789
Habsburg occupation (1789-1790) Military commander: Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg
Alexandru Moruzi	1793–1796 1799–1801	Mourousi
Alexander Ypsilantis	1796–1797	Ypsilanti	2nd rule
Constantin Hangerli	1797–1799
Alexandru Suțu	1802	Soutzos
Constantin Ypsilanti	1802–1806	Ypsilanti
Russian occupation (1806-1812)
Ioan Gheorghe Caragea	1812–1818	Caradja
Caimacam Grigore Brâncoveanu	1818		assisted by Vornic Barbu Văcărescu, Vistier Grigore Ghica and Logofăt Samurcaș
Alexandru Suțu	1818–1821	Soutzos
Caimacam Grigore Brâncoveanu	1821
Tudor Vladimirescu	1821		leader of the anti-Phanariote uprising
Scarlat Callimachi	1821	Callimachi

Post-Phanariote period

Ruler	Years	Family	Notes
Grigore IV Ghica	1822–1828	Ghica
Russian occupation (1828-1834) Military commanders: Fyodor Pahlen, Pyotr Zheltukhin, and Pavel Kiseleff
Organic Statute government (1832–1856)
Alexandru II Ghica	1834–1842	Ghica
Gheorghe Bibescu	1842–1848	Craiovești / Brâncovenești / Știrbei / Bibescu
Provisional Government	1848		Metropolitan Neofit II, assisted by Christian Tell, Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Ștefan Golescu, Gheorghe Magheru, Gheorghe Scurti
Locotenența domnească (Regency of three)	1848		Christian Tell, Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Nicolae Golescu
Joint Russian and Ottoman occupation (1848-1851) Military commanders: Omar Pasha and Alexander von Lüders
Caimacam Constantin Cantacuzino	1848
Barbu Știrbei	1848–1853 1854–1856	Știrbei
Russian (1853-1854), Ottoman (1854) and Austrian occupations (1854-1856) military commander: Johann Coronini-Cronberg (1854–56)
Protectorate established by the Treaty of Paris (1856–1859)
Caimacam Alexandru II Ghica	1856–1858
Caimacam of three	1858–1859		Ioan Manu, Emanoil Băleanu, Ioan A. Filipescu
Alexander John Cuza	1859–1862		also ruled Moldavia in personal union as the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia.
Formal union of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1862 as the Romanian United Principalities. A new constitution came into effect in 1866 giving the country the official name Romania. For later rulers, see Domnitor and King of Romania .

Bibliography

Constantin Rezachevici (2001). Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova: a. 1324-1881. Editura Enciclopedică. ISBN 9734503863.
Treptow, Kurt W. (2000). Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula. The Center of Romanian Studies. ISBN 973-98392-2-3.

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References

↑ Constantin Rezachevici - "Critical chronology of the lords of Wallachia and Moldova a. 1324 - 1881", Volume I, Enciclopedic Publishing House, 2001, p. 86

External links

Rulers of Wallachia

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[1] Constantin Rezachevici - "Critical chronology of the lords of Wallachia and Moldova a. 1324 - 1881", Volume I, Enciclopedic Publishing House, 2001, p. 86

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