Radu Mihnea

Radu Mihnea (1586–1626) was Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia between September 1601 and March 1602, and again between March and May 1611, September 1611 and August 1616, August 1620 and August 1623, and Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia in 1616-1619, 1623-1626. He was the illegitimate son of Mihnea Turcitul by Voica Bratcul.

Life

Radu Mihnea spent part of his early years in Koper (Capodistria), on Mount Athos and in Venice. His stay in the Serenissima accounts for the pro-Venetian character of his rule, and his interest in reforming the institutions of Wallachia and Moldavia. While in Istanbul (where he bid for the throne), Radu most likely met future rival and Prince of Moldavia Gaspar Graziani (at the time a diplomat and spy).

He replaced Polish vassal Simion Movilă on the throne in Bucharest after the brief occupation of Wallachia by the troops of hetmans Jan Zamoyski and Jan Karol Chodkiewicz. His first rule in the country signified the return to Ottoman control, interrupted since Michael the Brave.

Radu appears to have been interested in a joint rule over Wallachia and Moldavia, and he came closest to achieving it when his third rule over Moldavia was doubled by the reign of son Alexandru Coconul in Wallachia. The subtlety of this gesture is discarded in several sources:
* "Radulo, who is nowadays Prince in Moldavia, and his son [who is Prince] in Wallachia, [the latter] being very young and overseen by his father" (Venetian document of April 11 1625).

* "Radulo Voivode, Prince of Wallachia and Moldavia" (various documents).

* Radu Mihnea's tombstone bears the carving of both countries' seals.

Current Successors

An article in a Romanian newspaper in the 1950's acknowledged the death of the last direct male descendant of Radu Mihnea Voda, Dumitru Radulescu(Radu)- a church, artist painter. However, it is not widely known that female descendents of Radu Mihnea do in fact still live in Bucharest. In fact, the bloodline extends as far as a 10th generation, through the continuing linage of the sister of Dumitru Radu.

See also

*Moldavian Magnate Wars

References

*"Magazin Istoric", 6/1979

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/serban_marin/luca2.html Cristian Luca, "Influssi occidentali sull’atteggiamento politico di alcuni principi dei Paesi Romeni nei secoli XVI e XVII"]