- Ştefan Răzvan
Ştefan Răzvan (? - December 1595) was a Rom from the historical
Romania n state ofWallachia , who became theVoivode (Prince) ofMoldavia (between24 April 1595 – August 1595).Biography
The father of Ştefan Răzvan was a
Muslim Rom from theOttoman Empire who emigrated north ofDanube , in Wallachia, while his mother was a Romanian peasant from the new country of settlement. At that time, all the Romani people living in the Romanian states of Wallachia and Moldavia were slaves. The rule was applied also to any Romani immigrants, excepting the Ottomancitizen s. Benefiting of this exception, the father and later the son could remain free and become an active part in the local society.Ştefan 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 fromIslam toChristianism , attracting the wrath of the Ottomans. He had theboyar social status and he was a cultured person. Later he becomes involved in the politics of the neighbouring Romanian country of Moldavia, where he was appointed as part of the Princiary council, with the title ofhatman (second in rank in the army after the Prince), during the reign ofAron Tiranul ("Aaron the Tyrant"). He lead the campaigns of the Moldavian army against Bender,Chilia ,Cetatea Albă and NorthernDobruja , then occupied by the Ottomans. Ştefan became very popular among the soldiers and, with their support and with the help of theTransylvania n PrinceSigismund Báthory , he ousted Aron Tiranul (whose image was eroded among the population), on24 April 1595 .His leadership did not last long, because the neighbor political power of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth did not agree with Ştefan Răzvan's alliance with Transylvania and Wallachia. They invaded Moldavia in August, bringingIeremia Movilă as the Prince accepted by the Poles. The decisive battle was on theSuceava 's plains (on3 December 1595 ), concluded, after three hours of fight, with the Polish victory. Ştefan ran towards Transylvania, but he was captured and impaled.Bibliography
*"Istoria şi tradiţiile minorităţii rromani", p. 28, 2005, Sigma, Bucharest,
Delia Grigore , Petre Petcuţ and Mariana Sandu
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
