Biography
Stefan III Great is one of the most prominent rulers of the Moldovan Principality. He headed this state for 47 years, and today historians speak of him: "He accepted a fragile clay country, and left a strong stone principality." He strengthened the central government, very successfully confronted with powerful enemy powers - the Ottoman Empire, Poland and Hungary. In times, when the Biography of Stefan Great was written, the Moldovan Principality became a significant political force in Eastern Europe. His image is one of the most popular and favorite in Moldavian folklore and literature.
A specific birthday of the future of the Great Lord did not keep history, but it is just known that the Biography of Stefan III of the Great takes the countdown in 1429. He was born in Borzeshtsky Selish, today is a town in the Romanian Bacau region. Stephen, or as Stefan's Great often writes, was a descendant of the huge dynasty of the Moldavian principality, which was the common surname of Mussed, which means "beautiful." His father Bogdan II headed the country until 1451. The mother of the future of the legendary ruler was Molay Damna.
Before Stefan climbed onto the throne, his native Uncle Peter III Aron, who in the title of the Date mounted the Principality of his brother dismissed. He cut off the head of Bogdan II, shed fraternal blood. Like many of his predecessors, Peter Aron thought more about the entertainment and fun, spent the treasury for his own interests and eventually brought the country to such a benchmark that even the meager tribute of Turkey for Moldova turned out to be an unbearable burden. Stefan III Great gathered the army of six thousand people and attacked a relative, whose army exceeded the squad of the attacking side. Nevertheless, April 12, 1457, the nephew defeated Uncle, becoming a sort of Moldovan Hamlet. Peter fled to Poland, and the collection of the country of Moldavskaya proclaimed Stephen with a new gentleman.
Lord Moldova
Having joined the throne, Stephen engaged in strengthening the country. He limited the influence of the boyars on the economy and began to buy their lands. It is important to note that with those who showed discontent, he arrived severely, once executed at the same time 40 feudalists. It was with the new ruler that the Moldovan peasants received the status of "free", although, first of all, Stephen III was not the great for themselves for themselves, but for the time to strengthen their army, since the serfs did not have the right to carry military service. He also built a number of new fortresses and strengthened the power of existing ones.
Thanks to the changes in the economy, agriculture began to improve, crafts developed, trade flourished. It is curious that in that epoch, the Moldovan fleet, who previously did not have some kind of great importance, was constantly attended even in the Mediterranean, and Moldova's ships reached Venice and Genoa.
But even more successful was the external policy of Stephen III Great. Actually, it was for successful battles that he received this loud title. In 1465, the ruler disheveled the Kyili and Belgorod fortress, which today are in the Odessa region. Hungarian invaders were also broken in battle at the city of Bayei, which became a big surprise for the enemies of the Moldovan Principality. And when after 10 years, the Ottoman Empire decided to regain his lost lands and made a punitive campaign, the Osmans turned out to be attacked at the Vallauy battle. By the way, a giant oak is still growing in the village of Koblin Scholdanesht district, whose legend was rested by Stefan Great.
But the lack of support from European states forced Stephen to agree to the payment of Dani Turks. The fact is that in the last decade of the XV century Moldova led the war against Poland and Lithuania, and it was difficult to break on two sides. For the sake of strengthening its positions, Stefan III, the Great even agreed to the Union with Russia, which had previously avoided. This peace agreement contributed to improving relations with the Crimean Tatars and helped defeat the Poles in the battle near the Kozaminsky forest.
Thanks to the skillful board, Stephen Moldova reached an economic heyday, although he never stopped endless wars. By the way, it is precisely this, the Lordary owned the idea of Moldovan chronicle, known today as "Anonymous Chronicle of Moldova." Also, with it, many Orthodox churches and cathedrals were built and a local iconography developed.
Personal life
Information about the personal life of Stephen Great reached us orally, so there are some inconsistencies in various sources. Sometimes the first wife of Stephen III of the Great is called a kind of marryushka, although these marriage data does not exist and this woman is more likely to be considered a concubine. But it is precisely known that on July 5, 1463, he married Evdokia Kiev, the granddaughter of Sofia Paleolog. The wife gave Stephan by the third three children: Alexander, Peter and Elena. Elena's daughter will subsequently become the wife of Ivan the young, son of King Ivan III.
Four years after the wedding, Evdokia died. It is known that Stephen burned very much, and he decided on a new marriage only five years later, which at the time, quite a long time, especially for royal persons. But Evdokia Kievskaya for Stephen III of the Great and remained the main woman in life. The rest of his wife occupied a smaller value in his heart. In 1472, the Lord married Maria Mangupskaya, which came from the imperial family of Paleologists and the Bulgarian royal dynasty of Asanov. This marriage was strategic: as the relative of the Turkish Khan Maria contributed to the strengthening of the positions of the Moldovan Principality. In this marriage, Stephen had sons Bogdan and Ilya, the second of them died at an early age.
The third wife of Stefan III of the Great turned out to be Maria Vldakitsa. She gave her husband to the future successor to Bogdan III Krivoy, Sorted on the throne after his father, as well as daughters Anna, who went to the monastery, and Maria Princess. The last wife had a great influence on Stefan, which was mainly manifested in the enhanced spread of Orthodoxy. It was with her that the Lord began to portray on the icons, a famous portrait appeared, where Stephen the Third Great Holds in his hands a mockup of the church, symbolizing submissions to Jesus Christ.
It is necessary to add that Stefan had another son, Peter IV Raresh, who headed the country in 1527. Who was the mother of this child, the story is silent, therefore, most often Peter is called illegitimate. It is noteworthy that the best friend and the faithful ally of the legendary Moldovan ruler was the notorious Valah Prince Vlad III chapel, considered the prototype of the vampire of Count Dracula from the name of the name of Bram Stoker's novel. Together, they walked together for Stephen Principality at his uncle and later they fought shoulder to shoulder many times.
Death
The cause of the death of Stephen Great is not clarified. He died on July 2, 1504 at the age of 75 years in the Suceaval fortress, where he once crowned. I buried the Lord of Moldova in the Orthodox Monastery constructed by the Orthodox monastery, called so in honor of the river flowing nearby.