Ștefan cel Mare

Who is Ștefan cel Mare?

Ștefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great, also styled Stephen III of Moldavia) ruled the Principality of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504, one of the longest and most consequential reigns in the region's history. He is remembered as Moldavia's greatest medieval ruler, defending the principality's independence through decades of warfare against the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, and the Kingdom of Hungary, most famously winning the Battle of Vaslui in 1475 against a much larger Ottoman force. Beyond the battlefield, he consolidated Moldavia's administration, strengthened its fortresses, and, according to tradition, commissioned a monastery or church after each victory, resulting in a network of religious foundations including Putna Monastery, his eventual burial place. The Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him as Saint Stephen the Great and Holy in 1992. In the modern Republic of Moldova he is the country's foremost national symbol: the central boulevard and central park of the capital, Chișinău, are named Ștefan cel Mare, and his statue stands at their heart. He remains a shared historical figure claimed by both Moldova and Romania as a defender of the Moldavian lands.

Sources: Nicolae Iorga, Istoria lui Ștefan cel Mare (1904) · Grigore Ureche, Letopisețul Țării Moldovei (17th century chronicle) · UNESCO description of the Putna Monastery and Bucovina painted monasteries