Moldavia

MOLDAVIA Early History.—According to the Moldavian chroniclers of the 16th, rith and 18th centuries, Dragon the son of Bogdan, the founder of the Moldavian principality, emigrated with his fol lowers from the Hungarian district of Marmaros in the northern Carpathians. The dates assigned to this event vary from 1299 to 1342 ; but in any case it appears that the Vlachs of Moldavia were first reinforced and organized, after the collapse of the Cumans, by immigrants from Hungary in the early 14th century. About 1349 Bogdan Voda (1349-65) expelled the remnants of Cumans and Tatars and founded an independent principality. In 1372 by an agreement between Louis of Hungary and the emperor Charles IV., the voivodate of Moldavia was recognized as a dependency of the Crown of St. Stephen. The voivode Peter Musat (r375– 91), however, recognized the suzerainty of the king of Poland, whose sister he married ; and his successors, the chief of whom was Alexander the Good (1401-35) usually acknowledged Polish suzerainty.

The internal situation created by the Turkish advance was skilfully utilized by Stephen the Great (1457-15o4) who, in agree ment with Poland and the Sultan, evicted Vlad from the throne of Walachia and extended his own power southward at the expense of the Turks, whose armies he repelled in 1475 (battle of Rahova), 1476 and 1484. He defeated a Polish invading force in 1487, and soon after, with Turkish help, himself invaded Poland and annexed temporarily the province of Pokutia. Stephen's realm was a con siderable one, extending both north and east far beyond the pres ent Moldavia, while his international relations included Venice and Poland. His son Bogdan III. "the one-eyed" (1504-17), how ever, at feud with Poland over Pokutia and unsupported by the shaken power of Hungary, was forced to agree to pay the Sultan an annual tribute (1513) in return for guarantees preserving the national religion and constitution. The terms were further regu lated by a firman of 1529, Moldavia paying a tribute and supplying a contingent to the Turkish forces. Peter Rare (1527-38 and 1541-46), the last really independent prince of Moldavia, at tempted an ambitious foreign policy. Allying himself with the Turks he made war on both the imperial forces in Transylvania, and on Poland. He then allied himself with the emperor against Poland and the sultan, but was defeated and deposed in 1538. Returning in 1541 he again allied himself with the emperor against the sultan; but on his death his successors were no longer able to resist the growing Turkish power.

Moldavia Tributary to the Turks.

The tribute was grad ually increased, and the sultan strengthened his hold on Moldavia by occupying successively a series of fortresses. A curious inter lude in the increasing oppression was provided by the adventurer Jacob Basilicus Heraclides, an adventurer of Greek origin who succeeded in obtaining imperial support, seizing Moldavia from the voivode Alexander Lapwanu, and purchasing Turkish con firmation of his title (1561). Basilicus, who was a cultivated man, attempted to introduce an educational system in Moldavia and to reform its morals ; but his heavy taxation and foreign advisers led to a revolt, and he was assassinated (1563). Under the restored Lapuseanu and Bogdan IV. (1568-72) Moldavia relapsed into its earlier barbarism. Bogdan's successor, John the Terrible (1572 74) provoked by the Porte's demand for increased tribute, rose against the oppressor, but was defeated and slain (1574), and the country was left more than ever at the mercy of the Ottoman. Voivodes were now created and deposed in rapid succession by the Divan, but the victories of Michael the Brave in Walachia infused a more independent spirit into the Moldavians. The Mol davian dominion was now disputed by the Transylvanians and Poles, but in 1600 Michael succeeded in annexing it to his "Great Dacian" realm. On his murder the Poles again asserted their supremacy, but in 1618 the Porte once more recovered its domin ion. Basil the Wolf (1634-53) led a temporary national reaction ; but he exhausted his country in attempts to secure the throne of Walachia ; and after his death the Porte instituted a Phanariot regime similar in all respects to that set up in Walachia, which endured until the beginning of the 18th century. In addition, Moldavia was repeatedly devastated in the wars between Poland and Turkey, and in various Tatar invasions. An attempt by the voivode Demetrius Cantemir to exchange the Turkish rule for Russian suzerainty ( ) proved unsuccessful. In the 18th t ury, however, despite extortion and oppression, a certain improve ment occurred. The export trade of Moldavia at this period, principally in timber, salt, wine and foodstuffs, was considerable. Some of the Phanariot hospodars, who were generally drawn from the families of Mavrocordato, Ghica, Callimachi, Ypsilanti and Murusi, were men of culture. Gregory Ghica (1774-7) in particular made praiseworthy efforts to raise the standard of edu cation, and encouraged the settlement of German Protestant colonists.