Editing Moldavia (section)

===High Middle Ages===
{{Main|Founding of Moldavia}}
{{See also|Romania in the Middle Ages|Transylvania in the Middle Ages|Wallachia in the Middle Ages}}
[[Image:Constantin Lecca - Dragos Voda la vanatoarea zimbrului.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A bison, which was killed on the banks of a stream, is surrounded by a group of people |''The hunt of Voivode Dragoș' for the bison'' (by [[Constantin Lecca]])]]
[[File:Catedrala Catolică din Baia3.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the Roman Catholic Cathedral established by [[Transylvanian Saxons|Transylvanian Saxon]] colonists at [[Baia]] ({{langx|de|Moldenmarkt}}), [[Suceava County]], Romania]]
[[File:Suczawa twierdza.jpg|thumb|The Seat Fortress in [[Suceava]], Romania]]
[[File:Suceava - Stauia lui Stefan Cel Mare.jpg|thumb|Equestrian statue of Moldavian Prince [[Stephen III of Moldavia|Stephen the Great]] in [[Suceava]] ]]
[[File:CetateaNeamtului.jpg|thumb|[[Neamț Citadel]] in [[Târgu Neamț]], Romania]]
[[File:Сорокская крепость Cetatea Soroca Soroca Fortress (42928890910).jpg|thumb|[[Soroca Fort]] in [[Soroca]], [[Moldova|Republic of Moldova]]]]
[[File:Акерманська фортеця в Білгород-Дністровському8.jpg|thumb|Akkerman Fortress in [[Cetatea Alba]], Ukraine]]

The Franciscan Friar [[William of Rubruck]], who visited the court of the Great Khan in the 1250s, listed "the Blac",<ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2009|p=139}}</ref> or Vlachs, among the peoples who paid tribute to the Mongols, but the Vlachs' territory is uncertain.{{sfn|Sălăgean|2005|p=196}}{{sfn|Spinei|1986|p=131}} Friar William described "Blakia" as "[[Asen dynasty|Assan's]] territory"<ref>{{Harvnb|Jackson|2009|p=30}}</ref> south of the Lower Danube, showing that he [[Bulgarian lands across the Danube|identified it with the northern regions]] of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]].{{sfn|Vásáry|2005|p=30}}
Later in the 14th century, King [[Charles I of Hungary]] attempted to expand his realm and the influence of the [[Catholic Church]] eastwards after the fall of Cuman rule, and ordered a campaign under the command of [[Phynta de Mende]] (1324). In 1342 and 1345, the Hungarians were victorious in a battle against [[Tatars|Tatar-Mongols]]; the conflict was resolved by the death of [[Jani Beg]], in 1357. The Polish chronicler [[Jan Długosz]] mentioned Moldavians (under the name ''Wallachians'') as having joined a military expedition in 1342, under King [[Władysław I the Elbow-high|Władysław I]], against the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]].<ref>''The Annals of Jan Długosz'', p. 273</ref>

In 1353, [[Dragoș]], mentioned as a Vlach ''[[Knyaz]]'' in [[Maramureș]], was sent by [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis I]] to establish a line of defense against the [[Golden Horde]] forces of Mongols on the [[Siret River]]. This expedition resulted in a polity vassal to Hungary, in the [[Baia]] (''Târgul Moldovei'' or ''Moldvabánya'') region.

[[Bogdan I of Moldavia|Bogdan of Cuhea]], another Vlach [[voivode]] from Maramureș who had fallen out with the Hungarian king, crossed the Carpathians in 1359, took control of Moldavia, and succeeded in wrenching Moldavia from Hungarian control. His realm extended north to the [[Cheremosh River]], while the southern part of Moldavia was still occupied by the Tatar Mongols.

After first residing in Baia, Bogdan moved Moldavia's seat to [[Siret]] (it was to remain there until [[Petru II of Moldavia|Petru II Mușat]] moved it to [[Suceava]]; it was finally moved to [[Iași]] under [[Alexandru Lăpușneanu]] - in 1565). The area around Suceava, roughly correspondent to future [[Bukovina]], would later constitute one of the two administrative divisions of the new realm, under the name ''Țara de Sus'' (the "Upper Land"), whereas the rest, on both sides of the [[Prut]] river, formed ''Țara de Jos'' (the "Lower Land").

Disfavored by the brief union of [[History of Poland during the Piast dynasty|Angevin Poland]] and Hungary (the latter was still the country's overlord), Bogdan's successor [[Lațcu of Moldavia|Lațcu]] accepted [[Religious conversion|conversion]] to [[Catholic Church|Latin Catholicism]] around 1370. Despite the founding of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Siret|Latin diocese of Siret]], this move did not have any lasting consequences. Despite remaining officially [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and culturally connected with the [[Byzantine Empire]] after 1382, princes of the [[House of Bogdan-Mușat]] entered a conflict with the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Constantinople Patriarchate]] about control of appointments to the newly founded [[Metropolitan of Moldavia|Moldavian Metropolitan seat]]; [[Patriarch Antony IV of Constantinople|Patriarch Antony IV]] even cast an [[anathema]] over Moldavia after [[Roman I of Moldavia|Roman I]] expelled Constantinople's candidate, sending him back to Byzantium. The crisis was finally settled in favor of the Moldavian princes under [[Alexander I of Moldavia|Alexander I]]. Nevertheless, religious policy remained complex: while conversions to faiths other than Orthodox were discouraged (and forbidden for princes), Moldavia included sizable Latin Catholic communities (Germans and [[Magyars]]), as well as [[Armenians in Romania|Armenians]] of the non-Chalcedonian [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]; after 1460, the country welcomed [[Hussite]] refugees (founders of [[Ciuburciu]] and, probably, [[Huși]]).

The principality of Moldavia covered the entire geographic region of Moldavia. In various periods, various other territories were politically connected with the Moldavian principality. This is the case of the province of [[Pokuttya]], the fiefdoms of [[Cetatea de Baltă]] and [[Ciceu]] (both in [[Transylvania]]) or, at a later date, the territories between the Dniester and the Bug rivers.

Petru II profited from the end of the Hungarian-Polish union and moved the country closer to the [[History of Poland during the Jagiellonian dynasty|Jagiellonian realm]], becoming a [[Vassalage|vassal]] of [[Władysław II Jagiełło|Władysław II]] on September 26, 1387. This gesture was to have unexpected consequences: Petru supplied the Polish ruler with funds needed in the war against the [[Teutonic Knights]], and was granted control over [[Pokuttya]] until the debt was repaid; as this is not recorded to have been carried out, the region became disputed by the two states, until it was lost by Moldavia in the [[Battle of Obertyn]] (1531). Prince Petru also expanded his rule southwards to the [[Danube Delta]]. His brother Roman I conquered the Hungarian-ruled [[Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi|Cetatea Albă]] in 1392, giving Moldavia an outlet to the [[Black Sea]], before being toppled from the throne for supporting [[Fyodor Koriatovych]] in his conflict with [[Vytautas the Great]] of [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuania]]. Under [[Stephen I of Moldavia|Stephen I]].

Although [[Alexander I of Moldavia|Alexander I]] was brought to the throne in 1400 by the Hungarians (with assistance from [[Mircea I of Wallachia]]), he shifted his allegiances towards Poland (notably engaging Moldavian forces on the Polish side in the [[Battle of Grunwald]] and the [[Siege of Marienburg (1410)|Siege of Marienburg]]), and placed his own choice of rulers in Wallachia. His reign was one of the most successful in Moldavia's history, but also saw the first confrontation with the [[Ottoman Turks]] at Cetatea Albă in 1420, and later even a conflict with the Poles. A deep crisis was to follow Alexandru's long reign, with his successors battling each other in a succession of wars that divided the country until the murder of [[Bogdan II of Moldavia|Bogdan II]] and the ascension of [[Peter III Aaron|Petru III Aron]] in 1451. Nevertheless, Moldavia was subject to further Hungarian interventions after that moment, as [[Matthias Corvinus]] deposed Aron and backed [[Alexăndrel]] to the throne in [[Suceava]]. Petru Aron's rule also signified the beginning of Moldavia's [[Ottoman Empire]] allegiance, as the ruler agreed to pay [[tribute]] to Sultan [[Mehmed II]].