Editing Wallachia (section)

====Mircea the Elder to Radu the Great====
[[File:Tara Rumaneasca map.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Territories held by Wallachian prince Mircea the Elder, {{circa}} 1390<ref>Petre Dan, ''Hotarele românismului în date'', Editura, Litera International, Bucharest, 2005, pp. 32, 34. {{ISBN|973-675-278-X}}</ref>]]

As the entire [[Balkans]] became an integral part of the growing Ottoman Empire (a process that concluded with the [[fall of Constantinople]] to Sultan [[Mehmed the Conqueror]] in 1453), Wallachia became engaged in frequent confrontations in the final years of the reign of [[Mircea I of Wallachia|Mircea I]] (r. 1386–1418). Mircea initially defeated the Ottomans in several battles, including the [[Battle of Rovine]] in 1394, driving them away from [[Dobruja]] and briefly extending his rule to the [[Danube Delta]], Dobruja and [[Silistra]] (c. 1400–1404).<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 139</ref> He swung between alliances with [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor]], and [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Jagiellon Poland]] (taking part in the [[Battle of Nicopolis]]),<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 97</ref> and accepted a peace treaty with the Ottomans in 1417, after [[Mehmed I]] took control of [[Turnu Măgurele]] and [[Giurgiu]].<ref>Giurescu, ''Istoria Românilor'', p. 479</ref> The two ports remained part of the Ottoman state, with brief interruptions, until 1829. In 1418–1420, [[Michael I of Wallachia|Michael I]] defeated the Ottomans in Severin, only to be killed in battle by the counter-offensive; in 1422, the danger was averted for a short while when [[Dan II of Wallachia|Dan II]] inflicted a defeat on [[Murad II]] with the help of [[Pippo Spano]].<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 105</ref>
[[File:Nuremberg chronicles f 270v (Valachia).jpg|thumb|left|Wallachia as pictured in the 1493 ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'']]

The peace signed in 1428 inaugurated a period of internal crisis, as Dan had to defend himself against [[Radu II of Wallachia|Radu II]], who led the first in a series of [[Boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia|boyar]] coalitions against established princes.<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 105–106</ref> Victorious in 1431 (the year when the boyar-backed [[Alexander I Aldea]] took the throne), boyars were dealt successive blows by [[Vlad II Dracul]] (1436–1442; 1443–1447), who nevertheless attempted to compromise between the Ottoman Sultan and the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 106</ref>
[[File:TurnulChindiei.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Chindia Tower]] in [[Târgoviște]]]]

The following decade was marked by the conflict between the rival houses of [[House of Dănești|Dănești]] and [[House of Drăculești|Drăculești]]. Faced with both internal and external conflict, [[Vlad II Dracul]] reluctantly agreed to pay the [[tribute]] demanded of him by the Ottoman Empire, despite his affiliation with the [[Order of the Dragon]], a group of independent noblemen whose creed had been to repel the Ottoman invasion. As part of the tribute, the sons of [[Vlad II Dracul]] ([[Radu cel Frumos]] and [[Vlad the Impaler|Vlad III Dracula]]) were taken into Ottoman custody. Recognizing the Christian resistance to their invasion, leaders of the Ottoman Empire released Vlad III to rule in 1448 after his father's assassination in 1447.

[[File:Vlad Ţepeş, the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia (1456-1462) (died 1477).jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Vlad the Impaler]] (''Vlad Țepeș''), [[Voivode of Wallachia]]]]
Known as Vlad III the Impaler or Vlad III Dracula, he immediately put to death the boyars who had conspired against his father, and was characterized as both a national hero and a cruel [[tyrant]].{{sfn|Cazacu|2017|pp=199–202}} He was cheered for restoring order to a destabilized principality, yet showed no mercy toward thieves, murderers or anyone who plotted against his rule. Vlad demonstrated his intolerance for criminals by utilizing [[impalement]] as a form of execution. Vlad fiercely resisted Ottoman rule, having both repelled the Ottomans and been pushed back several times.

[[File:PoienariCastle1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Poienari Castle]], one of the royal seats of [[Vlad the Impaler|Vlad III Dracul]]]]
The [[Transylvanian Saxons]] were also furious with him for strengthening the borders of Wallachia, which interfered with their control of trade routes. In retaliation, the Saxons distributed grotesque poems of cruelty and other propaganda, demonizing Vlad III Dracula as a drinker of blood.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/298070110/Die-Geschichte-Dracole-Waide |title=Consuming News: Newspapers and Print Culture in Early Modern Europe (1500–1800) |editor=Gerhild Scholz Williams |editor2=William Layher |pages=14–34 |access-date=23 July 2019 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308200054/https://www.scribd.com/document/298070110/Die-Geschichte-Dracole-Waide |url-status=live }}</ref> These tales strongly influenced an eruption of vampiric fiction throughout the West and, in particular, Germany. They also inspired the main character in the 1897 Gothic novel ''[[Dracula]]'' by [[Bram Stoker]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Simone Berni |title=Dracula by Bram Stoker: The Mystery of The Early Editions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cm36CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |year=2016 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-326-62179-7 |page=57}}{{self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}

In 1462, Vlad III was defeated by Mehmed the Conqueror during his offensive at the [[Night Attack at Târgovişte]] before being forced to retreat to [[Târgoviște]] and accepting to pay an increased tribute.<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 115–118</ref> Meanwhile, Vlad III faced parallel conflicts with his brother, Radu cel Frumos, (r. 1437/1439–1475), and [[Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân]]. This led to the conquest of Wallachia by Radu, who would face his own struggles with the resurgent Vlad III and Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân during his 11-year reign.<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 117–118, 125</ref> Subsequently, [[Radu IV the Great]] (Radu cel Mare, who ruled 1495–1508) reached several compromises with the boyars, ensuring a period of internal stability that contrasted his clash with [[Bogdan III the One-Eyed]] of Moldavia.<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 146</ref>