Editing Wallachia (section)

====Mihnea cel Rău to Petru Cercel====
The late 15th century saw the ascension of the powerful [[Craiovești]] family, virtually independent rulers of the [[Oltenia]]n [[Ban (title)|banat]], who sought Ottoman support in their rivalry with [[Mihnea cel Rău]] (1508–1510) and replaced him with [[Vlad cel Tânăr|Vlăduț]]. After the latter proved to be hostile to the bans, the House of Basarab formally ended with the rise of [[Neagoe Basarab]], a Craioveşti.<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 140–141</ref> Neagoe's peaceful rule (1512–1521) was noted for its cultural aspects (the building of the [[Curtea de Argeş Cathedral]] and [[Renaissance]] influences). It was also a period of increased influence for the [[Transylvanian Saxons|Saxon]] merchants in [[Brașov]] and [[Sibiu]], and of Wallachia's alliance with [[Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia|Louis II of Hungary]].<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 141–144</ref> Under [[Teodosie]], the country was again under a four-month-long Ottoman occupation, a military administration that seemed to be an attempt to create a Wallachian ''[[Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire|Pashaluk]]''.<ref name="Ștefănescu, pp. 144–145">Ștefănescu, pp. 144–145</ref> This danger rallied all boyars in support of [[Radu de la Afumaţi]] (four rules between 1522 and 1529), who lost the battle after an agreement between the Craiovești and Sultan [[Süleyman I|Süleyman the Magnificent]]; Prince Radu eventually confirmed Süleyman's position as suzerain and agreed to pay an even higher tribute.<ref name="Ștefănescu, pp. 144–145"/>

[[File:Moldavia, Transylvania and Wallachia under Michael the Brave's authority (1600).png|thumb|upright=1.25|Wallachia (highlighted in green) towards the end of the 16th century]]

Ottoman suzerainty remained virtually unchallenged throughout the following 90 years. [[Radu Paisie]], who was deposed by Süleyman in 1545, ceded the port of [[Brăila]] to the Ottoman administration in the same year. His successor [[Mircea Ciobanul]] (1545–1554; 1558–1559), a prince without any claim to noble heritage, was imposed on the throne and consequently agreed to a decrease in autonomy (increasing [[tax]]es and carrying out an armed intervention in Transylvania – supporting the pro-Turkish [[János Szapolyai|John Zápolya]]).<ref>Ștefănescu, p. 162</ref> Conflicts between boyar families became stringent after the rule of [[Pătrașcu cel Bun|Pătrașcu the Good]], and boyar ascendancy over rulers was obvious under [[Petru cel Tânăr|Petru the Younger]] (1559–1568; a reign dominated by [[Chiajna|Doamna Chiajna]] and marked by huge increases in taxes), [[Mihnea Turcitul]], and [[Petru Cercel]].<ref>Ștefănescu, pp. 163–164</ref>

The Ottoman Empire increasingly relied on Wallachia and Moldavia for the supply and maintenance of its [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|military forces]]; the [[Wallachian Army|local army]], however, soon disappeared due to the increased costs and the much more obvious efficiency of [[mercenary]] troops.<ref>Berza; Djuvara, pp. 24–26</ref>