Michael the Brave and the First Union of the Romanian Lands (1600)

Michael the Brave was born around 1558 into a boyar family from Oltenia and became prince of Wallachia in 1593, with the support of the leading Buzești boyars and Andronic Cantacuzino. He ruled until 1601. In order not to depend on the Turks, he sought support in alliances with other Christian states. In 1594 he joined the Holy League, alongside Sigismund Báthory, prince of Transylvania, and Aron Vodă, prince of Moldavia. In November 1594 he began the anti-Ottoman war by massacring the Turkish creditors in Bucharest, and then attacked the garrisons along the Danube.

The battle of Călugăreni, fought on 13/23 August 1595, is Michael’s best-known engagement. His much smaller army faced the forces of Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha. Although the Romanians won a tactical victory, they were forced to withdraw towards the mountains because of the enemy’s numerical superiority. Then, with Transylvanian help, Michael went on the offensive in October 1595 and liberated Târgoviște, Bucharest and Giurgiu. In 1598 he also allied himself with the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II, recognizing his suzerainty but in essence keeping his freedom of action.

In 1599, after Prince Andrew Báthory, an ally of Poland and of the Ottoman Empire, threatened Wallachia, Michael set out for Transylvania. On 28 October 1599, at Șelimbăr, near Sibiu, Michael defeated Báthory’s army. On 1 November 1599 he entered Alba Iulia in triumph. He thus became master of Transylvania as the emperor’s deputy, and the Romanians of Transylvania, who had lived for centuries in a state of inequality, welcomed this change with hope. The Hungarian nobility, however, was hostile, and relations with the Habsburgs remained tense.

In the spring of 1600 Michael entered Moldavia, following a conflict with Prince Ieremia Movilă, who was supported by the Poles. On 27 May 1600 he occupied Suceava and proclaimed himself prince of Moldavia. His title became “I, Michael the Voivode, by the grace of God prince of Wallachia, of Transylvania and of all the Land of Moldavia”. For the first time the three Romanian lands were united under a single leader, a remarkable political achievement, whose significance was later interpreted by historians as a forerunner of the modern national ideal.

The union lasted only a few months, threatened from every side. The Transylvanian nobles rose in revolt, and the Poles invaded Moldavia. Michael was defeated at Mirăslău in September 1600 and lost Transylvania. He was forced to seek help from Emperor Rudolf, who received him in Prague, and then, together with General Giorgio Basta, he defeated the army of Sigismund Báthory at Guruslău in August 1601. A few days later, on 9/19 August 1601, Michael was assassinated at Câmpia Turzii on Basta’s orders. Nicolae Bălcescu made him a national symbol in his work “The Romanians under Michael the Brave”.