# Mircea the Shepherd

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"Mircea Ciobanul" redirects here; not to be confused with [Mircea Ciobanu](/source/Mircea_Ciobanu).

Voivode of Wallachia

Mircea al V-lea Ciobanul Voivode of Wallachia Voivode of Wallachia (1st reign) Reign January 1545 – 16 November 1552 Predecessor Radu VII Paisie Successor Radu Ilie Haidăul Voivode of Wallachia (2nd reign) Reign May 1553 – 28 February 1554 Predecessor Radu Ilie Haidăul Successor Pătrașcu the Good Voivode of Wallachia (3rd reign) Reign January 1558 – 21 September 1559 Predecessor Pătrașcu the Good Successor Peter the Younger Died (1559-09-25)25 September 1559 Principality of Wallachia Burial Curtea Veche Church, Bucharest Spouse Doamna Chiajna Issue Peter the Younger Radu Mircea Stanca of Wallachia Anca of Wallachia Marina of Wallachia House House of Drăculești Father Radu IV the Great Mother Doamna Catalina Crnojević of Zeta Religion Eastern Orthodox Church Signature

**Mircea the Shepherd** ([Romanian](/source/Romanian_language): *Mircea Ciobanul*; died 25 September 1559) was the [Voivode](/source/List_of_rulers_of_Wallachia) (or Prince) of [Wallachia](/source/Wallachia) three times: January 1545 (he entered [Bucharest](/source/Bucharest) on 17 March)–16 November 1552; May 1553–28 February 1554 (leaving Bucharest that March); and January 1558–21 September 1559.

## Early life

He was the fifth son of [Radu cel Mare](/source/Radu_cel_Mare). His baptismal name was Dumitru and he married [Chiajna](/source/Doamna_Chiajna), the daughter of [Petru Rareș](/source/Petru_Rare%C8%99), whose name was in fact Ana. He was probably called *the Shepherd* because he bought sheep for the [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul) markets before ascending the throne.

## Career

The [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) (Wallachia's [suzerain](/source/Suzerainty)) named him ruler in January 1545 in place of his stepbrother [Radu Paisie](/source/Radu_Paisie) and he entered [Bucharest](/source/Bucharest) on 17 March 1545, ascending the throne on that day. Through his first decree of privilege, of 25 March 1545, he maintained in their functions and even promoted four high officials of his predecessor. A chronicle relates that two weeks after his installation, he ordered that a number of [boyars](/source/Boyar) be killed, including Coadă the *[vornic](/source/Vornic)* (internal affairs minister), Radul the *[comis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comis&action=edit&redlink=1)*, Stroe the *[spătar](/source/Sp%C4%83tar)* (second-in-command of the military), and Vintilă, also a *comis*. The chronicle also mentions that they were tortured so that they would reveal where the money and jewels were hidden, so that these could be poured into the treasury. Following this massacre, some of the wealthiest boyars and the relatives of those killed went into exile in [Transylvania](/source/Transylvania) and [Hungary](/source/Kingdom_of_Hungary), where they came together and tried twice to depose him from the throne.

## First challenge

The first attempt came at the [Battle of Periș](/source/Battle_of_Peri%C8%99), on 24 August 1546, when the host of boyars in exile was attacked by surprise and decimated by Mircea the Shepherd. At the beginning of 1548 a new exodus of the boyars remaining in Wallachia took place, headed by Stoica the *[stolnic](/source/Stolnic)*, Vintilă the *vornic*, Radu the *[great logofăt](/source/Logof%C4%83t)* and Pârvu the *[postelnic](/source/Postelnic)*. In these conditions the boyars in exile regrouped and a second confrontation took place that year. Led by a young pretender and accompanied by 1,000 [Székely](/source/Sz%C3%A9kelys) [mercenaries](/source/Mercenary), they entered Wallachia hoping to be backed by a popular revolt. However, the expected revolt never materialized; the chronicle of the [Brașov](/source/Bra%C8%99ov) resident Ostermayer seems to indicate that the peasants backed Mircea. It appears that the battle took place near the village of Miloste ( in present the village of [Milostea](/source/Milostea)) in [Vâlcea County](/source/V%C3%A2lcea_County), with Mircea the Shepherd emerging victorious and the boyars who were not killed escaping with great difficulty.

## Second challenge

While the [Habsburgs](/source/Habsburg_monarchy) who occupied Transylvania in 1551 wanted a ruler devoted to their cause in Wallachia, the new governor of Transylvania, [Imperial](/source/Holy_Roman_Empire) general [Johann Baptist Castaldo](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johann_Baptist_Castaldo&action=edit&redlink=1), backed [Radu Ilie](/source/Radu_Ilie_Haid%C4%83ul), who, also surrounded by boyars in exile, crossed the border into Wallachia in November 1552. While Radu Ilie had about 15,000 men, Mircea the Shepherd had around eight or nine thousand. Two days before the battle, fearful of being betrayed, Mircea had 47 boyars put to death at his table. The decisive battle took place at [Mănești](/source/M%C4%83ne%C8%99ti%2C_Prahova) on 16 November 1552. Radu Ilie was victorious, while Mircea took refuge with his family in [Giurgiu](/source/Giurgiu).

## Loss and reinstatement

On 11 May 1553, Mircea the Shepherd, backed in person by the [prince](/source/List_of_rulers_of_Moldavia) of [Moldavia](/source/Moldavia), [Alexandru Lăpușneanu](/source/Alexandru_L%C4%83pu%C8%99neanu), retook his throne after successful defeating Radu and the [Habsburgs](/source/Habsburg_monarchy). His second period of rule was short, as the very same Alexandru Lăpușneanu, suspecting him of bad faith, sent his high *[vornic](/source/Vornic)*, Nădăbaico, to remove Mircea from the throne. Then, he obtained from the Ottoman Porte the right to rule for [Pătrașcu](/source/P%C4%83tra%C8%99cu_cel_Bun), while Mircea had to leave for [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul).

After Pătrașcu died in January 1558, [Sultan](/source/Ottoman_Dynasty) [Suleiman the Magnificent](/source/Suleiman_the_Magnificent) once again granted Mircea the Shepherd the right to rule. His appointment provoked an exodus of boyars across the [Southern Carpathians](/source/Southern_Carpathians) and out of Wallachia. Mircea promised these men that if they returned and paid homage to him, he would forgive them. He received them at the princely court in [Bucharest](/source/Bucharest), in the presence of Ottoman dignitaries. Nevertheless, after the Ottomans had left, Mircea killed the boyars, Stănilă the *vornic* being the most important of these. That same day, 3 February 1558, was the first time that representatives of the [Orthodox](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_Church) clergy also perished.

## Death

Mircea the Shepherd died in 1559, being buried in the [Curtea Veche Church](/source/Curtea_Veche_Church) in Bucharest, which he had rebuilt. After his death, his wife, Doamna Chiajna, helped their son [Petru](/source/Petru_cel_T%C3%A2n%C4%83r) to obtain the throne.

## See also

- [History of Bucharest](/source/History_of_Bucharest)

## References

- Lucian Predescu, *Enciclopedia Cugetarea*

- [Controversata doamnă Chiajna. Cum a ajuns să-şi mărite fata cu un sultan şi să-şi turcească cei doi fii](http://adevarul.ro/locale/alexandria/controversata-doamna-chiajna-ajuns-sa-si-marite-fata-sultan-sa-si-turceasca-cei-doi-fii-1_586a47c65ab6550cb801967c/index.html)

Mircea the Shepherd House of Drăculești Died: 1559 Regnal titles Preceded by Radu Paisie Voivode of Wallachia 1545–1552 Succeeded by Radu Ilie Preceded by Radu Ilie Voivode of Wallachia 1553–1554 Succeeded by Pătrașcu cel Bun Preceded by Pătrașcu cel Bun Voivode of Wallachia 1558–1559 Succeeded by Petru cel Tânăr

v t e Voivodes (Princes) of Wallachia Legendary / Early rulers Radu Negru Thocomerius Basarab I House of Basarab Nicolae Alexandru Vladislav I Radu I Dan I Mircea I the Elder Vlad I the Usurper Mihail I Radu II the Bald Dan II Alexandru I Aldea Vlad II Dracul Mircea II Vladislav II Vlad III the Impaler Radu III the Fair Basarab III Laiotă Basarab IV Țepeluș Vlad IV the Monk Radu IV the Great Mihnea I the Bad Mircea III Dracul Vlad V the Younger Radu V of Afumați Vlad VI the Drowned Vlad VII Vintilă Radu VII Paisie Mircea IV the Shepherd Pătrașcu the Good Petru I the Younger Alexandru II Mircea Mihnea II Turcitul Petru II Cercel Michael the Brave Later Basarab & Related Houses Matei Basarab Constantin Șerban Mihnea III Radu X Șerban Radu XI Iliaș Alexandru IV Iliaș Alexandru V Coconul Craiovești & Other Romanian Houses Neagoe Basarab Teodosie Foreign & Phanariote rulers Ștefan I Surdul Alexandru III cel Rău Simion Movilă Gabriel Movilă Leon Tomșa Movilești rulers Phanariotes (e.g. Constantin Brâncoveanu, Ștefan Cantacuzino, Nicolae Mavrocordat, etc.) See also: List of princes of Wallachia • List of rulers of Moldavia • Domnitor • Principality of Wallachia

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mircea the Shepherd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mircea_the_Shepherd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mircea_the_Shepherd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.