Michael the Brave’s Legacy: the Debts Owed by the Habsburgs to Nicolae Patrascu Cover Image
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“Moştenirea” lui Mihai Viteazul: datoriile Habsburgilor faţă de Nicolae Pătraşcu
Michael the Brave’s Legacy: the Debts Owed by the Habsburgs to Nicolae Patrascu

Author(s): Ileana Căzan
Subject(s): History
Published by: Institutul de Istorie Nicolae Iorga

Summary/Abstract: The present paper investigates the situation of the debts owed by the House of Austria to Michael the Brave, and subsequently to his son Nicolae Pătraşcu. When the Wallachian prince was forced to take refuge in the Austrian Empire (in 1600), he had a financial reserve that would have enabled him to launch a new campaign in order to recover the Wallachian throne. The money was to come from the sale of a herd of oxen sent from Moldavia to Upper Hungary (then under Habsburg control). Although the sale occurred, the benefits, estimated by Michael to 60,000 thalers, were never acknowledged by the Austrian fiscal authorities, more exactly the Aulic Chamber and the Hungarian Chamber. The money from the sale was sent to the two fiscal institutions and spent immediately, so as to cover the military and diplomatic expenses of the Imperial Court, then at war with the Ottoman Empire, during the Long War (1593-1606). The debt eventually acknowledged by the Hungarian Chamber and, subsequently, by the Aulic Chamber was of a little over 43,000 thalers. Moreover, it was never paid back to the Prince integrally, despite his persistent approaches to Emperor Rudolf II and to the latter’s brother, Archduke Matthias, commander of the troops of Royal Hungary. It is no less true that Michael received stipends from the Empire for the enrolment of an army of mercenaries, but this in his quality of military commander in the service of the House of Austria, and with the purpose to prepare a new campaign in Transylvania against his rival Sigismund Báthory. Thus, he did not consider the debt cleared, whereas the Aulic Chamber kept accurate accounts of all the expenses incurred with Michael, since his arrival in the Empire, and with the preparation of the troops, and deduced them from the total sum.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: XXVI
  • Page Range: 211-234
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Romanian