DESPRE DOMNIA LUI PĂTRAŞCU CEL BUN (1554–1557)
ON THE RULE OF PĂTRAŞCU THE GOOD (1554–1557)

Summary/Abstract: Starting with the second half of the 16th century, a time of instability set at the court of Wallachia; this was reflected, on one hand, by the ever growing political and military influence of the Sublime Porte over this Romanian territory, and on the other hand, by the multitude of intrigue and plotting conceived by the members of the ruling boyar families. It was in this extremely general context that the rule of Pătrașcu the Good unfolded between 1554-1557. Pătrașcu the Good ‒ also known as Petrașcu-Vodă ‒ was the son of Radu Paisie and was thought to be a sympathizer of the Turks. Upon order from the Ottomans, he marched his army to () in order to put Zápolya back on the throne ‒ Sigismund, together with his mother, Queen Isabella, had been forced to flee to Poland. He was nicknamed „the Good” by historians, because his rule was peaceful, he did not execute any boyars. From an economic and social standpoint, the time of his rule was a stable one for Wallachia, as it allowed for commerce and crafts to take their normal course, and the population grew. Culturally-wise, a slight rise was noticeable, given the emergence of many religious books, as well as the building of new places of worship. Pătrașcu the Good was buried at Dealu Monastery, next to his grandfather’s grave, Radu the Great, as his father’s (who had been exiled to Egypt) was too far away from the country.

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