O categorie de mercenari din oștile românești mai puțin cunoscută: levenții (secolele (XVII­-XVIII)
A Less Known Category of Mercenaries in the Romanian Armies: the Levends (17th­-18th Centuries)

Summary/Abstract: Getting to be the prince of Wallachia, in 1632, Matei Basarab paid special attention to the organization of the army. In just a few years, he managed to triple the Wallachian military. Having the experience of previous years, 1630-1631, when he was among the great boyars revolted against the prince Leon Tomsa (1629-1632), Matei Basarab decided to reorganize the army, relying increasingly on the categories of foreign mercenaries, among which are also levends. In their vast majority, these levends were recruited from among Moldavians. The internal documents attests them starting with 1645. This category of mercenaries appeared, at about the same time, in Moldavia, under the reign of Vasile Lupu (1632-1653), stating that they were, for the most part, Christians renegades from the Balkans. In the second half of the seventeenth century, the number of these levends was relatively large, over 500 soldiers, but in the following century, in the time of the Phanariot Principalities, their number was much smaller, between 30 and 60 soldiers. Their salary were paid out of the Wallachian treasury. They performed differently: they were sent with various assignments through the country or Constantinople, and sometimes they were sent to take robbers. Since the middle of the eighteenth century levends no longer appear in the Wallachian documents, and in the case of Moldova they are mentioned at least until about 1800.

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