2021-08-09 Mon

Michael was a Romanian national hero, prince of Walachia, who briefly united much of the future national patrimony under his rule.

His rule over Wallachia began in the autumn of 1593. Two years later, war with the Ottomans began, a conflict in which the Prince fought the Battle of C?lug?reni, resulting in a victory against an army nearly three times the size of Michael the Brave, considered one of the most important battles of his reign.

In 1598 he took an oath of fealty to the Habsburg emperor, Rudolf II, and also concluded a peace with the Turks. The following year he attacked his new Transylvanian suzerain, Andreas Bathory, and defeated him at Selimbar (October 1599). Having now proclaimed himself prince of Transylvania, Michael next conquered Moldavia (May 1600) and assumed the title of “prince of Ungro-Walachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia.”

In September of that year, however, the troops of Emperor Rudolf divested him of Transylvania, while Polish forces wrested Moldavia from his control the following month. Reconciled to the emperor in 1601, he helped suppress a rebellion of Magyar nobles at Goraslau (August 1601) but was killed shortly thereafter on the order of the imperial general Giorgio Basta. During the 19th century, Michael acquired the reputation among Romanian nationalists as the pioneer of national unity.

Romfilatelia, the specialized company issuing and trading philatelic items in Romania, releases the postage stamp issue entitled “Michael the Brave: which includes one postage stamp of 3,000 Lei (ROL), that represents Michael the Brave’s statues from Bucharest.

Image Source: https://www.wopa-plus.com/