House of Basarab
Encyclopedia
The Basarabs were a family which had an important role in the establishing of the Principality
of Wallachia
, giving the country its first line of Princes, one closely related with the Muşatin rulers of Moldavia
. Its status as a dynasty
is rendered problematic by the official elective system
, which implied that male members of the same family, including illegitimate offspring, were chosen to rule by a Council of boyars (more often than not, the election was conditioned by the military force exercised by candidates). After the rule of Alexandru I Aldea
(ended in 1436), the house was split by the conflict between the Dăneşti
and the Drăculeşti
, both of which claimed legitimacy. Several late rulers of the Craioveşti
claimed direct descent from the House after its eventual demise, including Neagoe Basarab
, Matei Basarab
, Constantin Şerban
, Şerban Cantacuzino
, and Constantin Brâncoveanu
.
Rulers usually mentioned as members of the House include (in chronological order of first rule) Mircea the Elder
, Dan II
, Vlad II Dracul
, Vlad III the Impaler
, Vlad the Monk
, Radu the Great
, and Radu de la Afumaţi.
.
Basarab I's name was originally Basarabai and lost the ending -a when it was borrowed into Romanian
. The name is of Cuman
or Pecheneg origin and most likely meant "father ruler". Basar was the present participle of the verb "to rule", derivatives attested in both old and modern Kypchak language
s. The Romania
n historian Nicolae Iorga
believed the second part of the name, -aba ("father"), to be an honorary title, as recognizable in many Cuman names, such as Terteroba, Arslanapa, and Ursoba.
Basarab's father Thocomerius of Wallachia
also bore a Cuman name, identified as Toq-tämir, a rather common Cuman and Tatar
name in the 13th century. The Russian
chronicle
s around 1295 refer to a Toktomer, a prince of the Mongol Empire
present in Crimea
.
While the names indicate a Cuman (or Pecheneg) origin, contemporaries constantly identified Basarab as a Vlach
. Charles I of Hungary
speaks of him as "Bazarab infidelis Olacus noster" ("Bazarab, our
treacherous Vlach").
(part of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
) and a few towns, such as Basarabi
in Romania
, Basarabeasca
in the Republic of Moldova, and Basarbovo in Bulgaria
.
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
, giving the country its first line of Princes, one closely related with the Muşatin rulers of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. Its status as a dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
is rendered problematic by the official elective system
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
, which implied that male members of the same family, including illegitimate offspring, were chosen to rule by a Council of boyars (more often than not, the election was conditioned by the military force exercised by candidates). After the rule of Alexandru I Aldea
Alexandru I Aldea
Alexander I Aldea was Prince of Wallachia .Alexandru I was the brother of Vlad II Dracul, father to Mircea II and Vlad Tepes . He came to rule Wallachia during an extremely turbulent time, when rule of the country changed hands by violence eighteen times during the 15th century...
(ended in 1436), the house was split by the conflict between the Dăneşti
House of Danesti
The House of Dănești was one of the two main lineages of the Wallachian noble family House of Basarab. They were descended from Dan I of Wallachia.The other lineage of the Basarabs is the House of Drăculești....
and the Drăculeşti
House of Draculesti
The Drăculeşti were one of two major rival lines of Wallachian voivodes of the House of Basarab, the other being the Dăneşti.These lines were in constant contest for the throne from the late fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries...
, both of which claimed legitimacy. Several late rulers of the Craioveşti
Craiovesti
The Craiovești , later Brâncovenești , were a boyar family in Wallachia who gave the country several of its Princes and held the title of Ban of Oltenia for ca...
claimed direct descent from the House after its eventual demise, including Neagoe Basarab
Neagoe Basarab
Neagoe Basarab was the Voivode of Wallachia between 1512 and 1521. Born into the boyar family of the Craioveşti as the son of Pârvu Craiovescu or Basarab Ţepeluş cel Tânăr, Neagoe Basarab, who replaced Vlad cel Tânăr after the latter rejected Craioveşti tutelage, was noted for his abilities and...
, Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab was a Wallachian Voivode between 1632 and 1654.-Reign:Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637, 1639, and 1653 - see Battle of Finta...
, Constantin Şerban
Constantin Serban
Constantin Şerban was Prince of Wallachia between 1654 and 1658, illegitimate son to Radu Şerban .-Reign:...
, Şerban Cantacuzino
Serban Cantacuzino
Șerban Cantacuzino was a Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688.He took part in the Ottoman campaign ending in their defeat at the Battle of Vienna...
, and Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714.-Ascension:A descendant of the Craioveşti boyar family and related to Matei Basarab, Brâncoveanu was born at the estate of Brâncoveni and raised in the house of his uncle, stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino...
.
Rulers usually mentioned as members of the House include (in chronological order of first rule) Mircea the Elder
Mircea I of Wallachia
Mircea the Elder was ruler of Wallachia from 1386 until his death. The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II...
, Dan II
Dan II of Wallachia
Dan II was a voivode of the principality of Wallachia in the 15th Century, ruling an extraordinary five times, and succeeded four times by Radu II Chelul, his rival for the throne...
, Vlad II Dracul
Vlad II Dracul
Vlad II , known as Vlad Dracul , was a voivode of Wallachia. He reigned from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447...
, Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
, Vlad the Monk
Vlad Calugarul
Vlad IV Călugărul, translated as Vlad the Monk, was the pious half-brother of Vlad III , and one of many rulers of Wallachia during the 15th century...
, Radu the Great
Radu cel Mare
Radu IV the Great was a Voivode of Wallachia from September 1495 to April 1508. He succeeded his father, Vlad Călugărul, who was one of the three brothers to Vlad III the Impaler . He was married to Princess Catalina Crnojević of Zeta, and was succeeded by his first cousin Mihnea cel Rău, son to...
, and Radu de la Afumaţi.
Name and origins
The dynasty was named after Basarab I, who gained the independence of Wallachia from the Kingdom of HungaryKingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
Basarab I's name was originally Basarabai and lost the ending -a when it was borrowed into Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
. The name is of Cuman
Cuman language
Cuman was a Kipchak Turkic language spoken by the Cumans and Kipchaks; the language was similar to the today's Crimean Tatar language...
or Pecheneg origin and most likely meant "father ruler". Basar was the present participle of the verb "to rule", derivatives attested in both old and modern Kypchak language
Kypchak language
Kypchak language may refer to:*Kipchak languages, a group of Turkic languages*Kipchak language, an extinct language of that group...
s. The Romania
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
n historian Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
believed the second part of the name, -aba ("father"), to be an honorary title, as recognizable in many Cuman names, such as Terteroba, Arslanapa, and Ursoba.
Basarab's father Thocomerius of Wallachia
Thocomerius of Wallachia
Thocomerius, also Tihomir, was the father of Basarab who would become the first independent voivode of Wallachia. Many Romanian historians think that Thocomerius was a voivode in Wallachia who followed Bărbat ; others refer to him as a local potentate whose status cannot be...
also bore a Cuman name, identified as Toq-tämir, a rather common Cuman and Tatar
Tatar language
The Tatar language , or more specifically Kazan Tatar, is a Turkic language spoken by the Tatars of historical Kazan Khanate, including modern Tatarstan and Bashkiria...
name in the 13th century. The Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
s around 1295 refer to a Toktomer, a prince of the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
present in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
.
While the names indicate a Cuman (or Pecheneg) origin, contemporaries constantly identified Basarab as a Vlach
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
. Charles I of Hungary
Charles I of Hungary
Charles I , also known as Charles Robert , was the first King of Hungary and Croatia of the House of Anjou. He was also descended from the old Hungarian Árpád dynasty. His claim to the throne of Hungary was contested by several pretenders...
speaks of him as "Bazarab infidelis Olacus noster" ("Bazarab, our
Pluralis majestatis
The majestic plural , is the use of a plural pronoun to refer to a single person holding a high office, such as a monarch, bishop, or pope...
treacherous Vlach").
Legacy
The Basarab name is the origin of several placenames, including the region of BessarabiaBessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
(part of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and a few towns, such as Basarabi
Basarabi
Murfatlar is a town in Constanţa County, Romania.-Etymology:The name of the town originates from the Turkish word murvet .Between 1921 and 1965, and from 1975 to 2007, the locality was known as Basarabi...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Basarabeasca
Basarabeasca
Basarabeasca is a city in Moldova. It is the capital of Basarabeasca District.-Geography:The city, formerly an urban-type settlement, is located on the border with Ukraine. It is 94 km to the south of Chişinău, 25 km from Cimislia, and 25 km from Comrat...
in the Republic of Moldova, and Basarbovo in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.