Dan II of Wallachia is one of the most overlooked figures in Romanian history. His deeds would make for a great novel.
He appears first in the records leading a contingent sent by his uncle Mircea I to assist Musa in taking Adrianople during the Ottoman civil war in 1411.
He appears first in the records leading a contingent sent by his uncle Mircea I to assist Musa in taking Adrianople during the Ottoman civil war in 1411.
He reappears in Doukas' history in summer 1422 when defected from Ottoman camp sieging C-tinople & is entrusted by emperor Manuel II with a ship and few money to take the throne of Wallachia from Radu II who had been put in power by the Ottomans in 1420.
Dan II was the son of former voievod Dan I (1385-1386) & must have been at least 35yrs old at that point.
Dan then sails to Asprokastron(Cetatea Alba) then Moldavian territory where he is met by several Wallachian boyars & their retinues.
Dan then sails to Asprokastron(Cetatea Alba) then Moldavian territory where he is met by several Wallachian boyars & their retinues.
He hires Bulgarians & Transylvanians then moves against Radu. He appeares to have failed initially, finds refuge in Transylvania where king Sigismund finds him impressive enough to give him additional support & by October 1422 is seated on the throne in Târgoviște.
But Ottoman beys on the Danube could not stand that & counterattack weeks later but are defeated. Pippo Spano count of Temesvar supports Dan in this fights & they go on in the winter each attacking Silistra, Giurgiu & Turnu. It appears that they were taken...
as Dan will call himself soon thereafter "ruler of all of Ungrovlahia all the way to the Sea". Dobrudja had been retaken by Ottomans from Wallachia just around 1416 & around 1420 Moldavia took Kilija(Bessarabia) from Wallachia (only way that Dan could rule to the sea was there).
Ottoman response will not lag and in feb 1423 Firuz Bey, beglerbey of Rumelia (Murad II was dealing with revolt in Anatolia after the failed siege) attacks with fairly size-able force & is heavily defeated one source mentioning 36,000losses - likely exagerrated.
Still a significant victory as Sigismund is holding a summit at Kesmark(Slovakia) with Polish, Lithuanian, Moldavian & Wallachian leaders in March 1423 touting a crusade. Some actions seem to have been taken again in Bulgaria by Dan & count Pippo Spano, prompting Venetian...
... Senate to recommend sending an ambassador to Wallachia. Venice was involved in defending Thessalonika (Andronikos Palaiologos had turned it to them) attacked by the Ottomans & was all interested in Sigismund and Dan keeping the pressure on up N.
@Purpura57912934
@Purpura57912934
@Purpura57912934 Murad II would continue to support Radu II attempts in 1424 and 1425 to bring Wallachia back under Ottoman vassalage but fails. Dan & Pippo hold tight and in the meantime Sigismund continues negotiations with Poland-Lithuania, Serbia & Venice planning a crusade in E Balkans...
... with the aim of retaking Dobrudja (Silistra must have been retaken by the Turks) & then driving S toward C-tinople on the Black Sea coast.
But Murat II strikes preemptively in spring-summer 1426 with a vigorous 3-pronged attack of Bosnia, Serbia & Wallachia.
But Murat II strikes preemptively in spring-summer 1426 with a vigorous 3-pronged attack of Bosnia, Serbia & Wallachia.
Attack in Wallachia is succesful & Dan suffers a significant defeat in May 1426 almost losing his life but manages to escape again in Transylvania & then again come back by October, repel Radu and the Turks & go in counter-attack puting Durostorum/Silistra under siege...
...while Pippo does the same at Vidin which seems to have bene briefly taken and given to Fruzhin.
The years of warfare on Wallachian territory & especially the taking of Vidin by Hungarians again (as in 1365) unsettled the powerful Oltenian boyardom and they betray Dan & bring Radu back in.
Oltenians probably felt that Hungary was going to fully take over the country.
Oltenians probably felt that Hungary was going to fully take over the country.
By Nov 1426 Dan is again a refugee in Râşnov, near Braşov where he is joined by an enthusiastic crusader from Portugal - Dom Pedro, infante (heir) of Portugal with whom will return to power by April 1427.
What a roller-coaster... & it's not yet over!
What a roller-coaster... & it's not yet over!
Few months later in July 1427 Sigismund himself leading his troops enters Wallachia with the intention to go on with the plan above when he receives the news that Stefan Lazarevic had died in Belgrade.
Sigismund I:
Sigismund I:
The prior year the Treaty of Tata had been signed between Serbia & Hungary by which Lazarevic had entered in alliance with Hungary & by which Lazarevic was relinquishing Banate of Macva & fortresses of Belgrade & Golubac to Hungarian crown after his death.
Stefan Lazarevic:
Stefan Lazarevic:
After the news reached Murat II he also stated his claim on the whole of Serbia (as "inheritance" from his grandfather Bayezid who had married Olivera - Lazarevic's sister) and moved in with his troops into Serbia conquering Krusevac.
Sigismund heads then toward Serbia as well.
Sigismund heads then toward Serbia as well.
records are here a bit fuzzy, but there appears to have been a succesion of bloody battles in NE Serbia mostly around Golubac that ended up in Ottoman's hands where Sigismund and his allies are defeated.
George Brankovic, Lazarevic's designated successor, is forced to renew Serbia's vassalage to Murat II and to allow an Ottoman garrison in Golubac.
Dan II is forced himself by 1428 to do the same, probably forced again by his boyars, but it appears he retained Giurgiu & Turnu.
Giurgiu fortress situated on an island on the Danube:
Giurgiu fortress situated on an island on the Danube:
Subsequently Sigismund will sign a peace with Murat II in 1429 each occupying themselves with issues away from common border - one in Bohemia the other taking Thessaloniki in 1430.
Dan II seems to have remained restless and in 1429 tried to take Kilija from Alexander the Good of Moldavia.
His relations with Hungary also cooled after his peace with the Turks he will be removed in 1431 by Alexander Aldea who had Moldavian support.
His relations with Hungary also cooled after his peace with the Turks he will be removed in 1431 by Alexander Aldea who had Moldavian support.
Dan II had ruled for almost 9 years, having fought long campaigns almost each and every one of them. We don't know how & where he died. 😟
His sons will be cited in Transylvania in the coming decades & one of them - Basarab II will rule 1442-1444, also as a Hungarian protégée.
His sons will be cited in Transylvania in the coming decades & one of them - Basarab II will rule 1442-1444, also as a Hungarian protégée.
His older son Danciul died before 1442 in unclear circumstances, but he had 2 sons that will rule:
1) Vladislav II (1447-1456) also close ally of John Hunyad of Hungary
2) Basarab III Laiotă.
1) Vladislav II (1447-1456) also close ally of John Hunyad of Hungary
2) Basarab III Laiotă.
Dan II might have been himself a member of the Order of the Dragon as his nephew Vlad, but this will not be recorded in onomastics his branch of Basarab House being known as Dănești.
