Stephen the Great

Prince of Moldavia who reigned for 47 years and repeatedly defeated great Ottoman armies.

Life

Seizing the throne

Stephen seized the throne of the Prince of Moldavia in 1457 and reigned for 47 years, the period when the principality was at its strongest.

Vaslui

In 1475 he crushed an Ottoman army several times the size of his own at Vaslui, and the Pope called him "Athlete of Christ." He fought dozens of battles over his lifetime, maneuvering between the Ottomans, Hungary and Poland, and preserved Moldavia's independence.

Monastery

It is said that he built a monastery after every victory; many of the painted monasteries of today's Bukovina region were built by him. He died in 1504.

Legacy

Stephen the Great is regarded by Romanians as one of their greatest national heroes, and the Romanian Orthodox Church has canonized him as a saint.

Did you know? The outer walls of Voroneț Monastery, which he built, are covered with frescoes, earning it the name "the Sistine Chapel of the East."

Key dates

• 1457Accession
• 1475Crushed the Ottomans at Vaslui
• 1476Defeated at the Battle of Valea Albă
• 1488Built Voroneț Monastery
• 1504Died