Basarab II was the

Voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

of the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

(1442–1443), and the son of the former Wallachian ruler

Dan II of Wallachia Dan II cel Viteaz According to a statue in Târgoviște. ''Cel Viteaz'' = ″courageous″ (? – 1 June 1432) was a voivode of the principality of Wallachia, ruling an extraordinary five times, and succeeded four times by Radu II Chelul, his r ...

. Basarab II ruled during a turbulent time in Wallachia, now part of present-day

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, with his rule falling between that of the father and son rule of

Vlad Dracul Vlad II (), also known as Vlad Dracul () or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395 – November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Bo ...

and Mircea II. His reign was extremely short, as during that period only the strongest could retain their hold on the region for any great length of time. He took over as ruler in August 1442, holding on to it only until the Autumn of 1443, when Vlad Dracul forced him out. During that time, the power of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

became stronger with each year, making them a constant threat to independent Wallachia. Anyone who ruled Wallachia had not only the Ottomans to deal with, but the internal conflicts of their own people. Politics had to be juggled between maintaining good relations with the

Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, who were often needed as powerful allies against the invasions of the Ottomans, as well as maintaining at least semi-friendly relations with the Ottomans themselves. In 1442, Hungarian hero

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

defeated the Ottomans in battle, and placed Basarab II in power, forcing Vlad Dracul and his family to flee. However, the following year Vlad Dracul regained the throne with Ottoman support, based on a new

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

that had the conditions that he make the usual annual tribute, in addition to sending Wallachian boys each year to be trained for service in the Ottoman army. To further show his loyalty, he sent to the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

two of his sons,

Vlad Țepeș Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

and

Radu cel Frumos Radu III of Wallachia, commonly called Radu the Handsome, Radu the Fair, or Radu the Beautiful (; ; January 1475), was the younger brother of Vlad III ( Vlad the Impaler) and prince of the principality of Wallachia. They were both sons of Vla ...

, as hostages. The elder of the two boys would go on to become the inspiration for the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'', by

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

. Basarab II was not killed by Vlad Dracul when the latter restored his rule, however he would be buried alive during the second reign of Vlad Tepes.

External links

Wallachian Rulers
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, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Basarab 02 Of Wallachia Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 15th-century princes of Wallachia 15th-century murdered monarchs House of Dănești Deaths by live burial