Ilie II Rareș
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Ilie II Rareş (also referred to as Iliaş or Mehmed-Beg; 1531 – January 1562) was
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
of
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
between 1546 and 1551. He succeeded his much more accomplished father Petru IV Rareş on September 3, 1546, when he was aged only 15, and proceeded to rule for almost 5 years. He was unabashedly and openly gay with his Turkish boyfriend and adviser, Hadâr.O „danie” a lui Iliaş Rareş
medievistica.ro
However, the two were not fully committed to one another; the sexual exploits and lavish lifestyle led by Iliaş, the increasing influence of his Turkish entourage, combined with harsh taxation policies, had caused mounting discontent & opposition among his boyars, and even admonishment from his mother, Elena Ecaterina Rareș. Chronicles mention that all came to a boiling-point after he had executed, unjustifiably, several boyars, with the highest among them the hetman (general) and portar (governor) Petru Vartic of capital city of Suceava on April 7, 1548 causing widespread disapproval and consternation among the ruling class. Members of boyar families sought refuge in Transylvania & Poland. He further compromised his position by removing the bishop Macarie of Roman (town in central Moldavia) in 1549 but he had to reinstate him in early 1551. At the same time he made a large donation to
Voroneț Monastery The Voroneț Monastery is a medieval monastery in the Romanian village of Voroneț, now a part of the town Gura Humorului. It is one of the famous Painted churches of northern Moldavia, painted monasteries from southern Bukovina, in Suceava Co ...
, where Vartic was buried in a gesture of reconciliation. In the last months of his reign, as he increasingly realized that his political situation was becoming untenable, he amassed as much treasure as he could and stated publicly that he wished to go to the sultan in Istanbul with the due tribute and to persuade him to decrease the fiscal obligations of the country. 100 boyars accompanied him to Istanbul to ensure that he would at least pay that years tribute from the treasury that he carried with him. He renounced the throne in front of the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, took the name ''Mehmet'' on May 1551 and was
circumcised Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...
, he married several wives, and had a big harem of
Turkish Roma The Turkish Roma, also referred to as Turkish Gypsy, Türk Çingeneler, Turski Tsigani (турски цигани), Turkogifti (τουρκο-γύφτοι), Țigani turci, Török Cigányok, Turci Cigani are self- Turkified and assimilated Muslim R ...
women. He had many descendants and became important among the Turkish Roma. The sultan passed the throne to his younger brother Stefan VI at the request of the Moldavian boyars who had accompanied him. He then lived for several years in Istanbul, then was banished to
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
(in present-day
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
) where he eventually died in 1562 at age 31 in unclear circumstances. His name and face were erased from church inscriptions and frescoes in Moldavia due his apostasy.


See also


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rares, Ilie 02 Converts to Sunni Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Moldovan Orthodox Christians Monarchs of Moldavia 1562 deaths 1531 births House of Bogdan-Mușat 16th-century Moldavian people de:Iliaș I.