Radu Ilie Haidăul (? – 1558) was the son of
Radu of Afumați and ruler of Wallachia from November 15, 1552 to May 1553.
The nickname "Haidăul" means
hajduk, because having the backing of the Habsburgs in taking over Wallachia, he led an army of mercenaries (known in the
Balkan
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
region and the
Romanian principalities
The Danubian Principalities ( ro, Principatele Dunărene, sr, Дунавске кнежевине, translit=Dunavske kneževine) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th ce ...
as "hajduks"), made up of
Hungarians and
Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
, as well as anti-Ottoman boyars that sought refuge in Transylvania (the latter were hunted down by prince Mircea the Shepherd).
Living in exile in 1551, the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
s turned to him to rule
Wallachia as a leader devoted to their cause. Backed by Habsburg general
Johann Baptist Castaldo, he invaded Wallachia in 1552, and, on November 16, defeated the ruler of Wallachia,
Mircea the Shepherd
Mircea the Shepherd ( ro, Mircea Ciobanul, d. 25 September 1559), was the Voivode (or Prince) of Wallachia three times: January 1545 (he entered Bucharest on 17 March)–16 November 1552; May 1553–28 February 1554 (leaving Bucharest t ...
.
He won the Battle of Mănești (today, in Prahova county) on November 15, 1552 and Mircea the Shepherd fled to Giurgiu. Radu Ilie assumed the throne and would rule Wallachia until May 11, 1553, when Mircea the Shepherd retook the throne. He drowned in 1558, in the
Marmara Sea.
16th-century Romanian people
House of Drăculești
Rulers of Wallachia
1558 deaths
16th-century rulers in Europe
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