Military career of Stephen the Great

Stephen the Great Monument in Chișinău, Moldova

The military career of Stephen the Great spanned for nearly 50 years. Stephen the Great commanded the Moldavian military forces for the first time as a co-commander, alongside his father Bogdan II in 1450, then as a Voivode of Moldavia from 1457 until his death in 1504.

Stephen's most famous victory took place at the Battle of Vaslui on 10 January 1475, against the Ottoman army of Hadım Suleiman Pasha, earning him the title Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") from Pope Sixtus IV.[1] Ottoman defeat at Vaslui was described by contemporaries as "the greatest suffered by an Ottoman army in its history". Stephen's victory boosted the morale of numerous leaders of the Christian European states, as it shattered the Ottoman Empire's reputation of invincibility.[2]

Stephen's leaderships allowed him to muster up to 55,000 troops, mainly consisting of peasants.[3] Stephen is traditionally believed to have taken part in 36 battles, out of which 34 were victories.[4] Other sources estimate Stephen's record at 44–46 victories in battles. He's considered a national hero in both Romania and Moldova, earning him canonisation by the Romanian Orthodox Church.

An anonymous chronicler gave the following impression of Stephen as a military leader and his resilient character:

Master of the craft of war, he went wherever he was needed so that seeing him his men would not disperse and for that reason there was seldom a war that he did not win. And when others defeated him, he did not lose hope, for, when vanquished, he would rise above his vanquishers.[3]

Military record

Opponent flags
Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate Nogai Tatars Golden Horde Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Poland Duchy of Masovia Teutonic Order Wallachia Moldavian opposition
Results

     Favorable result      Uncertain result      Unfavorable result

Summary (Incomplete)
Overviews of clashes
No. Clash(es) Date(s) Location(s) Conflict(s) Type(s) Opponent(s) Result
1. Battle of the Crasna River[5][6] 5–6 September 1450 Crasna river, Moldavia Moldavian–Polish War (1450) Open battle Victory
2. Battle of Doljești[7] 12 April 1457 Doljești, Moldavia Open battle Victory
3. Battle of Orbic c. April 1457 Orbic, Moldavia Open battle Victory
4. Siege of Chilia (1462)[8] 22 June 1462 Chilia, Wallachia Siege Defeat
5. Siege of Chilia (1465)[9] 24 January 1465 Chilia, Wallachia Siege Victory
6. Battle of Baia 15 December 1467 Baia, Moldavia Hungarian–Moldavian War Open battle Disputed
7. Battle of Lipnic 20 August 1470 Lipnic, Moldavia Moldavian–Horde Wars Open battle Victory
8. Battle of Sochi 7 March 1471 Sochi, near Râmnicu Sărat, Wallachia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
9. Battle of the Vodna River 18–20 November 1473 Vodna river, 45km from Bucharest, Wallachia Open battle Victory
10. Siege of Dâmbovița Fortress 23 November 1473 Bucharest, Wallachia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Siege Ottoman Empire Victory
11. Battle of Bucharest[10] 28 November 1473 Forest near Bucharest, Wallachia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
12. Battle of Vaslui 10 January 1475 Vaslui, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476) Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
13. Battle of Ştefăneşti July 1476 Ștefănești, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476) Open battle Victory
14. Battle of Valea Albă 26 July 1476 Războieni, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476) Open battle Ottoman Empire Defeat
15. Siege of Neamț Citadel c. August 1476 Neamț Citadel, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476) Defensive siege Ottoman Empire Victory
16. Battle of Râmnic 8 July 1481 Râmnicu Sărat, Wallachia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
17. Battle of Cătlăbuga 16 November 1485 Cătlăbuga, near Chilia, Moldavia Moldavian Campaign (1484–1486) Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
18. Battle of Șcheia 6 March 1486 Șcheia, Moldavia Moldavian Campaign (1484–1486) Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
19. Stephen the Great's expedition to Pokuttia Summer 1490 Pokuttia, Kingdom of Poland Moldavian–Polish Wars Expedition Victory
20. Battle of the Cosmin Forest 26 October 1497 Cosmin Forest, Moldavia Moldavian campaign (1497–1499) Open battle Victory
21. Battle of Lențești 29 October 1497 Lențești, Moldavia Moldavian campaign (1497–1499) Open battle Victory
22. Battle of Cernăuți 30 October 1497 Cernăuți, Moldavia Moldavian campaign (1497–1499) Open battle Victory
23. Moldavian campaign in Poland June – July 1498 South-eastern Kingdom of Poland Moldavian campaign (1497–1499) Campaign Victory
24. Battle of Botoșani (1498) November 1498 Botoșani, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
25. Battle of the Prut River[11] 5 January 1499 Prut river, Moldavia Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Open battle Ottoman Empire Victory
26. Battle of Botoșani (1500)[12] 14 March 1500 Botoșani, Moldavia Moldavian–Polish Wars Open battle Victory
27. Raid on Chilia and Cetatea Albă[11] 1500 Chilia and Cetatea Albă, Ottoman Empire Moldavian–Ottoman Wars Raid Ottoman Empire Victory
28. Battle of the Samara River June 1502 Samara river, Wild Fields Moldavian–Horde Wars Open battle Victory

References

  1. ↑ Ernest H. Latham (2022). "Stephen the Great". EBSCO.
  2. ↑ Ovidiu Cristea (2018). "THE AFTERMATH OF A VICTORY: AN EPISODE OF STEPHEN THE GREAT' S DIPLOMACY AFTER THE BATTLE OF VASLUI (10 JANUARY 1475)" (PDF). BANATICA. p. 455.
  3. 1 2 Sanborne, Mark (1993). Romania. Facts on Files Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780816030897.
  4. ↑ Eagles 2013, p. 51.
  5. ↑ Giurescu 1974, p. 84.
  6. ↑ George Marcu (2011). Bătălia de la Crasna (5 – 6 septembrie 1450) [Battle of Crasna (5–6 September 1450)] (in Romanian). Enciclopedia Romaniei. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  7. ↑ George Marcu (2011). Bătălia de la Doljeşti (12 aprilie 1457) [Battle of Doljeşti (April 12, 1457)] (in Romanian). Enciclopedia Romaniei. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Giurescu 1974, p. 90.
  9. ↑ Giurescu 1974, p. 91.
  10. ↑ Clapa, Gheorghe (2008). "ŢARA DE JOS A MOLDOVEI ÎN EPOCA LUI ŞTEFAN CEL MARE ŞI SFÂNT (1457 - 1504)" [THE NETHERLANDS OF MOLDOVA IN THE TIME OF STEPHEN THE GREAT AND SAINT (1457 - 1504)] (PDF) (in Romanian). Biblioteca Digitală. p. 244.
  11. 1 2 Giurescu 1974, p. 103.
  12. ↑ Gorovei, Artur (1926). Monografia Orasului Botosani [Botosani City Monograph] (in Romanian). Editia Primariei de Botosani. p. 15.

Bibliography

  • Eagles, Jonathan (2013). Stephen the Great and Balkan Nationalism: Moldova and Eastern European History. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1780763530.
  • Giurescu, Constantin C. (1974). Chronological History of Romania. Editura enciclopedică română.
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