Stephen III (the Great)

Timeline

1. 1433–1457Suceava · MoldaviaStephen III was born in the Principality of Moldavia, son of Bogdan II. After his father was murdered in 1451, Stephen III fled to Wallachia, where under the protection of Vlad III he gathered strength, learning military and diplomatic skills to prepare for later seizing the Moldavian throne.
2. 1457–1504Suceava (capital of Moldavia) · MoldaviaIn 1457 Stephen III defeated his cousin Peter Aaron and seized the Moldavian throne. Over his 47-year reign he led as many as 36 major campaigns, successfully repelling invasions by the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Crimean Khanate, with the initial years of 1457–1460 establishing his domestic authority. He also built churches across the land, leaving a precious legacy of Byzantine-style architecture, and was posthumously awarded the title 'National Hero' by the Romanian government in 2004.