Rulers of Moldavia

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List of rulers of Moldavia, from the first mention of the medieval polity under the name of "Moldavia", and until the creation of Romania (in 1866, after the union with Wallachia of 1859).

[edit] Notes

Dynastic rule is hard to ascribe, given the loose traditional definition of the ruling family (on principle, princes were chosen from any branch, including a previous ruler's bastard sons - being defined as os de domn - "of Hospodar marrow", or as having hereghie - "heredity" (from the Latin hereditas); the institutions charged with the election, dominated by the boyars, had fluctuating degrees of influence). Some sources depict a method by which parents marked their children, the heirs of the throne, with specific scars as for not to exist any doubts off the children right to rule^[1]; however, such accounts are challenged by the fact that persons born with noted physical disabilities, or even those with acquired scars, were attested to have been prevented from occupying the throne (for example, the pretender Nicolae Milescu had his nose cut off, in order to prevent his ascension) - the rule was not enforced for those princes who had been mutilated after having been elected.

The traditional system of election was challenged by usurpers, and became obsolete with the Phanariote epoch, when rulers were appointed by the Ottoman Sultans; between 1821 and 1878 (the date of Romania's independence), various systems combining election and appointement were put in practice. Moldavian rulers, like the Wallachian rulers, bore the titles of Grand Voivode or/and Hospodar.

Most rulers did not use the form of the name they are cited with, and several used more than one form of their own name; in some cases, the ruler was only mentioned in foreign sources. The full names are either modern versions or ones based on mentions in various chronicles.

Years	Ruler	Remarks
1352 - 1353	Dragoş
1354 - 1358	Sas	Son of Dragoş
1359	Bâlc	Succeeded his father Sas
1359 - 1365	Bogdan I	Disposed of Bâlc by taking his trone
1365 - 1373	Laţcu
1373 - 1374	Costea
1374 - 1377	Iuga	(Yuriy Koriatovich) 1st rule
1375 - 1391	Petru I
1391 - 1394	Roman I
1394 - 1399	Ştefan I
1399 - 1400	Iuga	2nd rule
1400 - 1432	Alexandru cel Bun	(Alexander the Kind)
1432 - 1433	Iliaş	1st rule
1433 - 1435	Ştefan II	1st rule
1435 - 1436	Iliaş	2nd rule
1436 - 1442	Iliaş / Ştefan II	Iliaş (3rd rule) and Ştefan II (2nd rule)
1442 - 1447	Ştefan II	3rd rule
1447	Petru II	1st rule
1447 - 1448	Roman II
1448 - 1449	Petru II	2nd rule
1449	Ciubăr Vodă ?	Tub Voivode (literal translation; the name may have its origin in the Hungarian Csupor); mentioned by Grigore Ureche
1449	Alexăndrel	1st rule
1449 - 1451	Bogdan II
1451 - 1452	Petru Aron	1st rule
1452 - 1454	Alexăndrel	2nd rule
1454 - 1455	Petru Aron	2nd rule
1455	Alexăndrel	3nd rule
1455 - 1457	Petru Aron	3rd rule
1457 - 1504	Ştefan cel Mare	(Stephen the Great)
1504 - 1517	Bogdan III cel Orb	or Bogdan cel Chior (Bogdan III the Blind or Bogdan the One-Eyed)
1517 - 1527	Ştefăniţă	On his enthroning, Ştefăniţă was underaged, hence during the first years of his rule, Luca Arbore, the Portar of Suceava, was the de facto ruler. In 1523, Ştefăniţă ultimately took the reins, and killed Luca Arbore for a supposed betrayal.
1527 - 1538	Petru Rareş	1st rule
1538 - 1540	Ştefan Lăcustă	(Stephen Locust)
1540 - 1541	Alexandru Cornea
1541 - 1546	Petru Rareş	2nd rule
1546 - 1551	Iliaş
1551 - 1552	Ştefan
1552	Ioan Joldea
1552 - 1561	Alexandru Lăpuşneanu	1st rule
1561 - 1563	Despot Vodă	(Jacob Heraclides)
1563 - 1564	Ştefan Tomşa
1564 - 1568	Alexandru Lăpuşneanu	2nd rule
1568 - 1572	Bogdan IV
1572 - 1574	Ioan Vodă cel Cumplit (cel Viteaz)	or Ion Vodă Armeanul (Voivode John the Terrible/the Brave or Voivode John the Armenian)
1574 - 1577	Petru Şchiopul	(Peter the Lame) 1st rule
1577	Ioan Potcoavă	Hetman Ioan Potcoava (Ivan Pidkova, Nicoară Potcoavă or Ivan Sarpega)
1578 - 1579	Petru Şchiopul	(Peter the Lame) 2nd rule
1579 - 1582	Iancu Sasul	or Ioan Vodă V (John the Saxon or Voivode John V)
1582 - 1591	Petru Şchiopul	(Peter the Lame) 3rd rule
1591 - 1592	Aron Tiranul	(Aaron the Tyrant) 1st rule
1592	Alexandru cel Rău	(Alexander the Wrongdoer)
1592	Petru Cazacul	(Peter the Cossack)
1592 - 1595	Aron Tiranul	(Aaron the Tyrant) 2nd rule
1595	Ştefan Răzvan
1595 - 1600	Ieremia Movilă	1st rule
1600	Mihai Viteazul	(Michael the Brave)
1600 - 1606	Ieremia Movilă	2nd rule
1606 - 1607	Simion Movilă
1607	Mihail Movilă	1st rule
1607	Constantin Movilă	1st rule
1607	Mihail Movilă	2nd rule
1607 - 1611	Constantin Movilă	2nd rule
1611 - 1615	Ştefan II Tomşa	1st rule
1615 - 1616	Alexandru Movilă
1616 - 1619	Radu Mihnea	1st rule
1619 - 1620	Gaspar Graziani
1620 - 1621	Alexandru Iliaş	1st rule
1621 - 1623	Ştefan II Tomşa	2nd rule
1623 - 1626	Radu Mihnea	2nd rule
1626 - 1629	Miron Barnovschi-Movilă	1st rule
1629 - 1630	Alexandru Coconul
1630 - 1631	Moise Movilă	1st rule
1631 - 1633	Alexandru Iliaş	2st rule
1633	Miron Barnovschi-Movilă	2nd rule
1633 - 1634	Moise Movilă	2nd rule
1634 - 1653	Vasile Lupu	1st rule
1653	Gheorghe Ştefan	1st rule
1653	Vasile Lupu	2nd rule
1653 - 1658	Gheorghe Ştefan	2nd rule
1658 - 1659	Gheorghe Ghica
1659	Constantin Şerban	1st rule
1659 - 1661	Ştefăniţă Lupu	or Papură-Vodă (Bullrush Voivode) 1st rule
1661	Constantin Şerban	2nd rule
1661	Ştefăniţă Lupu	2st rule
1661 - 1665	Eustratie Dabija
1665 - 1666	Gheorghe Duca	1st rule
1666 - 1668	Iliaş Alexandru
1668 - 1672	Gheorghe Duca	2nd rule
1672 - 1673	Ştefan Petriceicu	1st rule
1673	Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino	1st rule
1673 - 1674	Ştefan Petriceicu	2nd rule
1674 - 1675	Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino	2nd rule
1675 - 1678	Antonie Ruset	(Rosetti)
1678 - 1683	Gheorghe Duca	3rd rule
1683 - 1684	Ştefan Petriceicu	3rd rule
1684 - 1685	Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino	3rd rule
1685 - 1693	Constantin Cantemir
1693	Dimitrie Cantemir	(did not actually rule)
1693 - 1695	Constantin Duca	1st rule
1695 - 1700	Antioh Cantemir	1st rule
1700 - 1703	Constantin Duca	2nd rule
1703	Chancellor Ioan Buhuş	1st term
1703 - 1705	Mihai Racoviţă	1st rule
1705 - 1707	Antioh Cantemir	2nd rule
1707 - 1709	Mihai Racoviţă	2nd rule
1709 - 1710	Chancellor Ioan Buhuş	2nd term
1709 - 1710	Nicolae Mavrocordat	1st rule
1710 - 1711	Dimitrie Cantemir
1711	vacancy	Caimacam Lupu Costachi
1711	Ioan Mavrocordat
1711 - 1715	Nicolae Mavrocordat	2nd rule
1715 - 1726	Mihai Racoviţă	3rd rule
1726 - 1733	Grigore II Ghica	1st rule
1733 - 1735	Constantin Mavrocordat	1st rule
1735 - 1739	Grigore II Ghica	1st rule
1739	Russian occupation
1739 - 1741	Grigore II Ghica	2nd rule
1741 - 1743	Constantin Mavrocordat	2nd rule
1743 - 1747	Ioan Mavrocordat
1747 - 1748	Grigore II Ghica	3rd rule
1748 - 1749	Constantin Mavrocordat	3rd rule
1749	Iordache Stavrachi
1749 - 1753	Constantin Racoviţă	1st rule
1753 - 1756	Matei Ghica
1756 - 1757	Constantin Racoviţă	2nd rule
1757 - 1758	Scarlat Ghica
1758 - 1761	Ioan Teodor Callimachi
1761 - 1764	Grigore Callimachi	1st rule
1764 - 1767	Grigore III Ghica	1st rule
1767 - 1769	Grigore Callimachi	2nd rule
1769	Constantin Mavrocordat	4th rule
1769 - 1774	Russian occupation
1774 - 1777	Grigore III Ghica	2nd rule
1777 - 1782	Constantin Moruzi
1782 - 1785	Alexandru Mavrocordat	(Delibey)
1785 - 1786	Alexandru Mavrocordat	(Firaris)
1786 - 1788	Alexandru Ipsilanti
1787 - 1791	Austrian occupation
1788 - 1789	Emanuel Giani Ruset	Manole or Manolache Giani Ruset (Rosetti)
1788 - 1791	Russian occupation
1792	Alexandru Moruzi	1st rule
1793 - 1795	Mihai Suţu	"Draco"
1795 - 1799	Alexandru Callimachi
1799 - 1801	Constantin Ipsilanti
1801 - 1802	Alexandru Suţu
1802	vacancy	Chancellor Iordache Conta and other Caimacams
1802 - 1806	Alexandru Moruzi	2nd rule
1806	Scarlat Callimachi	1st rule
1806 - 1807	Alexandru Moruzi	3rd rule
1806 - 1812	Russian occupation
1807	Alexandru Hangerli
1807 - 1810	Scarlat Callimachi	(did not actually rule)
1806	vacancy	Caimacam Iordache Ruset-Roznovanu (Rosetti)
1807 - 1812	vacancy	Metropolitan Veniamin Costache, 1st term, with other Caimacams
1812 - 1819	Scarlat Callimachi	2nd rule
1819 - 1821	Mihail Suţu	Mihai Suţu
1819	vacancy	Stolnici Manu and Rizos-Nerulos
1821	Metropolitan Veniamin Costache	2nd term
1821	Filiki Eteria occupation	Alexander Ypsilanti (military ruler)
1821 - 1822	Ottoman occupation	Caimacam Stefan Bogoridi (Ştefan Vogoride)
1822 - 1828	Ioan Sturdza
1832-1856: The Organic Statute government.
1828 - 1834	Russian occupation	Fyodor Pahlen, Pyotr Zheltukhin, and Pavel Kiseleff in command
1834 - 1849	Mihail Sturdza
1849 - 1853	Grigore Alexandru Ghica	1st rule
1853 - 1854	Russian occupation
1854 - 1856	Grigore Alexandru Ghica	2nd rule
1856-1859: Protectorate of European Powers established by the Treaty of Paris; prolonged and disputed elections for the Ad hoc Divan
1856	vacancy	Extraordinary Administrative Council
1856 - 1857	vacancy	Caimacam Teodor Balş
1857 - 1858	vacancy	Caimacam Nicolae Vogoride
1858 - 1859	vacancy	Caimacam rule of three: Ştefan Catargiu (steps down in 1858, is followed by I. A. Cantacuzino); Vasile Sturdza and Anastasie Panu
1859	Alexander John Cuza
1859: Personal union with Wallachia

For later rulers, see Domnitor and Kings of Romania.

[edit] References

1. ^ Abraham Ortelius, Cartographica Neerlandica: "Moldauia is a part of Walachia. Its metropolitan city is Sossauia, commonly called Sotchen. The inhabitants of this country are a fierce and cruel people, but very good soldiers, and therefore they are continually in animosity with the Transsiluanians. As it was the custom of the Thracians in old times to mark the Noblemen's children with a hot iron, in the same way it is reported that the Lords of Moldauia to this very day mark their children as soon as they are born, with some kind of mark, so that no question need arise whether they are the rightful heirs or not, and that strangers may be excluded from inheritance among them, as Reinerus Reineckius in his text on noble families has written."