Mihnea cel Rau
Encyclopedia
Mihnea cel Rău the son of Vlad III Dracula
(Vlad Ţepeş), and his first wife, was Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia
from 1508 to 1509, having replaced his first cousin Radu cel Mare
. During his reign, he ruled alongside his son Mircea III Dracul
in the year 1509. Unpopular among the boyars, he was overthrown with Ottoman
assistance, prompting him to take refuge in Transylvania
- where he was to be murdered in front of the Sibiu
Cathedral, being buried inside the church.
(who later took the title "Mircea II"), and their daughter Ruxandra, and continued to reside in Sibiu, Transylvania. It is known that Mihnea had taken a preference to his younger son Mircea III Dracul
, whom he named after his great-grandfather Mircea cel Bătrân.
, Mihnea is portrayed by actor Dan Bordeianu
. However, despite its numerous accurate accounts and portrayals, this film was equally fictional in many certain aspects including Vlad Dracula's immortal powers and inaccurate dates. One of these inaccurate aspects was that Mihnea was renamed Vlad in the film. It is documented that Vlad had two other children, one being named Vlad, but in the film, the viewer is only educated about the existence of one son; the son of Vlad Dracula's first wife, which in history is Mihnea.
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
(Vlad Ţepeş), and his first wife, was Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
from 1508 to 1509, having replaced his first cousin Radu cel Mare
Radu cel Mare
Radu IV the Great was a Voivode of Wallachia from September 1495 to April 1508. He succeeded his father, Vlad Călugărul, who was one of the three brothers to Vlad III the Impaler . He was married to Princess Catalina Crnojević of Zeta, and was succeeded by his first cousin Mihnea cel Rău, son to...
. During his reign, he ruled alongside his son Mircea III Dracul
Mircea III Dracul
Mircea III Dracul was Hospodar of Wallachia in 1510. He was married to Maria Despina and was the father of Alexandru II Mircea. His father was Mihnea cel Rău and mother, Mihnea's second wife, Voica. It is known that Mircea was a physically strong and brutal man since he had caught some of the...
in the year 1509. Unpopular among the boyars, he was overthrown with Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
assistance, prompting him to take refuge in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
- where he was to be murdered in front of the Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
Cathedral, being buried inside the church.
The Fight for the Throne
After his father's death, Mihnea ambitiously attempted to succeed him. He organized several raids with the aid of boyars who supported his father and were eager to support his son. In 1508, Mihnea finally succeeded in gaining the throne, but it would not take long for the tainted majority of noblemen to notice the familiar pattern of Romanian patriotism. Mihnea, like his father, was an exhaustingly driven crusader for Christianity. He too wanted an Eastern Europe free of Turkish rule and aggression. But with corruption in high positions (whether royal or noble), he too would suffer the similar fate of his father.Family
Historical documents reveal the two women whom Mihnea married. His first wife, Smaranda, died before 1485. His second, Voica, was widowed by Mihnea's assassination. She raised their two sons, Miloş and Mircea III DraculMircea III Dracul
Mircea III Dracul was Hospodar of Wallachia in 1510. He was married to Maria Despina and was the father of Alexandru II Mircea. His father was Mihnea cel Rău and mother, Mihnea's second wife, Voica. It is known that Mircea was a physically strong and brutal man since he had caught some of the...
(who later took the title "Mircea II"), and their daughter Ruxandra, and continued to reside in Sibiu, Transylvania. It is known that Mihnea had taken a preference to his younger son Mircea III Dracul
Mircea III Dracul
Mircea III Dracul was Hospodar of Wallachia in 1510. He was married to Maria Despina and was the father of Alexandru II Mircea. His father was Mihnea cel Rău and mother, Mihnea's second wife, Voica. It is known that Mircea was a physically strong and brutal man since he had caught some of the...
, whom he named after his great-grandfather Mircea cel Bătrân.
"Cel Rău" Trademark
Mihnea was dubbed "Cel Rău" meaning "the Bad" or "the Evil One" by his enemies, the Craiovescu faction of corrupted boyars. One of Mihnea's most vocal enemies was a monk named Gavril Protul who was an abbot and chronicler of this time period. He described Mihnea's actions as follows: "As soon as Mihnea began to rule he at once abandoned his sheep's clothing and plugged up his ears like an asp.... He took all the greater boyars captive, worked them hard, cruelly confiscated their property, and even slept with their wives in their presence. He cut off the noses and lips of some, others he hanged, and still others drowned." Mihnea retaliated by resorting to his father's terror tactics, but did not reach proportions of his father due to time and opportunity.Death
After he fled Wallachia in 1510 while being pursued by the Craiovescu faction, he was finally cornered in the Roman Catholic Church of Sibiu where he was attending Mass. As he was leaving the service, he was stabbed by hired assassin Dimitrije Iaxici, a Serbian partisan of the Craiovescu faction. Mihnea is buried in this church and can still be visited today.Film adaptations
In the film Dark Prince: The True Story of DraculaDark Prince: The True Story of Dracula
Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula is a horror-war television film, which premiered in the United States on the USA Network on Halloween, October 31, 2000...
, Mihnea is portrayed by actor Dan Bordeianu
Dan Bordeianu
Dan Bordeianu is a Romanian actor and occasional singer, mostly known for his parts in telenovelas.-Career:His first part came when he was 11, in the movie "Promisiuni", starring Mircea Diaconu and Ion Caramitru....
. However, despite its numerous accurate accounts and portrayals, this film was equally fictional in many certain aspects including Vlad Dracula's immortal powers and inaccurate dates. One of these inaccurate aspects was that Mihnea was renamed Vlad in the film. It is documented that Vlad had two other children, one being named Vlad, but in the film, the viewer is only educated about the existence of one son; the son of Vlad Dracula's first wife, which in history is Mihnea.
- His son was Mircea III DraculMircea III DraculMircea III Dracul was Hospodar of Wallachia in 1510. He was married to Maria Despina and was the father of Alexandru II Mircea. His father was Mihnea cel Rău and mother, Mihnea's second wife, Voica. It is known that Mircea was a physically strong and brutal man since he had caught some of the...
the father of Alexandru II MirceaAlexandru II MirceaAlexandru II Mircea was Hospodar of Wallachia from 1568 to 1574 and 1574 to 1577. He was the father of Mihnea II Turcitul. His parents were Mircea III Dracul and Maria Despina...
- who was HospodarHospodarHospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or "master".The rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia were styled hospodars in Slavic writings from the 15th century to 1866. Hospodar was used in addition to the title voivod...
of WallachiaWallachiaWallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
. - His daughter Ruxandra was married to MoldaviaMoldaviaMoldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
n Prince Bogdan III cel OrbBogdan III cel OrbBogdan III the One-Eyed or Bogdan III the Blind Voivode of Moldavia from July 2, 1504 to 1517.-Family:He was born in Huşi as the son of Voivode Ştefan cel Mare and his wife Maria Voichiţa...
. - Rumored to have had a second son, Morsus Atrum, born in 1508, at the beginning of his father’s reign.