Michael the Brave, born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia, Prince of Moldavia (1600) and de facto ruler of Transylvania (1599–1600). He is considered one of Romania's greatest national heroes. Since the 19th century, Michael the Brave has been regarded by Romanian nationalists as a symbol of Romanian unity, as his reign marked the first time all principalities inhabited by Romanians were under the same ruler.
Portrait by Aegidius Sadeler II (Prague, 1601)
Engraving of Michael the Brave
Sigismund Báthory using the title Prince of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia in a 1595 engraving.
Michael the Brave, early 20th-century mural painting
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia and Oltenia. Dobruja could sometimes be considered a third section due to its proximity and brief rule over it. Wallachia as a whole is sometimes referred to as Muntenia through identification with the larger of the two traditional sections.
Wallachia in the late 18th century
The Battle of Posada in the Chronicon Pictum
Wallachia as pictured in the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle
Chindia Tower in Târgoviște