Petru Aron
Encyclopedia
Alexandru cel Bun
Alexander cel Bun was a Voivode of Moldavia, reigning between 1400 and 1432, son of Roman I Mușat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne, and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality....
, was a Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
on three separate occasions: October 1451 to February 1452, August 1454 to February 1455, and May 1455 to April 1457. The first two were during a civil war with Alexăndrel.
Background
Aron ascended to the throne after assassinating Bogdan II, while the latter was at a wedding in Rauseni. Immediately, his rule was challenged by Alexăndrel, whom Petru managed to defeat in March 1455, forcing Alexăndrel to take refuge in the fortress at Cetatea Albă.Petru confirmed his father's commercial privileges awarded to Polish traders in Moldavia, and took an oath of vassalage to King Casimir IV. In 1456, Petru agreed to pay the Ottomans
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...
a tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
of 2,000 gold ducats
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
, in order to ensure his southern borders, thus becoming the first of the Moldavian rulers to accept the Turkish demands.
The real challenge to his throne came with Bogdan II's son Ştefan cel Mare. The young prince had been given the protection of Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
captain-general John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: Ioannes Corvinus or Ioannes de Hunyad, Romanian: Iancu (Ioan) de Hunedoara, Croatian: Janko Hunjadi, Serbian: Сибињанин Јанко / Sibinjanin Janko, Slovak: Ján Huňady) John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: ...
and, after John's death, that of Vlad III Dracula (Vlad Ţepeş) - the new 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...
. According to the interpretation of the account in the Chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
(Letopiseţ) of Putna
Putna
Putna can refer to several entities in Romania:* Putna, Suceava, a commune in Suceava County* Putna, a village in Prigor Commune, Caraş-Severin County* Putna, a village in Boloteşti Commune, Vrancea County* the Putna Monastery...
, Vlad had offered Ştefan his full support for his venture. In April 1457, after two battles, Petru was deposed and had to flee, taking refuge first in Poland and then in Székelyföld. There, he played a part in increasing the tensions between Ştefan cel Mare and King Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
Matthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
. Following Matthias's incursion and subsequent defeat at the Battle of Baia
Battle of Baia
The Battle of Baia was fought on 15 December 1467 between the Moldavian Prince, Stephen the Great and Hungarian King, Matthias Corvinus. The battle was the last Hungarian attempt to subdue the independent Moldavia, as previous attempts had ended in failure...
(December 15, 1467), Petru was captured and executed.
Petru Aron issued new billon
Billon (alloy)
Billon is an alloy of a precious metal with a majority base metal content . It is used chiefly for making coins, medals, and token coins.The word comes from the French bille....
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
- on the grosh design but struck in better silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, probably as a part of a reform in monetary standards.