Petru I of Moldavia
Encyclopedia
Petru I Muşat was Voivode (prince) of Moldavia
from 1375 to 1391, the son of Costea Muşat, the first ruler from the dynastic House of Bogdan. During his reign, he maintained good relationships with his neighbours, especially Poland.
On September 27, 1387, at Lwów he paid homage
to the Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło, making Moldavia a Polish fief (which it remained until 1497). In 1388, he received Pokuttya
as a pawn for 3,000 silver rubles he lent to the Polish king. Petru also acted as an intermediary in the negotiations between the Wallachia
voivode Mircea cel Bătrân and the Polish king that resulted in the treaties signed by the two parts in 1389 and 1390. The first Russian
-Moldavian diplomatic contacts also date from his reign.
Petru I founded the fortress and the monastery in Neamţ
, and built the Holy Trinity Church in Siret
. He also fixed the see of Moldova at Suceava
and maintained Bishop Iosif at Cetatea Albă, contrary to the wishes expressed by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, resulting in his excomunication.
During his reign, a number of important coins
were minted; the ones attributed to him, known so far, are: groschen and far more rare half-groschen made of silver
. Their design became the standard for coins minted by later Moldavian rulers.
Obverse
: Aurochs
head, frontal view, a star between the horns, a rose on the right, a crescent
on the left. In some cases, the rose is at left and the crescent at right. Sometimes, the aurochs holds a fleur de lys
in its mouth. The legend is in Latin
: SIMPETRI WOIWOD.
Reverse: Coat of arms, a shield with three or four bars in the right half, and in the left half a variable number of fleurs de lys (seven to one). The legend is SIMOLDAVIENSIS.
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...
from 1375 to 1391, the son of Costea Muşat, the first ruler from the dynastic House of Bogdan. During his reign, he maintained good relationships with his neighbours, especially Poland.
On September 27, 1387, at Lwów he paid homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the Polish king Władysław II Jagiełło, making Moldavia a Polish fief (which it remained until 1497). In 1388, he received Pokuttya
Pokuttya
Pokuttya or Pokuttia is a historical area of East-Central Europe, between upper Prut and Cheremosh rivers, in modern Ukraine. Historically it was a culturally distinct area inhabitated by Ukrainians and Romanians on the previously unpopulated borderlands between the lands of Lviv and Halych...
as a pawn for 3,000 silver rubles he lent to the Polish king. Petru also acted as an intermediary in the negotiations between the 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...
voivode Mircea cel Bătrân and the Polish king that resulted in the treaties signed by the two parts in 1389 and 1390. The first Russian
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
-Moldavian diplomatic contacts also date from his reign.
Petru I founded the fortress and the monastery in Neamţ
Neamt
Neamţ may refer to several entities in Romania:County* Neamţ CountyPlaces* Neamţ Citadel* Piatra Neamţ* Târgu NeamţMountain* Neamţ MountainsOther* Neamţ Monastery- See also :* Neamţu* Neamţu * Németh...
, and built the Holy Trinity Church in Siret
Siret
Siret is a town in Romania, Suceava County, one of the oldest towns in, and a former capital of, the former principality of Moldavia. It is located 2 km from the border with Ukraine, being one of the main border passing points in the North of the country, having both a road border post and a...
. He also fixed the see of Moldova at Suceava
Suceava
Suceava is the Suceava County seat in Bukovina, Moldavia region, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565.-History:...
and maintained Bishop Iosif at Cetatea Albă, contrary to the wishes expressed by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, resulting in his excomunication.
During his reign, a number of important coins
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
were minted; the ones attributed to him, known so far, are: groschen and far more rare half-groschen made of 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...
. Their design became the standard for coins minted by later Moldavian rulers.
Obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
: Aurochs
Aurochs
The aurochs , the ancestor of domestic cattle, were a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627....
head, frontal view, a star between the horns, a rose on the right, a crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
on the left. In some cases, the rose is at left and the crescent at right. Sometimes, the aurochs holds a fleur de lys
Fleur de Lys
Fleur de Lys is a superheroine from Quebec and an ally of Northguard, created in 1984 by Mark Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette. The name of the character is inspired by the heraldic symbol of the fleur de lys. It is the official emblem of Quebec and a prominent part of the Flag of Quebec...
in its mouth. The legend is in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: SIMPETRI WOIWOD.
Reverse: Coat of arms, a shield with three or four bars in the right half, and in the left half a variable number of fleurs de lys (seven to one). The legend is SIMOLDAVIENSIS.