# How Wallachia begins

The settling as told by the Cantacuzino Chronicle, after the first edition
printed by Nicolae Bălcescu in *Magazinu istoricu pentru Dacia*, volume IV,
Bucharest, 1847, pages 231–233, 311–316, 345–351 and, in volume V, 8–18. Scan of the pages:
<https://archive.org/download/magazinuistoric00unkngoog/magazinuistoric00unkngoog.pdf>

A word of caution: the year 1290 and Radu Negru belong to the chronicle's
tradition; today's historians do not treat them as established fact.

## The descent, in six stops

Before 1290, the Romanians cross the Danube and settle at the Tower of Severin
and along the Olt, the Mureș and the Tisza, as far as Maramureș, with the
Basarab stock as banoveț (F1–F3).

1. The rising, Făgăraș, the year 6798 (1290): "he rose up from there with all
   his household and with a multitude of peoples" (F4).
2. Câmpulung, along the Dâmbovița: "began to make a new country" (F5).
3. Argeș: "set up their princely throne" (F6).
4. The spreading: towns and villages "as far as the bank of the Danube and as
   far as the Olt" (F7).
5. The homage: "he alone to be prince over all" (F8).
6. The peace: "he reigned 24 years" (F11).

## The chronicle, word for word

### F0 · The chronicle's title (p. 231)

THE HISTORY OF WALLACHIA since the settling of the Romanians.

### F1 · The Romanians cross the Danube (p. 231)

But first it was taken up by the Romanians, who had set out from the Romans and come northwards. So, crossing the water of the Danube, they settled at the Tower of Severin, others in the Hungarian Land, along the river Olt and along the river Mureș and along the river Tisza, reaching even as far as Maramureș.

### F2 · Spreading as far as Nicopolis (p. 231)

And those who had settled at the Tower of Severin spread along the foot of the mountains as far as the river Olt; others went down along the Danube, and so, with the whole place filling with them, they reached as far as the edge of Nicopolis.

### F3 · The banoveț Basarab (p. 231)

Then the boyars who had been of great stock chose from among themselves, and set as banoveț a stock called the Basarabs, to be their head — that is, great bans. And they ordained: first the seat was to be at the Tower of Severin, the second seat moved down to Strehaia, the third seat moved down to Craiova.

### F4 · The year 6798, Radu Negru (p. 231)

And so it was, and much time passed, with them still ruling that part of the land. And when it was the year 6798 from Adam (1290), there being in the Hungarian Land a voivode called RADU NEGRU THE VOIVODE, great herzog over Almaș and over Făgăraș, he rose up from there with all his household and with a multitude of peoples:

### F5 · Câmpulung and the church (p. 232)

Romanians, Papists, Saxons, people of every kind, coming down along the river Dâmbovița, began to make a new country. First they built the town called Câmpulung; there they also built a church, great and beautiful and lofty.

### F6 · The princely throne at Argeș (p. 232)

From there they moved on to settle Argeș, and again they built a great town and set up their princely throne, making courts of stone and princely houses and a church, great and beautiful.

### F7 · The peoples spread (p. 232)

And the peoples who had come down with him, some spread along the mountains, reaching as far as the river Siret and as far as Brăila; others spread downwards, over the whole land, and built towns and villages as far as the bank of the Danube and as far as the Olt.

### F8 · The homage of the Basarabs (p. 232)

Then the Basarabs too, with all the boyardom that was already across the Olt, rose all together and came to Radu Vodă Negru, bowing to him: to be under his command, and he alone to be prince over all. From then on the country was called what they call Wallachia.

### F9 · The prince's style (p. 232)

And the prince's style was made as shown below: 'In Christ God, the right-believing and the honourable, and the lover of Christ, and sole victor, Io Radu Negru the Voivode, by God's mercy prince of the whole of Wallachia, and herzog of Almaș and of Făgăraș.'

### F10 · The style in the charters (p. 232)

This is the style of the princes, running from then until now, as can truly be seen written in all the country's charters.

### F11 · Peace and 24 years of reign (p. 232)

And in this same way Radu the Voivode ordered his country in good peace, for it was not yet beset by the Turks, and he reigned until death, and they buried him in his church at Argeș. And he reigned 24 years.

### F12 · Passing to other princes (p. 233)

From here begins the story of the other princes who came after Negru the Voivode, as shown below.

## Refuge: three waves over the mountains

Three centuries after the Founding, the Wallachian boyars take refuge in
Transylvania in 1629–1632, 1658–1659 and 1673–1677.

1. Vulcan–Hațeg, 1629–1632: "all rose and fled into the Hungarian Land,
   crossing by the Vulcan pass to Hațeg" (P1).
2. Brașov and Moldavia, 1658–1659: "they escaped into the fortress of Brașov
   with wives, with children, all of them" (P4).
3. Sibiu and Brașov, 1673–1677: "crossed to Brașov, where his other brothers
   were too" (P6).

## The Refuge, word for word

### P1 · The October 7138 flight (p. 311)

And when it was October 17, in the year 7138, those boyars,
seeing they could bear it no longer, all rose and fled into the Hungarian Land,
crossing by the Vulcan pass to Hațeg; and the boyars by name: Matei the Aga of
Brâncoveni, and Aslan the Vornic, and Gorgan the Spătar, and Barbu the Paharnic
Brădescu, and Mihai the Spătar, and Dumitru the Slugiar and Filisianul, and
Mitrea the Vistier, and many other boyars, and they all dwelt together, held in
great honour and esteem by Gheorghe Rákóczi the King, and by the Count, and by
Zolomi David, and by all the nobles.

### P2 · The deposition of Prince Leon (p. 314)

And when it was July 21, in the year 7140, men came from the
Porte and took Leon Vodă's throne, and at once he set out and went to
Tsarigrad. And he reigned (Leon Vodă) two and a half years less 8 days.

### P3 · Constantin Șerban crosses the mountain (p. 345)

When it was January 5, in the year 7166, the emperor, Sultan
Mehmed, and the grand vizier, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha, sent and deposed Constantin
Vodă, and sent another prince named Mihnea, with Turkish troops too, 30,000;
and Constantin Vodă, as soon as he heard of it, crossed the mountains into
Transylvania, with all his household entire and with all the boyars of the
land. And Constantin Vodă reigned 4 years less 3 months, in the year 7166.

### P4 · Pană Filipescu escapes to Brașov (pp. 349–350)

Then, at that time, there was also Constantin Cantacuzino the
Postelnic with all his household and with his son-in-law Pană Filipescu,
former grand Spătar, and with his household at their mountain villages, on the
river Prahova, by Mihnea's order left with his assent and with a letter signed
by his hand, to sit there and rest in good peace, untroubled by anyone; he had
asked only for 2 sons of Constantin the Postelnic, namely Drăghici the Logofăt
and Șerban the Postelnic, to stay by him in faithful service, as indeed they
did. [...] They struck them unawares, on Tuesday morning, August 16, in the
year 7166. They chased them through all the Prahova mountains, two days and two
nights, until God opened a way for them, and they escaped into the fortress of
Brașov with wives, with children, all of them, and not one of them was caught.
Seeing such madness of Mihnea Vodă unleashed upon them, these boyars reckoned
they could not live out their days under him, so they crossed into Moldavia
altogether, and sent word to his son Șerban too, who fled from Mihnea when the
camp was at Sibiu, and entered Ghica Vodă's service.

### P5 · The Băleanu crosses the mountain to Sibiu (p. 13)

And Băleanu with his son-in-law Hrizea, and Neagoe the Vornic
of Săcuieni, and Radu the Ban Năsturel, and Staico the Paharnic Bucșanu at once
seized Constantin the Slugiar and put him in the stocks [...], and then, feeling
that Duca Vodă was truly coming as prince, they began to flee upward, toward
Pitești, taking Constantin the Slugiar with them, carrying him as far as the
monastery at Argeș, and Băleanu with his son-in-law and with Neagoe the Vornic
crossed the mountains to Sibiu; while Radu Năsturel and Staico fled into the
mountains. So Duca Vodă too came to the throne on Saint Nicholas's day,
December 6, in the year 7182, [...]

### P6 · The Cantacuzinos cross to Brașov (pp. 15–16)

and his brother Iordache with his brother-in-law Barbu
Fărcășanu the Vistier slipped out of their sight and crossed to Brașov. [...]
Then Matei the Aga too [...] at once turned back and crossed by the Teleajen
into the Hungarian Land. [...] And Mihai the Spătar, escaping, crossed to
Brașov, where his other brothers were too.

### P7 · The fourth year of Duca Vodă's reign (p. 17)

And after that, when the fourth year of Duca Vodă's reign
came, Mehmed Pasha the Vizier rose with all the imperial might and went to the
Cossack Land, to a fortress called Cehrin, near the water of the Dnieper, [...]

## Grounds

The text follows the chronicle's first edition, printed by Nicolae Bălcescu in
*Magazinu istoricu pentru Dacia*, volume IV, Bucharest, 1847, from a manuscript
of Ștefan Cantacuzino's time. Bălcescu's redaction differs in places from the
1960 critical edition (the land "taken up" by the Romanians vs "izvodindu-se";
the style in Romanian, not Slavonic). The Refuge episodes come from the same
edition (volumes IV and V), after the manuscript of Ștefan Cantacuzino's time,
today in Cluj, Blaj collection no. 112; the chronicle's years are Byzantine,
beginning on 1 September.

The weakening of the Golden Horde after 1341 and the advance of Hungary and
Poland in the 1340s form the verified frame of the Moldavian beginning; for
Wallachia, independence is won from Hungary, at Posada, in 1330. Dragoș's
Moldavia and the Banate of Severin are border formations of the kings of
Hungary; Wallachia breaks from Hungarian overlordship in 1330.

## Questions

**Why is the year 1290 not established fact?** Because it belongs to the
chronicle's tradition: that is how the Cantacuzino Chronicle tells it, and
today's historians do not treat it as established fact.

**Which edition does the page read?** The chronicle's first edition, printed
by Nicolae Bălcescu in *Magazinu istoricu pentru Dacia*, volume IV, Bucharest,
1847, from a manuscript of Ștefan Cantacuzino's time.

**What is the Refuge?** Three waves of flight by the Wallachian boyars over
the mountains, into Transylvania: in 1629–1632, 1658–1659 and 1673–1677, told
by the same chronicle.

**Where is the manuscript?** In Cluj, in the Blaj collection, no. 112: the
manuscript after which the 1847 edition was printed.

**How long did Radu Negru reign, after the chronicle?** 24 years. The
chronicle says they buried him in his church at Argeș.

**What are the years 7138 or 7166?** Byzantine years, counted from Adam,
beginning on 1 September: October 7138 means October 1629, and August 7166
means August 1658.

A project by Marius Comper. Renderings: Marius Comper.