House of Drăculești
The House of Drăculești (Romanian: [drəkuˈleʃtʲ]) were one of two major rival lines of Wallachian voivodes of the House of Basarab, the other being the House of Dănești.[1] These lines were in constant contest for the throne from the late fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries. Descendants of the line of Drăculești would eventually come to dominate this principality until its unification with Transylvania and Moldavia by Mihai Viteazul in 1600.
| Drăculești | |
|---|---|
| Boyar noble family | |
 | |
| Parent family | House of Basarab |
| Country |  |
| Etymology | Dracul ("Dragon") |
| Founded | 1390 |
| Founder | Vlad the Dragon |
| Current head | The Dracul family - The Uzunov family (Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine) |
| Final ruler | Michael the Brave |
| Titles | Vovoide of Wallachia |
| Distinctions | Order of the Dragon |
| Traditions | Romanian Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Estate(s) | Bran Castle |
| Dissolution | 1601 |
| Cadet branches | Movilești |
The line of the Drăculești began with Vlad II Dracul, son of one of the most important rulers of the Basarab dynasty, Mircea cel Bătrân. The name Drăculești is derived from the membership of Vlad II Dracul (in old Romanian Dracul means "dragon", while currently means "the Devil") in the Order of the Dragon (founded 1408).
Members of the Drăculești line
Members of the Drăculești line who held the throne of Wallachia include the following:
| Ruler | Remark |
|---|---|
| Vlad II Dracul | 1436–1442, 1443–1447; son of Mircea cel Bătrân |
| Mircea II | 1442; son of Vlad II |
| Vlad III Drăculea | 1448, 1456–1462, 1476; son of Vlad II |
| Radu cel Frumos | 1462–1473, 1474; son of Vlad II |
| Vlad Călugărul | 1481, 1482–1495; son of Vlad II |
| Radu cel Mare | 1495–1508; son of Vlad Călugărul |
| Mihnea cel Rău | 1508–1509; son of Vlad III |
| Mircea III Dracul | 1510; son of Mihnea cel Rău |
| Vlad cel Tânăr | 1510–1512; son of Vlad Călugărul |
| Radu de la Afumați | 1522–1523, 1524, 1524–1525, 1525–1529; son of Radu cel Mare |
| Radu Bădica | 1523–1524; son of Radu cel Mare |
| Vlad Înecatul | 1530–1532; son of Vlad cel Tânăr |
| Vlad Vintilă de la Slatina | 1532–1534, 1534–1535; son of Radu cel Mare |
| Radu Paisie | 1534, 1535–1545; son of Radu cel Mare |
| Mircea Ciobanul | 1545–1552, 1553–1554, 1558–1559; son of Radu cel Mare |
| Pătrașcu cel Bun | 1554–1558; son of Radu Paisie |
| Petru cel Tânăr | 1559–1568; son of Mircea Ciobanul |
| Alexandru II Mircea | 1568–1574, 1574–1577; son of Mircea III Dracul |
| Vintilă | 1574; son of Pătrașcu cel Bun |
| Mihnea Turcitul | 1577–1583, 1585–1591; son of Alexandru II Mircea |
| Petru Cercel | 1583–1585; son of Pătrașcu cel Bun |
| Mihai Viteazul | 1593–1600; son of Pătrașcu cel Bun |
Vlad Dracul 
Vlad III the Impaler 
Michael the Brave
See also
Notes
- C.C.Giurescu p.112
Sources
- Constantin C.Giurescu – Istoria românilor vol. II, Editura științifică și enciclopedică, București 1976
External links
- Marek, Miroslav. "A genealogy of the Drăculești family". Genealogy.EU.