List of monarchs of Moldavia

This is a list of monarchs of Moldavia, from the first mention of the medieval polity east of the Carpathians and until its disestablishment in 1862, when it united with Wallachia, the other Danubian Principality, to form the modern-day state of Romania.

Notes

Dynastic rule is hard to ascribe, given the loose traditional definition of the ruling family (on principle, princes were chosen from any branch, including a previous monarch's bastard sons – being defined as os de domn – "of domn marrow", or as having hereghie – "heredity" (from the Latin hereditas); the institutions charged with the election, dominated by the boyars, had fluctuating degrees of influence). The system itself was challenged by usurpers, and became obsolete with the Phanariote epoch, when monarchs were appointed by the Ottoman Sultans. Between 1821 and 1862, various systems combining election and appointment were put in practice. Moldavian monarchs, like Wallachian and other Eastern European monarchs, bore the titles of Voivode or/and Hospodar (when writing in Romanian, the term Domn (from the Latin dominus) was used).

Most monarchs did not use the form of the name they are cited with, and several used more than one form of their own name; in some cases, the monarch was only mentioned in foreign sources. The full names are either modern versions or ones based on mentions in various chronicles.

The list is brought up to date for the first monarchs, following the documented studies of Ștefan S. Gorovei[1] and Constantin Rezachevici.[2]

List

House of Dragoș

Monarch	Began	Ended	Remarks
Dragoș I	c. 1347	c. 1354	Described as an early monarch of Moldavia, he was sent there as a representative of king Louis I of Hungary to establish a line of defense against the Golden Horde, where he ruled.
Sas	c. 1354	c. 1363	son of Dragoș
Balc	c.	c.	son of Sas

House of Bogdan-Mușat

Monarch	Reign	Consort	Notes
Bogdan I the Founder	c. 1359 - 1367	Maria three children	Deposed Sas
Petru I	1367 - July 1368	Unmarried	Grandson of Bogdan I,[3] rule not universally accepted by modern historians.
Lațcu	July 1368 - 1375	Anna before 1372 one child	Son of Bogdan I, deposed Petru I[3]
Petru II	1375 - December 1391	Sophia of Lithuania 1387 no children Olga of Masovia 1388 no children	Son of Costea and Margareta; often referred as Petru I Mușat
Roman I	December 1391 - March 1394	Anastasia three children	Brother of the predecessor.
Ștefan I	March 1394 - 28 November 1399	Unmarried	Son of Roman I.
Iuga the Crippled	28 November 1399 - 29 June 1400	Unmarried	Son of Roman I, deposed by intervention of Mircea I of Wallachia
Alexandru I the Good	29 June 1400 - 1 January 1432	Margareta of Losoncz 1394 two children Anna Neacsa of Podolsk 1405 three children Ringala of Lithuania 1419 (divorced 13 December 1421) no children Marina Bratul 1421 three children	Son of Roman I, installed by Mircea I of Wallachia
Iliaș I	1 January 1432 - October 1433 4 August 1435 - May 1443	Maria Olshanki of Lithuania 23 October 1425 three children	Son of Alexandru I; Deposed by Stefan II, joined his rule in 1435.
Ștefan II	October 1433 - 13 July 1447	Unmarried	Illegitimate son of Alexandru I; Only de facto monarch till September 1434.
Petru III	May 1444 - 1445 22 August - 23 December 1447 5 April - 10 October 1448	An unknown sister of John Hunyadi before 1445 no children	Also joined firstly Ștefan II's rule, before returning in 1447 independently.
Roman II	13 July - 22 August 1447 23 December 1447 - bet. 25 February/5 April 1448	Unmarried	son of Iliaș; 1st rule
Csupor de Monoszló (Ciubăr Vodă)	10 October - December 1448	Unknown	Non-dynastic usurper. Born in Croatia, he was a Hungarian nobleman, commander of troops of John Hunyadi. He was sent in support of Petru III to depose his brother Roman, but Petru died suddenly two months later. Csupor ascended at the throne. His name, literally Tub Voivode was mentioned by Grigore Ureche.
Alexandru II	December 1448 - 12 January 1449 24 February 1452 - 22 August 1454 8 February - 25 March 1455	Unmarried	Son of Iliaș I.
Bogdan II	12 January 1449 - 15 October 1451	Oltea before 1433 six children	Nephew of Alexandru I.
Petru III Aron	15 October 1451 - 24 February 1452 22 August 1454 - 8 February 1455 25 March 1455 - 12 April 1457	Unknown before 1455 one child	Illegitimate son of Alexandru I.
Ștefan III the Great	12 April 1457 - 2 July 1504	Eudokia Olelkovna of Lithuania 5 July 1463 Suceava three children Maria Asanina Palaiologina of Gothia 14 September 1472 Suceava four children Maria Voichița of Wallachia 1478 three children	Son of Bogdan II. In his reign Moldavia reaches its zenith.
Bogdan III The One-Eyed	2 July 1504 - 22 April 1517	Anastasia 1510 no children Ruxandra of Wallachia 21 July 1513 no children	son of Ștefan III the Great;
Regency of Luca Arbore, gatekeeper of Suceava (22 April 1517 - 1523)			Son of Bogdan III; also called Ștefăniță.
Ștefan IV the Younger	22 April 1517 - 14 January 1527	Stana of Wallachia 1524 no children	Son of Bogdan III; also called Ștefăniță.
Petru IV Rareș	14 January 1527 - 14 September 1538 9/16 February 1541 - 2/3 September 1546	Maria before 1529 four children Elena of Serbia 1530 four children	Illegitimate son of Stephen the Great.
Ștefan V Locust	21 September 1538 - 20 December 1540	Chiajna before 1540 two children	Grandson of Stephen the Great.
Alexandru Cornea the Evil	21 December 1540 - 9/16 February 1541	Unmarried	Son of Bogdan III.
Regency of Elena of Serbia (2/3 September 1546 - 30 May 1551)			1st son of Petru Rareș. Deposed and eventually converted to Islam.
Ilie II Rareș	2 or 3 September 1546 - 30 May 1551	(married several wives as a Muslim)
Regency of Elena of Serbia (30 May 1551 - 1 September 1552)			2nd son of Petru Rareș, attempted an alliance with Hungary; ended up assassinated by his boyars, and was shortly followed by his mother, strangled by them in the following year.
Ștefan VI Rareș the Younger	30 May 1551 - 1 September 1552	Unmarried
Ioan Joldea	bet. 4/12 September 1552	Unmarried	Non-dynastic. Ruled 2 or 3 days in 1552.
Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu	12 September 1552 - 30 November 1561 10 March 1564 - 9 March 1568	Ruxandra of Moldavia January 1556 fourteen children	Son of Bogdan III, brother of Ștefan IV.
Ioan Iacob Heraclid	18 November 1561 - 9 November 1563	An illegitimate daughter of Mircea IV of Wallachia no children	The Despot Vodă, non-dynastic. Tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce Lutheranism in Moldavia.
Ștefan Tomșa	9 August 1563 - bet. 20 February/10 March 1564	Unknown at least two children	Non-dynastic. Came to power after a boyar revolt that deposed Ioan Iacob Heraclid.
Regency of Ruxandra of Moldavia (9 March 1568 - November 1570)			Son of Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu.
Bogdan IV	9 March 1568 - 15 February 1572	A princess from the Paniczewsk family 1571 one child	Son of Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu.
Ioan I the Terrible	15 February 1572 - 11 June 1574	Maria Semyonovna of Rostov 1552 Moscow two children	Son of Ștefan IV; also called cel Viteaz (the Brave).

House of Bogdan-Muşat, with interventions of Basarab (Drăculeşti line) and Movilești dynasties

Monarch	Reign	Family	Notes
Petru VI the Lame	June 1574 - 23 November 1577 1 January 1578 - 21 November 1579 17 October 1582 - 29 August 1591	Drăculești
Ivan Pidkov	November-December 1577		Non-dynastic. Hetman in Ukraine (1577-78), also called Nicoară Potcoavă or Ivan Sarpega.
Ioan II the Saxon	21 November 1579 - September 1582	Bogdan-Mușat	Illegitimate son of Petru Rareș
Aaron the Tyrant	September 1591 - June 1592 October 1592 - 4 May 1595	Bogdan-Mușat	son of Alexandru Lăpușneanu; 1st rule
Alexandru III the Bad	June - August 1592	Bogdan-Mușat	son of Bogdan IV; also ruled Wallachia (1592–1593)
Petru VI the Cossack	1592	Bogdan-Mușat	son of Alexandru IV Lăpușneanu
Ștefan Răzvan	1595		Non-dynastic.
Ieremia Movilă	August 1595 - May 1600 September 1600 - 10 July 1606	Movilești	grandson of Petru Rareș; 1st rule
Mihai the Brave	1600	Drăculești	Also ruled Wallachia (1593–1600) and Transylvania (1599–1600)
Simion Movilă	July 1606 - 14 September 1607	Movilești	brother of Ieremia Movilă
Mihail Movilă	24 September - October 1607 November - December 1607	Movileşti	son of Ieremia Movilă; 1st rule
Regency of Elzbieta Csomortany de Losoncz (October 1607 and December 1607 - 20 November 1611)			Son of Ieremia Movilă.
Constantin Movilă	October 1607 December 1607 - 20 November 1611	Movilești	Son of Ieremia Movilă.
Ștefan Tomșa II	20 November 1611 - 22 November 1615 September 1621 - August 1623		Non-dynastic. Probably a relative of Ștefan Tomșa I.
Regency of Elzbieta Csomortany de Losoncz (22 November 1615 - 2 August 1616)
Alexandru Movilă	22 November 1615 - 2 August 1616	Movilești
Radu Mihnea	2 August 1616 - 9 February 1619 4 August 1623 - 13 January 1626	Drăculești
Gaspar Graziani	9 February 1619 - 29 September 1620		Non-dynastic.
Alexandru IV Iliaş	29 September 1620 - October 1621 5 December 1631 - April 1633	Bogdan-Mușat	Nephew of Petru VI, Aron and Bogdan IV
Miron Barnovschi-Movilă	13 January 1626 - July 1629 April - 2 July 1633	Movilești
Alexandru the Child	July 1629 - 29 April 1630	Drăculești
Moise Movilă	28 April 1630 - November 1631 2 July 1633 - April 1634	Movilești
Vasile Lupu	April 1634 - 13 April 1653 8 May - 16 July 1653		Non-dynastic
Gheorghe Ștefan	13 April - 8 May 1653 16 July 1653 - 13 March 1658		Non-dynastic

Pre-Phanariote period

The Ottoman influence in the Moldavian rulers' election grows from the mid-17th century onward. From 1659, the rulers elected are mostly scions of Greek families, and increasingly less linked to the original Moldavian ruling family. The process reached its peak with the called Phanariote period (1715-1859), where, between the rulers, there was already no connection (or a very distant one) with the dynasty of Bogdan-Musat.

Various dynasties

Monarch	Reign	Family	Remarks
Gheorghe Ghica	1658–1659	Ghica
Constantin Șerban	1659 1661
Ștefan Lupu	1659–1661 1661		also called Papură-Vodă (Bullrush Voivode); 1st rule
Eustratie Dabija	1661–1665
Gheorghe Duca	1665–1666 1668–1672 1678–1683
Iliaș Alexandru	1666–1668	Bogdan-Mușat	The last member of the House of Bogdan-Mușat reigning in Moldavia; son of Alexandru VII.
Ştefan Petriceicu	1672–1673 1673–1674 1683–1684		1st rule
Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino	1673 1674–1675 1684–1685	Cantacuzene	1st rule
Antonie Ruset	1675–1678	Rosetti
Constantin Cantemir	1685–1693	Cantemirești
Dimitrie Cantemir	1693 1710–1711	Cantemirești	1st rule; deposed by Ottomans
Constantin Duca	1693–1695 1700–1703
Antioh Cantemir	1695–1700 1705–1707	Cantemirești	1st rule
Chancellor Ioan Buhuș	1703 1709–1710
Mihai Racoviță	1703–1705 1707–1709 1715–1726	Racoviță
Nicolae Mavrocordat	1709–1710 1711–1715	Mavrocordato	1st rule

Phanariotes (1711–1821)

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Family	Remarks
	Caimacam Lupu Costachi	1711
	Ioan Ι Mavrocordat	1711	Mavrocordato
	Nicolae Mavrocordat	1711–1715	Mavrocordato	2nd rule
	Mihai III Racoviță	1715–1726	Racoviță
	Grigore II Ghica	1726–1733 1735–1739 1739–1741 1747–1748	Ghica	1st rule
	Constantin Mavrocordat	1733–1735 1741–1743 1748–1749	Mavrocordato	1st rule
Russian occupation (1739) (Russo-Austrian-Turkish War (1735–1739))
	Ioan II Mavrocordat	1743–1747	Mavrocordato	son of Nicolae Mavrocordat and brother to Constantin Mavrocordat
	Iordache Stavrachi	1749
	Constantin Racoviță	1749–1753 1756–1757	Racoviță
	Matei Ghica	1753–1756	Ghica
	Scarlat Ghica	1757–1758	Ghica
	Ioan Teodor Callimachi	1758–1761	Callimachi
	Grigore Callimachi	1761–1764 1767–1769	Callimachi	1st rule
	Grigore III Ghica	1764–1767 174–1777	Ghica	1st rule
Russian occupation (1769–1774) (Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774))
	Constantin Moruzi	1777–1782	Mourousi
	Alexandru Mavrocordat Delibey	1782–1785	Mavrocordato
	Alexandru Mavrocordat Firaris	1785–1786	Mavrocordato
	Alexandru Ipsilanti	1786–1788	Ypsilanti
Habsburg occupation (1787–1791) Military commander: Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg
	Emanuel Giani Ruset	1788–1789	Rosetti	also called Manole or Manolache
Russian occupation (1788–1791) (Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792))
	Alexandru Moruzi	1792 1802 1806–1807	Mourousi	1st rule
	Mihai Suțu	1793–1795	Soutzos	also called Draco
	Alexandru Callimachi	1795–1799	Callimachi
	Constantin Ipsilanti	1799–1801	Ypsilanti
	Alexandru Suțu	1801–1802	Soutzos
	Chancellor Iordache Conta	1802
	Scarlat Callimachi	1806 1807–1810 1812–1819	Callimachi	deposed by Russians
Russian occupation (1806–1812) (Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)) Bessarabia is placed under Imperial Russian rule in 1812. (See also President of Moldova, for the heads of state of Moldova, a part of this territory which became independent in the 20th century.)
	Alexandru Hangerli	1807
	Caimacam Iordache Ruset-Roznovanu	1807	Rosetti
	Caimacam Metropolitan Veniamin Costache	1807–1812 1821		1st term
	Mihail Suțu	1819–1821	Soutzos
	Stolnici Manu and Rizos-Nerulos	1819
	Filiki Eteria occupation	1821		military commander: Alexander Ypsilantis
	Caimacam Stefan Bogoridi (Ștefan Vogoride)	1821–1822
	Ioan Sturdza	1822–1828
Russian occupation (1828–1834) Military commanders: Fyodor Pahlen, Pyotr Zheltukhin, and Pavel Kiseleff
Organic Statute government (1832–1856)
	Mihail Sturdza	1834–1849
	Grigore Alexandru Ghica	1849–1853 1854–1856	Ghica	1st rule
Russian occupation (1853–1854) (Crimean War)
Protectorate established by the Treaty of Paris (1856–1859)
	Extraordinary Administrative Council	1856	1856
	Caimacam Teodor Balș	1856–1857
	Caimacam Nicolae Vogoride	1857–1858
	Caimacams	1858–1859		Ștefan Catargiu, Vasile Sturdza and Anastasie Panu (Catargiu resigns in 1858 and is replaced by Ioan A. Cantacuzino)
	Alexandru Ioan Cuza	1859–1862		also ruled Wallachia in personal union
Formal union of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1862. For later monarchs, see Domnitor and King of Romania.

References

Constantin Rezachevici - Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova a. 1324 - 1881, Volumul I, Editura Enciclopedică, 2001,

Gorovei, Ștefan S., Întemeierea Moldovei. Probleme controversate, Editura Universităţii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iași, 1997, ISBN 973-9149-74-X
Rezachevici, Constantin, Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova, a. 1324 - 1881, vol. I, Editura Enciclopedică, București, 2001, ISBN 973-45-0387-1
Constantin Rezachevici - Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova a. 1324 - 1881, Volumul I, Editura Enciclopedică, 2001

Rulers of Moldavia

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[1] Gorovei, Ștefan S., Întemeierea Moldovei. Probleme controversate, Editura Universităţii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza”, Iași, 1997, ISBN 973-9149-74-X

[2] Rezachevici, Constantin, Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova, a. 1324 - 1881, vol. I, Editura Enciclopedică, București, 2001, ISBN 973-45-0387-1

[Rez-3] Constantin Rezachevici - Cronologia critică a domnilor din Țara Românească și Moldova a. 1324 - 1881, Volumul I, Editura Enciclopedică, 2001