Stephen III of Moldavia (also known as Stefan the Great, Romanian: ?tefan cel Ma re, pronounced [?te'fan t??

el 'mare] or ?tefan cel Mare ?i Sfnt, "Stefan the Grea t and Holy"; 1433 July 2, 1504) was Prince of Moldavia between 1457 and 1504 and the most prominent representative of the House of Mu?at. During his reign, he strengthened Moldavia and maintained its independence again st the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire, which all sought to subdue the land. Stephen achieved fame in Europe for his long resistance agains t the Ottomans. He was victorious in 46 of his 48 battles, and was one of the fi rst to gain a decisive victory over the Ottomans at the Battle of Vaslui, after which Pope Sixtus IV deemed him verus christianae fidei athleta (true Champion o f Christian Faith). He was a man of religion and displayed his piety when he pai d the debt of Mount Athos to the Porte, ensuring the continuity of Athos as an a utonomous monastical community. Contents 1 Early life and rise to power 2 Rule 3 Main battles 3.1 Battle of Baia 3.2 Battle of Vaslui 3.3 Battle of Valea Alba 3.4 Battle of the Cosmin Forest 4 Illness and death 5 Canonization 6 Legacy 6.1 Coins and banknotes 6.2 Monuments 6.3 Film 7 See also 8 References 9 External links 9.1 Polish chronicles Early life and rise to power Stephen was born in Borze?ti and was a member of the ruling House of Mu?at. His father Bogdan II had ruled Moldavia for two years (1449 to 1451) before being ki lled in a stealthy raid led by Stephen's uncle, Petru Aron. Bogdan II was attend ing a wedding of one of his boyars who apparently was in collusion with Petru Ar on and the surprise was complete. Stephen barely escaped with his life, but his father was captured and beheaded on the spot by his stepbrother Petru Aron. Betw een 1451 and 1457, Moldavia was in turmoil from the civil war between Petru Aron and Alexandrel a nephew of Alexander the Good. Following the outbreak of the conflict, Stephen took refuge in Transylvania, see king the protection of military commander John Hunyadi. After that, he moved to the court of his first cousin Vlad III Dracula and, in 1457, managed to receive 6,000 horsemen as military assistance, putting them to use in a victorious battl e against Petru Aron at Dolje?ti, near Roman. Following another lost battle at O rbic, Aron fled to Poland, while Stephen was crowned Prince. Two years later, he led an incursion into Poland in search of Aron, but was met with resistance. In stead, a treaty was signed between Moldavia and Poland, through which Stephen re cognized King Kazimierz IV Jagiellon as his suzerain, while Aron was banned from entering Moldavia.