From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexandru cel Bun in a contemporary fresco

Alexandru cel Bun (Alexandru I Muşat, Alexander the Kind) was a Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia between 1400 and 1432, son of Roman I Muşat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne, and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality.

Emissaries of the church of "Moldovlahia" to the Council of Constance in 1415, lead by Grigore Ţamblac, and sent by Alexandru cel Bun

Alexandru cel Bun expanded the bureaucratical system by creating the "Council of the Voivode", the Chancellory and by adding (in 1403) the institution of Logofăt - Chancellor of the official Chancellery.

During his reign, he introduced new fiscal laws, by adding commercial privileges to the traders of Lviv (1408) and Kraków (1409), improved the situation of the trading routes (especially the one linking the port of Cetatea Albă to Poland), strengthened the forts guarding them, and expanded the Moldavian ports of Cetatea Albă and Chilia.

He also had a role in ending the conflict of the Moldavian Eastern Orthodox with the Patriarch of Constantinople, and built the monasteries of Moldoviţa and Neamţ.

The main concern of Alexandru cel Bun was to defend the country in wars against superior armies. In order to do that, he forged a system of alliances with Wallachia and Poland, generally against Hungary (although he had been backed to the throne by Sigismund of Hungary). In 1402, he was sworn vassal of Wladislaus II of Poland, the king of Poland. The treaty was renewed in 1404, 1407, 1411 and 1415.

Alexandru cel Bun on a modern coin

Alexandru cel Bun participated in two battles against the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at Grunwald and in 1422 at Marienburg. In 1420, he also defended Moldavia against the first incursion by Ottomans at Cetatea Albă.

He also got involved in the power struggles of Wallachia, by helping Radu II Chelul in 1418-1419 and Alexandru I Aldea in 1429, mostly in order to prevent the capture of Chilia.

In 1431, due to a territorial claim of Poland and the previous failure of the Polish king to fulfill his part of the vassality treaty during an Ottoman attack in 1420, Alexandru launched an attack on Poland, that ended with the treaty of Suceava on November 18.

Alexandru cel Bun had four legitimate wives - Margareta Loszonc, Ana Neacşa, Rymgajla (daughter of Butaw of Black Ruthenia and sister of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania; divorced 1421), and Mariana - and at least three concubines. He had twenty-four sons (including illegitimate) - six of them later reigning in Moldavia - and seventeen daughters. He was father-in-law to Vlad II Dracul of Wallachia.

He died on January 1, 1432, and was buried in the Bistriţa Monastery.

• Muşatin family