Mircea of Wallachia II

Mircea was the eldest son of Vasilisa Maria Musat Cneajna, Princess of Moldavia and Vlad II Dracul, prince of Wallachia. He was likely born between 1425 and 1428. He is first mentioned in the historical record in January 1437, when Mircea and his brother, Vlad, are referred to as the Prince's "first born sons." As Mircea II he ruled in his father's absence beginning in 1442 when his father was a prisoner of the Ottoman court. Vlad II was eventually freed but forced to leave two younger sons with the Ottomans to ensure his alligience. In 1443, János Hunyadi, governor of the kingdom of Hungary, launched an attack on Wallachia and its Ottoman allies, forcing Mircea to flee. Vlad II returned to Wallachia, and put Mircea in command of a unit of 4,000 cavalry, which took part in the Battle of Varna in November 1444. After the Ottoman victory, Mircea led the remainder of his unit across the Danube, and successfully recaptured the fortress of Giurgiu in 1445. His father, however, retu