Mircea The Old

Sovereign and Voivode of Wallachia. Known by the nickname The Old or Cel Batran, he was born as Mircea Cel Mare of the Bassarabid dynasty and was the progenitor of the Draculesti dynasty. He ruled for thirty-two years (1386-1418) after the death of his father Radu I (1383) together with his elder brother Dan, future founder of the Danesti dynasty, who died (1386) during a battle fought against Tsar Ivan of Bulgaria. The reign of Mircea was characterized by the continuous struggles for the conquest of autonomy from the invasive expansionist politics of the Ottomans. He is also remembered for the fiscal and military reforms that brought the region to rapid modernization, and for the economic support and spread of the Christian Orthodox religion.