List of princes of Wallachia

This is a List of rulers of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1862, leading to the creation 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 family branch, including a previous ruler's bastard sons - being defined as os de domn - "of Voivode marrow", or as having heregie - "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 rulers were appointed by the Ottoman Sultans; between 1821 and 1878 (the date of Romania's independence), various systems combining election and appointment were put in practice. Wallachian rulers, like the Moldavian rulers, bore the titles of Voivode or/and Hospodar.

Most rulers 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 ruler was only mentioned in foreign sources. The full names are either modern versions or ones based on mentions in various chronicles.

List

Ruler	Portrait	Years	Family	Notes
As part of the Second Bulgarian Empire since 1185.
Peter IV of Bulgaria		1185–1190	Asen	Named Theodore, he was proclaimed Emperor of Bulgarians and Wallachians as Petar IV during the successful Uprising of Asen and Peter. In 1190 he gave the throne to his younger brother.
Asen I		1190–1196	Asen	Younger brother of Petar. A successful general, he ruled until 1196 when he was murdered by his cousin Ivanko.
Peter IV of Bulgaria		1196–1197	Asen	2nd rule
Kaloyan of Bulgaria	File:Kaloyan Varna.jpg	1197–1207	Asen	Third brother of Asen and Petar. Expanded Bulgaria and concluded a Union with the Catholic Church. Murdered by plotters during the siege of Salonica.
Boril		1207–1218		Son of a sister of Kaloyan. Deposed and blinded in 1218.
Asen II		1218–1241	Asen	Eldest son of Asen I. The Second Bulgarian Empire reached its apogee. Died of natural death on 24 June 1241, aged 46–47.
Kaliman I		1241–1246	Asen	Son of Asen II. Born in 1234, he died or was poisoned in 1246, aged 12.
Mihail		1246–1256	Asen	Son of Asen II. Murdered by his cousin Coloman II.
Kaliman II		1256	Asen	Murdered in 1256.
Mitso		1256–1257	Asen	Fled to the Nicaean Empire in 1261.
Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria		1257–1277	Asen	Bolyar of Skopie. Murdered in 1277 by the peasant leader.
Maria		1277–1279	Asen	She is a Byzantine princess, niece of emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and empress consort of Constantine. In 1277 she was an empress. The peasant leader is her consort.
Asen III		1279–1280	Asen	Eldest son of Mitso. Fled to Constantinople with the treasury.
Wallachian Principality since c. 1280.
Thocomerius or Radu Negru		c. 1280 – 1310		Radu Negru is legendary voivode of Wallachia; some historians consider it to be just a nickname of Thocomerius or Basarab I.
Basarab I		c. 1310 – 1352	Basarab	son of Thocomerius; first non-legendary ruler of Wallachia; later also called Basarab Întemeietorul (Basarab the Founder);
Nicolae Alexandru		1352–1364	Basarab	son of Basarab I
Vladislav I		c. 1364 – 1377	Basarab	son of Nicolae Alexandru; also known as Vlaicu-Vodă
Radu I		c. 1377 – 1383	Basarab	son of Nicolae Alexandru
Dan I		c. 1383 – 1386	Dănești	son of Radu I
Mircea I cel Bătrân (Mircea I the Elder)		1386–1394	Basarab	son of Radu I. 1st rule.
Vlad I Uzurpatorul (Vlad I the Usurper)		1394–1397
Mircea I cel Bătrân (Mircea I the Elder)		1397–1418	Basarab	2nd rule
Mihail I		1418–1420	Basarab	son of Mircea cel Bătrân
Dan II		1420–1421	Dănești	son of Dan I, member of the Order of the Dragon; 1st rule
Radu II Chelul (Radu II the Bald)		1421	Basarab	son of Mircea cel Bătrân; 1st rule
Dan II		1421–1423	Dănești	2nd rule
Radu II Chelul		1423	Basarab	2nd rule
Dan II		1423–1424	Dănești	3rd rule
Radu II Chelul		1424–1426	Basarab	3rd rule
Dan II		1426–1427	Dănești	4th rule
Radu II Chelul		1427	Basarab	4th rule
Dan II		1427–1431	Dănești	5th rule
Alexandru I Aldea		1431–1436	Drăculești	son of Mircea cel Bătrân; 1st rule
Vlad II Dracul		1436–1442	Drăculești	illegitimate son of Mircea cel Bătrân; member of the Order of the Dragon (thus Dracul); 1st rule
Mircea II		1442	Drăculești	son of Vlad II Dracul
Basarab II		1442–1443	Dănești	son of Dan II
Vlad II Dracul		1443–1447	Drăculești	2nd rule
Vladislav II		1447–1448	Dănești	son of Dan II; supported by John Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary; 1st rule
Vlad III Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler)		1448	Drăculești	son of Vlad II Dracul; 1st rule
Vladislav II		1448–1456	Dănești	son of Dan II; supported by John Hunyadi, Regent of Hungary; 2nd rule
Vlad III Țepeș		1456–1462	Drăculești	2nd rule
Radu III cel Frumos (Radu III the Fair)		1462–1473	Drăculești	son of Vlad II Dracul; 1st rule
Basarab III Laiotă cel Bătrân (Basarab III Laiotă the Elder)		1473	Dănești	son of Dan II; 1st rule
Radu III cel Frumos		1473–1474	Drăculești	2nd rule
Basarab III Laiotă cel Bătrân		1474	Dănești	2nd rule
Radu III cel Frumos		1474	Drăculești	3rd rule
Basarab III Laiotă cel Bătrân		1474	Dănești	3rd rule
Radu III cel Frumos		1474–1475	Drăculești	4th rule
Basarab III Laiotă cel Bătrân		1475–1476	Dănești	4th rule
Vlad III Țepeș		1476	Drăculești	3rd rule
Basarab III Laiotă cel Bătrân		1476–1477	Dănești	5th rule
Basarab IV Țepeluș cel Tânăr (Basarab IV Țepeluș the Younger)		1477–1481	Dănești	son of Basarab II; 1st rule
Mircea III		1481
Vlad IV Călugărul (Vlad IV the Monk)		1481	Drăculești	son of Vlad II Dracul; 1st rule
Basarab IV Țepeluș cel Tânăr		1481–1482	Dănești	2nd rule
Vlad IV Călugărul		1482–1495	Drăculești	2nd rule
Radu IV cel Mare (Radu IV the Great)		1495–1508	Drăculești	son of Vlad Călugărul
Mihnea I cel Rău (Mihnea the Mean)		1508–1509	Drăculești	son of Vlad III Țepeș
Mircea III		1509–1510	Drăculești	son of Mihnea cel Rău
Vlad V cel Tânăr (Vlad V the Younger)		1510–1512	Drăculești	nephew of son Radu cel Mare; also known as Vlăduț
Neagoe Basarab V		1512–1521	Craiovești
Teodosie		1521–1522	Craiovești	under regency of his mother Doamna Despina Milița
Radu V	File:Radu of Afumati.jpg	1522–1523	Drăculești	illegitimate son of Radu cel Mare; allied with Craiovești; 1st rule
Vladislav III		1523	Dănești	nephew of Vladislav II; 1st rule
Radu VI Bădica		1523–1524
Radu V	File:Radu of Afumati.jpg	1524	Craiovești	2nd rule
Vladislav III		1524	Dănești	2nd rule
Radu V	File:Radu of Afumati.jpg	1524–1525	Craiovești	3rd rule
Vladislav III		1525	Dănești	3rd rule
Radu V	File:Radu of Afumati.jpg	1525–1529	Craiovești	4th rule
Basarab VI		1529
Moise		1529–1530
Vlad VI Înecatul (Vlad VI the Drowned)		1530–1532	Drăculești	son of Vlad cel Tânăr
Vlad VII Vintilă de la Slatina		1532–1535	Drăculești	son of Radu cel Mare
Radu VII Paisie		1535–1545	Drăculești	son of Vlad Vintilă de la Slatina
Mircea IV Ciobanul (Mircea IV the Shepherd)		1545–1552	Drăculești	son of Radu cel Mare; 1st rule
Radu VIII Ilie Haidăul (Radu VIII Ilie the Cowherd)		1552–1553	Drăculești	son of Radu de la Afumați
Mircea IV Ciobanul		1553–1554	Drăculești	2nd rule
Pătrașcu cel Bun (Pătrașcu the Kind)		1554–1558	Drăculești	son of Radu Paisie; 3rd rule
Mircea IV Ciobanul		1558–1559	Drăculești	3rd rule
Petru I cel Tânăr (Peter I the Younger)		1559–1568	Drăculești	son of Mircea Ciobanul
Alexandru II Mircea		1568–1574	Drăculești	son of Mircea II; popularly called Oaie Seacă (Barren Sheep); 1st rule
Vintilă		1574	Drăculești	son of Petru Pătrașcu cel Bun
Alexandru II Mircea		1574–1577	Drăculești	2nd rule
Mihnea II Turcitul (Mihnea the Turned-Turk)		1577–1583	Drăculești	son of Alexandru II Mircea; 1st rule
Petru II Cercel (Peter II Earring)		1583–1585	Drăculești	son of Petru Pătrașcu cel Bun
Mihnea II Turcitul		1585–1591	Drăculești	2nd rule
Ștefan I Surdul (Stephen the Deaf)		1591–1592
Alexandru III cel Rău (Alexander III the Mean)		1592–1593		also ruled Moldavia (1592)
Mihail II Viteazul (Michael the Brave)		1593–1600	Drăculești	illegitimate son of Petru Pătrașcu cel Bun; also ruled Transylvania (1599-1600) and Moldavia (1600), briefly uniting the three principalities.
Simion Movilă		1600–1601	Movilești	1st rule
Radu IX Mihnea		1601–1602	Drăculești	son of Minhea II Turcitul; 1st rule
Simion Movilă		1602	Movilești	2nd rule
Radu X Șerban		1602–1610		1st rule
Gabriel I Báthory		1611	Báthory	also Prince of Transylvania
Radu IX Mihnea		1611	Drăculești	2nd rule
Radu X Șerban		1611		2nd rule
Radu IX Mihnea		1611–1616	Drăculești	3rd rule
Gabriel II Movilă		1616	Movilești	son of Simion Movilă; 1st rule
Alexandru IV Iliaș		1616–1618		1st rule
Gabriel II Movilă		1618–1620	Movilești	2nd rule
Radu IX Mihnea		1620–1623	Drăculești	4th rule
Alexandru V Coconul (Alexander the Child-Prince)		1623–1627	Drăculești	son of Radu Mihnea
Alexandru IV Iliaș		1627–1629		2nd rule
Leon Tomșa		1629–1632
Radu XI Iliaș		1632
Matei Basarab		1632–1654	Brâncovenești
Constantin I Șerban		1654–1658		illegitimate son of Radu Șerban
Mihnea III		1658–1659
Gheorghe I Ghica		1659–1660	Ghica
Grigore I Ghica		1660–1664	Ghica	1st rule
Radu XII Leon		1664–1669
Antonie Vodă din Popeşti		1669–1672
Grigore I Ghica		1672–1673	Ghica	2nd rule
Gheorghe II Ducas		1673–1678
Șerban Cantacuzino		1678–1688	Cantacuzene
Constantin II Brâncoveanu		1688–1714	Brâncovenești
Ștefan II Cantacuzino		1714–1715	Cantacuzene
Phanariote rule (1715–1821)
Nicolae Mavrocordat		1715–1716	Mavrocordato	1st rule
- Habsburg occupation		1716
Ioan Mavrocordat		1716–1719	Mavrocordato
Nicolae Mavrocordat		1719–1730	Mavrocordato	2nd rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1730	Mavrocordato	1st rule
Mihai Racoviță		1730–1731	Racoviță	1st rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1731–1733	Mavrocordato	2nd rule
Grigore II Ghica		1733–1735	Ghica	1st rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1735–1741	Mavrocordato	3rd rule
Mihai Racoviță		1741–1744	Racoviță	2nd rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1744–1748	Mavrocordato	4th rule
Grigore II Ghica		1748–1752	Ghica	2nd rule
Matei Ghica		1752–1753	Ghica
Constantin Racoviță		1753–1756		1st rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1756–1758		5th rule
Scarlat Ghica		1758–1761	Ghica	1st rule
Constantin Mavrocordat		1761–1763		6th rule
Constantin Racoviță		1763–1764	Racoviță	2nd rule
Ștefan Racoviță		1764–1765	Racoviță
Scarlat Ghica		1765–1766	Ghica	2nd rule
Alexandru Ghica		1766–1768	Ghica
- Russian occupation		1768
Grigore III Ghica		1768–1769	Ghica
- Russian occupation		1769–1770
Emanuel Giani Ruset		1770-1771	Rosetti	also called Manole or Manolache
Alexander Ypsilantis		1774–1782	Ypsilanti	1st rule
Nicolae Caragea		1782–1783	Caradja
Mihai Suțu		1783–1786	Soutzos	1st rule
Nicolae Mavrogheni		1786–1789
- Habsburg occupation		1789–1790		military commander: Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg
Mihai Suțu		1791–1793	Soutzos	2nd rule
Alexandru Moruzi		1793–1796	Mourousi	1st rule
Alexander Ypsilantis		1796–1797	Ypsilanti	2nd rule
Constantin Hangerli		1797–1799
Alexandru Moruzi		1799–1801	Mourousi	2nd rule
Mihai Suțu		1801–1802	Soutzos	3rd rule
Alexandru Suțu		1802	Soutzos
Constantin Ypsilanti		1802-1806	Ypsilanti
- Russian occupation		1806–1812
Ioan Gheorghe Caragea		1812–1818	Caradja
Caimacam Grigore Brâncovenu		1818		assisted by Vornic Barbu Văcărescu, Vistier Grigore Ghica and Logofăt Samurcaș
Alexandru Suțu		1818–1821	Soutzos
Caimacam Grigore Brâncoveanu		1821
Tudor Vladimirescu		1821		leader of the anti-Phanariote uprising
Scarlat Callimachi		1821	Callimachi
Grigore IV Ghica		1822–1828	Ghica
- Russian occupation		1828–1834		military commanders: Fyodor Pahlen, Pyotr Zheltukhin, and Pavel Kiseleff
Organic Statute government (1832–1856)
Alexandru II Ghica		1834–1842	Ghica
Gheorghe Bibescu		1842–1848	Bibescu
Provisional Government		1848		Metropolitan Neofit II, assisted by Christian Tell, Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Ștefan Golescu, Gheorghe Magheru, Gheorghe Scurti
Locotenența domnească (Regency of three)		1848		Christian Tell, Ion Heliade Rădulescu, Nicolae Golescu
Joint Ottoman and Russian occupation		1848–1851		military commanders: Omar Pasha and Alexander von Lüders
Caimacam Constantin Cantacuzino		1848
Barbu Știrbei		1848–1853	Știrbei	1st rule
Russian occupation		1853–1854
Ottoman occupation		1854
Austrian occupation		1854–1856		military commander: Johann Coronini-Cronberg
Barbu Știrbei		1854–1856	Știrbei	2nd rule
Protectorate established by the Treaty of Paris (1856–1859)
Caimacam Alexandru II Ghica		1856–1858
Caimacam of three		1858–1859		Ioan Manu, Emanoil Băleanu, Ioan A. Filipide
Alexander John Cuza		1859–1862		also ruled Moldavia in personal union
United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia since 1862.
Alexander John Cuza		1862–1866		also ruled Moldavia in personal union
Carol I		1866–1881	Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen	A new constitution came into effect in 1866 giving the country the official name Romania, and on 14 March (O.S.) (26 March) 1881, it became the Kingdom of Romania.
For later rulers, see Kings of Romania.