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“Vlad the Impaler” Alex Sebesten 2025

The Tombstone of Vladislav II [1512-1520]The date of Vladislav II's deathThe location of Vladislav II's tomb, killed at Târgșor, is unknown. He was probably buried either in his own foundation in that town or anonymously in some other unknown place, as was the case with most voivodes of the 15th century who met a violent death. The only surviving indication of a possible personal connection between the voivode and Dealu Monastery is a confirmation from 1451, through which Vladislav confirms to the monastery his support and protection for the inheritance of an estate left by a knez. A possible transfer of his remains to the monastery due to a close connection with it remains a mere hypothesis. Given that no thorough archaeological investigations have been carried out in the monastery church to this day, it cannot be ruled out that the present slab was merely a cenotaph with a commemorative purpose. There is no indication that the present tombstone replaced an older one. It was donated by the Craiovești boyars, namely the brothers Barbu the ban, Pârvu the vornic, and (not mentioned in the text) Dănicu the comis and Radu the postelnic, as a sign of pious gratitude toward the voivode who had raised their father, Neagoe of Craiova (or Neagoe Strehăianul, after the name of the most important estate he owned, Strehaia), to the rank of one of the most powerful Wallachian boyars (vlasteli).

There are no indications whether diplomatic contacts between the Wallachian voivodal court and the Genoese colony of Caffa existed prior to this embassy. Nevertheless, a Wallachian-Caffan connection seems highly probable, since this colony, following the fall of Constantinople and Pera—the most important Genoese colony—became increasingly dependent on secondary or tertiary political allies and commercial partners. In exchange, through Caffa, the voivodal court of Wallachia could establish diplomatic contacts with the Polish king, as shown in another record. The exact purpose of this embassy is unknown, but it can be suspected that it involved easing the conflict with Stephen the Great, which was dangerous for V., and attempting to activate King Casimir IV. Other motives could also be considered, such as commercial matters, perhaps even quite trivial ones. The long stay of the envoys, from May 1462 until September 1463, must have been conditioned by the land and sea blockade imposed by the Ottomans and Moldavians, as well as by the political-military situation in Wallachia, which prevented or significantly hindered the transmission of news to the voivode.

The inscription of the church in Târgșor The inscription of the church in Târgșor was discovered by chance in 1886 in the courtyard of a villager from Strejnicu commune (Prahova county), where it was intended to serve as building material. The two fragments, however, were not of suitable size to be built into a wall, so they were abandoned. The inscription later ended up in the courtyard of the church in Strejnicu, a village near Târgșorul Vechi, an important locality in medieval Wallachia. Following notification of the authorities by Priest Popescu, the inscription was taken into custody by Nicolae Iorga. Its text was first published only in transliteration, accompanied by an unclear photograph. Although considered lost since the 1960s, the inscription was preserved in the storage of the Prahova History and Archaeology Museum, where it was cataloged in 2006 by the Cultural Memory Institute (CIMeC). After a prolonged dispute between this museum and the recently founded Turnu Monastery (Prahova county), this unique document of V. entered the possession of the latter. Currently, the inscription is located in the new museum of the aforementioned monastery, set up near the recently restored “Church of Antonie Vodă” (1669-1671) and the consolidated ruins of the so-called “White Church” (1570), situated a short distance from its enclosure wall.