Diaconescu, Marius (szerk.): Mediaevalia Transilvanica 1998 (2. évfolyam, 2. szám)
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262 Marius Diaconescu Similarly, the crusaders who succeeded in crossing the Danube into Wallachia did not enjoy hospitable greeting either from the part of the Romanians or from the Hungarians. They either paid for every service they got - food, shelter - or they were being robbed90. Stibor, the Transylvanian voivode, mobilized his army soon after his return and, together with Mircea's followers, attacked Wallachia again. Vlad was forced to withdraw and was besieged in his fortress of Dâmboviţa. Finally, he surrendered to Stibor who took him and his family to Hungary91. As a result of this incursion, which took place in the winter of 1396 and 139792, Mircea was given back the crown, this time for good. We can assume that Stibor and Mircea's victory might as well have been a consequence of the events taking place to the south of the Danube, after Nicople. Bâyezîd I broke up the Bulgarian tzarate of Vidin, tzar Stracimir was banned at Brussa and the Bulgarian feudal lands were given to the timars. The transformation of the Ex-vassal State in pashalik93 caused a greater number of Wallachian boyards, which had previously been hesitant and favourable to a pact with the Turks94, to join Mircea's followers. This moment put an end to the first stage in the evolution of the relations between Wallachia and Hungary during the reign of Sigismund of Luxemburg. To sum up, we can say that during his first years as a ruler, Mircea the Old, Voivode of Wallachia, withstood the Hungarian king's claims of suzerainty. To maintain his own sovereignty, he even chose to conclude political and military alliances with the king of Poland, another element of power in the region and Sigismund's enemy. Then, Ottoman pressure made the Romanian voivode give up the throne and find shelter and help with the Hungarian king. He paid pledged fidelity and promised military help for the future crusade planned by Sigismund. But it was only the fourth Hungarian campaign that succeeded in giving Mircea back his throne and in acknowledging the Hungarian king's suzerainty over Wallachia. Initially, the Hungarian king had wanted only to regain domination over his Anjou possessions wherefrom he derived his claims of suzerainty. In Sigismund's offensive strategy created on the background of increasing Ottoman pressures, Wallachia was meant to become a bridgehead in the future crusade. Yet, the defeat of Nicople determined essential changes in the strategical outlook of the Hungarian king, changes that involved Wallachia as well. 90 P. P. Panaitescu, Mircea cel Bătrân (see note 15), p. 270. 91 DRH, D., I, pp. 160-169. 92 P. P. Panaitescu, Mircea cel Bătrân (see note 15), p. 272, is of the opinion that the campaign should be dated December 1396-January 1397. 93 Bâyezîd I initiated the practice of transforming a vassal state into a territory under his direct control. Cf. H. Inalcik, The Ottoman Empire: Conquest, Organization and Economy, Collected Studies, London, 1978, p. 104. 94 B. Câmpina, op. cit. (see note 18), pp. 277-279. However, the role played by Stibor in Mircea's return to power, should not be minimised. M. Maxim's assumption, Ţările Române (see note 58), p. 212, that Mircea concluded a truce with the sultan after Nicople, is invalidated by the subsequent unfolding of the events. Mircea did not exclude this possiblity in 1399, but in the previous years he had relied on Sigismund's suport.
