Radu the Great

(Radu cel Mare). Birth date unknown; died 1508. Hospodar of Walachia from 1495.

Radu centralized the state apparatus and brought the church entirely under the hospodar’s jurisdiction. He introduced printing in Walachia in 1508, as a result of which he became known as Radu the Great. Although he continued to pay tribute to Turkey, Radu established friendly relations with Poland, Hungary, and the principality of Moldavia.