Diicul or Dicul Buicescul, also known as Diicu Buicescu and Diicu din EpoteștiStoicescu, p. 130 (? – ca. July 1659), was a Wallachian statesman, noted as the designated heir of Prince Matei Basarab. A commoner on his father's side, he belonged to the boyardom of Oltenia through his mother's family. His political rise began when Matei, his maternal relative, seized the throne. Diicul alternated civilian offices and command postings in the Wallachian military forces, culminating with his appointment as Spatharios in January 1645. His main military involvement came during the wars opposing Wallachia and the Principality of Transylvania to Vasile Lupu's Moldavia. He saw action during the 1650 invasion of Moldavia, resulting in Gheorghe Ștefan's appointment as the puppet Moldavian Prince. In 1653 Buicescul was soundly defeated by Lupu and his Cossack allies, whose invasion of Wallachia was only overturned by Prince Matei's stand at Finta.
Unpersuaded by claims that Buicescul was arrogant and militarily incompetent, the childless Matei designated Buicescul as his successor. The boyardom rallied around a rival pretender, Constantin Șerban. Sidelined by the Prince and the Spatharios, Șerban orchestrated in 1654 a revolt of the Seimeni mercenaries, which contributed to the weakening of Matei's regime. When the Prince died after illness in early 1655, Șerban managed to outbid Buicescul for the throne, arriving in Târgoviște while his rival was still stranded in Oltenia. A short truce between them was curbed by Buicescul's alleged participation in conspiratorial intrigues; the Spatharios was deposed, then mutilated, to prevent his candidacy for the throne.
In 1655, another Seimeni rebellion drove the Buicesculs into Transylvania. Diicul returned with the Transylvanian troops of George II Rákóczi. Reconciling with Prince Constantin under Rákóczi's tutelage, he served as Wallachia's Clucer, and was reconfirmed as such by Constantin's replacement, Mihnea III. The conflict between Mihnea and his boyars also signaled Diicul's downfall and beheading, which happened in 1659. His son Papa returned to Wallachia and held important office; his grandson Diicul II served as Spatharios under Constantin Brâncoveanu. Diicul's sons-in-law included Drăghici Cantacuzino and Staico Bucșanu, both of whom were important players in late-17th-century Wallachian politics.
Biography Rise Buicescul was probably a native of Buicești, the family's demesne in what is now Olt County.Nicolae Minei, "Poșta Magazin Istoric. Un boier oltean", in Magazin Istoric, September 1973, p. 97Ionașcu, pp. 8–9; Stoicescu, p. 129 His first name originates with the Bulgarian Dikov, and is ultimately a derivative of "Theodore".Alexandru Graur, Nume de persoane, pp. 67, 97, 111. Bucharest: Editura științifică, 1965. He is known to have had at least one sister, from whom he had a favorite nephew, Tudor. Their father was Ioan Buicescul; their mother, Maria (or Mara), was a relative—either niece or cousin—of Aga Matei Basarab.Gane, p. 240; Ionașcu, pp. 5, 7–9, 15, 98; Stoicescu, pp. 129, 130, 158; Tüdős & Barbu, p. 243. See also Fehér, p. 698; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, pp. 133, 145; Theodorescu, p. 21 In his overview of Wallachian politics, the Melkite traveler Paul of Aleppo notes that Buicescul was, or was perceived to be, an ibn fellah, translated as "son of peasants"Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 133 or "son of nobody".Ionașcu, p. 14 As noted by genealogist Constantin Gane, the Buicesculs were commoners of obscure origins. The first recorded member of the family was Diicul's paternal grandfather, the Jupân Mitre. Also according to Gane, Buicești was actually inherited from Maria, having been an estate of the more ancient Craiovești family, from which both Diicul and Aga Matei descended.Gane, p. 240 This account is also backed by scholar I. Ionașcu.Ionașcu, pp. 5, 7–9, 15
Ionașcu acknowledged the lack of any record detailing Diicul's youth, but proposed that he followed Aga Matei in his perennial battles with Prince Leon Tomșa. He believes that Buicescul may have followed his uncle or cousin in exile to the Principality of Transylvania, refusing Leon's peace offerings.Ionașcu, p. 9 Ultimately, in 1632, Matei seized the throne of Wallachia. In the aftermath, all of the Agas relatives, including Buicescul, were appointed to high office.Stoicescu, p. 129 On July 6, 1635, Buicescul became a Cupar (Cup-bearer, or assistant Paharnic) for the court in Bucharest, serving to October 20, 1638. From November 1638, he was a Great Șufar, or Intendant, in the Wallachian civil service. From July 3, 1639, to January 30, 1644, Buicescul was Aga, and as such supervised part of the Wallachian military forces. His main assignment was supervising the fortifications of Târgoviște, rebuilt under his watch.Ionașcu, p. 10 This office was not yet annexed to the Boyar Council, but allowed Diicul a steady revenue in bribes, allowing him to purchase more land.Ionașcu, pp. 9–10 In 1641–1642, he was confirmed as the owner of Priseaca, outside Buicești, while also holding deeds in Vitănești and some other Olt villages; in 1644, he bought himself half of Arcești, in Romanați County.Ionașcu, pp. 8–10, 262. See also Tüdős & Barbu, p. 243 In January 1645, the villagers of Bârzoteni, in northern Vâlcea County, sold themselves as serfs to Buicescul.Cioarec, p. 86
As summarized by historian Andrea Fehér: "[Buicescul] exhibited serious shortcomings in his character, defects that could not be erased from the chronicles, not even through him founding numerous monasteries. [He] was also infamous for his intrigues, as well as his negative influence on the ruler."Fehér, p. 698 Diicul became the main army commander, of Spatharios, on January 8, 1645, serving to April 10, 1654.Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 133; Stoicescu, p. 129 He was replacing Preda Brâncoveanu, demoted to a much less relevant office.Ionașcu, pp. 10–11 During this period, Buicescul was a noted ktitor for the Wallachian Church, erecting Clocociov Monastery () as well as, with Prince Matei, Pantocrator Monastery of Drăgănești-Vlașca (1647).Stoicescu, p. 130. See also Gane, p. 240; Ionașcu, pp. 8, 10, 15, 38–47; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 225; Theodorescu, p. 19 By 1649, Buicescul had established a wool-trading business with the Transylvanian Saxons of Corona, and, beyond, with the markets of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.I. Lehr, "Comerțul Țării Romînești și Moldovei în a doua jumătate a secolului XVI și prima jumătate a secolului XVII", in Studii și Materiale de Istorie Medie, Vol. IV, 1960, pp. 254–255, 298; Tüdős & Barbu, p. 243
The Prince also sent his boyar on several diplomatic missions, including at least one sojourn in Transylvania. In Moldavia, Buicescul attended the wedding between Maria, daughter of the Prince Vasile Lupu, and Janusz Radziwiłł.Costin, p. 118; Stoicescu, p. 130 This state visit formed part of several reconciliation attempts between Wallachia and Moldavia, which had been feuding with each other after Lupu's arrival on the throne in 1634.Costin, p. 118 The effort proving fruitless, Spatharios Buicescul was again involved in the intrigues to topple Lupu. In 1650, he coordinated the Wallachian expedition into Moldavia, assisting the Transylvanian general John Kemény.Costin, pp. 140–145; Ionașcu, pp. 11–12 Entering the country through the Valley of Râbna, his troops occupied Focșani.Costin, pp. 140–145 The expedition succeeded in replacing Lupu with the Transylvanian favorite, Gheorghe Ștefan. In his later chronicle of the events, Lupu's loyalist Miron Costin claimed that, in accepting this Prince, Kemény snubbed Buicescul, who had allegedly wanted the Moldavian crown for himself.Costin, p. 148
Aided by troops from the Cossack Hetmanate, Lupu defeated a large Wallachian force of 9,000 soldiers, commanded by Buicescul, and chased away Ștefan's 300 Moldavian renegades. Here, Costin suggests, Buicescul revealed himself to be an incompetent general, allowing his soldiers to be thinly deployed, and then decimated, along the Milcov.Costin, pp. 159–161. See also Stoicescu, p. 130 One essential flaw, pointed by other historians, was the Wallachian army's insufficient firepower.Ionașcu, p. 12 Lupu's invasion was nevertheless overturned. Buicescul's own troops were again scattered following a direct confrontation with Tymofiy Khmelnytsky's cavalry at Șoplea,Costin, p. 161. See also Ionașcu, p. 11 but Prince Matei was able to recover the loss at Finta. The Moldavians were defeated, and Gheorghe Ștefan was reconfirmed as Prince.Costin, pp. 161–175; Gane, pp. 241–242, 265–271, 299–300, 309; Ionașcu, p. 12; Stoicescu, p. 129; Xenopol, pp. 39–41
1650s conspiracies In 1652, Matei and Princess Elena Năsturel had lost their adoptive son, Mateiaș. This fueled a search for another heir: Mihai, son of Nicolae Pătrașcu, and Istratie Golescu were considered, but Matei finally selected Buicescul—although the latter was by then middle-aged.Gane, pp. 239–241; Ionașcu, pp. 12–13 Other boyars were disappointed with Matei's choice, believing Buicescul to be of flippant and haughty character; they sympathized more with the Serdar Constantin Șerban, born out of wedlock to the former Prince of 1602–1611, Radu Șerban.Gane, pp. 240–241; Ionașcu, pp. 13–14; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, pp. 133–134 Buicescul himself had a noted rivalry with the Serdar, particularly after being revealed as an heir apparent.Gane, p. 241; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 133; Stoicescu, pp. 129–130, 144–145, 158; Theodorescu, pp. 19–20 One detailed account, originating with Paul of Aleppo, suggests that Șerban refused to honor the Prince's choice, and never removed his hat if Buicescul was in the room.Gane, p. 241; Ionașcu, p. 14; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 133 Their clashes aggravated with time, prompting Prince Matei to arrest Șerban—allegedly, after Buicescul threatened resignation. Buicescul's rival was mutilated, or "carved at the nose", which would have technically invalidated him from ever placing a claim to the throne. Historians disagree on whether this "marking" happened during Șerban's early yearsGane, p. 241 or was a consequence of his arrest by Prince Matei.Ionașcu, p. 12; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, p. 145; Stoicescu, p. 158; Theodorescu, pp. 21–22
Wounded at Finta, Matei never fully recovered and, with time, became bedridden. With Elena assuming an informal regency, Șerban coordinated a rebellion of the Seimeni mercenaries, and managed to exhaust the Basarab regime. Although they survived the uprising, both the Princess and Prince were dead by April 1654.Gane, pp. 242–244, 318; Ionașcu, pp. 12–14 This resulted in a heated competition for the throne, during which, historian Gábor Kármán notes, Buicescul emerged as a favorite of the Transylvanian Prince, George II Rákóczi.Kármán, p. 235 However, the Spatharios had been called to his country estate by the illness of his son; Șerban, meanwhile, was at Dobreni, allowing him to seize the opportunity and leave for Târgoviște, where the Seimeni imposed him as Prince.Gane, pp. 244, 318; Ionașcu, pp. 8–9, 14, 15; Paul of Aleppo & Alexandrescu-Dersca Bulgaru, pp. 133–134, 144