Marcu Cercel, also known as Marco Cercel, Marcu-Vodă, or Marco-Voevod ("Marcu the Voivode"; , ;Rădulescu, p. 56 fl. 1580 – 1620), was a Wallachian adventurer who served as Prince of Moldavia in July–September 1600. His father, Petru Cercel, was Prince of Wallachia in the 1580s, and alleged son of Pătrașcu the Good. This probably meant that Marcu was a nephew of Michael the Brave, who in 1599–1601 managed to control Wallachia, Moldavia, and the Principality of Transylvania, making Marcu his representative or regional co-ruler. It is not precisely known who Marcu's mother was, but she was likely Albanian and related to the Köprülüs; she may be the same as Lady Stanca, who went on to marry Aaron the Tyrant, also Prince of Moldavia.
Marcu had his first military engagements in the 1600 war for Moldavia, when he was chased out by the Polish army. He fled to Transylvania before 1601, and, after Michael the Brave's killing, rallied with the Holy Roman Empire, which was fighting a Long War against the Ottoman Empire. By 1602, he was given a small command function in the Imperial Army, under Giorgio Basta, and saw action at Teișani, helping to defeat the Crimean Tatars. He then renounced plans to obtain the Wallachian throne, ceding it to another Habsburg favorite, Radu Șerban. His subsequent attempts to invade Moldavia from Transylvania were curbed by the Bocskai uprising, during which he also lost control over his Transylvanian estates. He lived for several years in Austrian Bohemia at the court of Sigismund Báthory.
In the 1610s, Cercel switched allegiances and became a favorite of Gabriel Bethlen; this rebel Prince of Transylvania also recommended him to the Ottomans. His final bid for the Moldavian throne ended in 1618, when Cercel settled in Transylvania. He lived to see the Bohemian Revolt and the Thirty Years' War, acting as Bethlen's agent in Prague. He was rewarded for results achieved during this mission, emerging as the owner of Dezna estate. He was twice married, the second time to Druzsina Bogáthy, who survived his death.
Biography Origins and childhood Marcu was born at a time when Wallachia and Moldavia, the two Danubian Principalities, were tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, which had a growing influence on the appointment of local rulers. As a pretender, he traced his lineage to the ancient House of Basarab, through the branch known as Drăculești. This hinges on the claim of Pătrașcu the Good, his paternal grandfather, to have been the son of Radu Paisie. A Prince Marco, or Marcu, was Paisie's son and co-ruler. A letter from this "Io Marco voevod", although dated 1542,Nicolaescu, pp. 76–77 was read by historian Nicolae Iorga as a possible reference to the much younger Cercel.Iorga (1898), pp. 266–267 It is unclear what became of this historical figure: some authors hypothesize that he embraced Islam upon Paisie's downfall; others believe that he was in fact the same person as Pătrașcu.Valentin Gheonea, "Un domnitor controversat — Radu Paisie", in Magazin Istoric, September 1996, p. 51 On at least occasion, Petru Cercel referred to himself as a grandson of Radu Paisie.Pascu, p. 12
Among Pătrașcu's legitimate children, the first one to rule Wallachia was a Vintilă, who took the throne for only a few days in 1574.Nicolaescu, pp. 297, 300; Pascu, pp. 84–86; Stănilă, p. 4 He and Petru Cercel were likely full brothers, both of them born to Pătrașcu's wife Voica,Stănilă, pp. 4–5 although scholar Ștefan Pascu argues that only Petru was Voica's son.Pascu, pp. 12–14, 84 The more famous Michael the Brave is widely believed to have been born from Prince Pătrașcu's marriage or affair with Teodora, making him Petru Cercel's half-brother and Marcu Cercel's uncle.Gane, pp. 106–107, 138–140; Nicolaescu, pp. 294, 297–301 This was backed by Michael himself, who in 1594 referred to Petru as "My Highness' brother".Pascu, pp. 86–87 However, at least one account in English diplomatic records disputes Petru's background, alleging that, rather than Pătrașcu's son, he was a Greek from Morea.Robert Mantran, "Comptes rendus. L'Europe centrale à l'époque moderne. Documents sur les principautés roumaines. E. D. Tappe, Documents Concerning Rumanian History (1427–1601), Collected from British Archives", in Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations, Vol. 23, Issue 5, 1968, p. 1172
Petru, who took the Wallachian throne in July 1583, had at least three sons, of whom Marcu is the best known. According to the eyewitness Franco Sivori of Genoa, all were born in 1583 from different mothers, none of whom was probably married to the Prince. Sivori claims that Marcu was the first-born, followed by Jonas or Ionașcu and Radulo or Radu (later re-baptized Petru).Pascu, pp. 76–77, 90, 94–98, 251, 276; Rădulescu, pp. 50–51, 54, 55. See also Birtz, pp. 67–68; Stănilă, p. 6 The latter is also attested in other documents, primarily as a bookish intellectual.Birtz, p. 68; Pascu, pp. 96–97; Rădulescu, p. 54 Iorga and fellow historian Stoica Nicolaescu also list Marcu as having two brothers, but name them as Dumitrașco and Ștefan.Iorga (1902), pp. IV, XXXVI, XLIV; Nicolaescu, p. 300; Pascu, p. 90 Other scholars either dismiss both as impostorsPascu, pp. 89–90; Rădulescu, p. 54 or view them as additional sons.Stănilă, p. 6 Another disputed detail in Sivori is the date of birth. The chronicler Ciro Spontone similarly notes that Marcu was aged eighteen in September 1601,Rădulescu, p. 57 an account also backed by historian Constantin Rezachevici.Pascu, pp. 91–92; Rezachevici (2000), p. 10 Other scholarship, however, concludes that Marcu was probably born before his father's coronation.Rădulescu, pp. 54–55
Prince Petru was a pious Christian. He may have embraced Catholicism by 1581,Stănilă, p. 7 or at least announced that he would, for opportunistic reasons.Pascu, pp. 21, 44–45, 53–55, 75, 142 Some historians describe him as a Catholic committed to Counter-Reformation ideology, though one who also respected and protected the majority Wallachian Orthodox Church.Luca, pp. 93–94 Others see Petru as an Orthodox who remained friendly toward Catholicism and had Protestant missionaries burned at the stake.Birtz, pp. 63–67 His behavior was otherwise incompatible with either Catholic or Orthodox norms. Ottoman sources of the period suggest that he was a polygamist, keeping three mistresses, all of whom were Turkish and Muslim apostates; this would also make Marcu, and possibly his two brothers as well, half-Turkish.Rădulescu, p. 52; Stănilă, pp. 5, 11 As described by Rezachevici, Marcu was "the son of Petru Cercel and of a (baptized) Turkish wife, Sultana".Rezachevici (2000), p. 10 One report of the period backs this account, describing Marcu as a "son" of the Köprülü family, therefore also Turko-Albanian.Rădulescu, pp. 52, 60. See also Iorga (1902), p. CXXXIII; Stănilă, p. 5 Petru Cercel may have also had an official wife, whose name is recorded as "Stanca", and who is sometimes identified as Marcu's mother. Whether or not she was another name for Sultana, or another Turkish wife, or simply Marcu's stepmother is uncertain, but all are viewed by historians as likely hypotheses.Pascu, pp. 87–88; Rădulescu, pp. 52–53; Stănilă, p. 5
Iorga proposes that Marcu was named after Prince Marko, a semi-legendary hero of the anti-Ottoman struggle "for Christendom".Iorga (1934), p. 78 His other name was his father's cognomen, meaning "Earring"—from Petru's distinguishing accessory.Alexandru Graur, Nume de persoane, p. 70. Bucharest: Editura științifică, 1965. According to historian Maria-Venera Rădulescu, the heir-apparent must have spent his early years at the princely court in Târgoviște. She believes that a connected site in Cerbureni may preserve Marcu's only known portrait, done in terracotta by Italian artisans, and showing him as a young child.Rădulescu, passim Marcu's first-ever mention is as a ktitor, or restorer, of Târgoviște's Princely Church, which was in fact a project of his father's.Pascu, p. 43 Rădulescu also distinguishes clues that Petru may have wanted his son to acquire a classical education.Rădulescu, pp. 54–55, 62 From his father, he received a manuscript of the Gospels, copied by Radu Grămăticul when he was in exile with Pătrașcu's family.Luca, p. 94; Pascu, pp. 84–85, 94 A ledger at the Pontifical Greek College of Saint Athanasius in Rome suggests that a Marco Baiboda di Blachia ("Marco Voivode of Wallachia") was enlisted there in 1585, but also that he left soon after, refusing to take the pledge.I. Radu, "Foștii elevi români-uniți ai școalelor din Roma", in Observatorul. Revistă Documentară Culturală–Socială–Religioasă, Vol. II, Issues 5–6, September–October 1929, p. 274
Orphan "princelet" This period of his life ended later in 1585. The allegations surrounding Petru Cercel's amorous life and encouragement of apostasy produced a fatwa, and played a significant part in Sultan Murad III decision to shun his vassal.Rădulescu, p. 52; Stănilă, p. 11 All known sons became outcast claimants following their father's removal. Petru Sr fled into the Principality of Transylvania, but was imprisoned there by Ottoman loyalists, and moved to the fortress of Huszth. Sivori notes that Marcu and Jonas followed their father, who obtained clemency for them. They subsequently joined the retinue of Ferenc II, the Count Kendi, who regarded them as "his own sons" and granted them domicile in Dátos (Dătășeni).Rădulescu, pp. 51, 53–54, 55. See also Pascu, pp. 90–91, 94–95, 251 Also according to Sivori, Marcu's brother Radu Petru was living in Istanbul as a protege of the French ambassadors.Birtz, p. 67; Pascu, pp. 90–91, 95; Rădulescu, p. 51 It is also certain that Stanca went on to remarry Aaron the Tyrant, who became Prince of Moldavia in 1591.Pascu, pp. 88, 91; Rădulescu, pp. 52–53, 55, 60
Pope Sixtus V obtained Prince Petru's release, allowing him to seek asylum in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.Birtz, pp. 61, 67; Pascu, pp. 75–77; Rădulescu, pp. 53–54 He also bribed the Ottoman authorities and arranged for his sons to still be recognized as valid candidates for the Wallachian throne.Rădulescu, pp. 53–54 He then offered Jonas and Marcu as hostages to Poland, but escaped from prison as this offer was still being assessed.Pascu, pp. 76–77, 90 Still living at Dátos, Marcu received a multilingual education, being taught to read and write in Neo-Latin, Hungarian, and German.Pascu, pp. 90–91, 94–95; Rădulescu, p. 55 From March 1590, when Petru Cercel was killed at sea by the Ottomans,Birtz, pp. 61–62, 67; Gane, pp. 111–112; Nicolaescu, p. 300; Pascu, pp. 82–83; Stănilă, pp. 11–12 Marcu became his theoretical successor. Those years witnessed his uncle Michael the Brave's ascent through the ranks of Wallachian boyardom, and, in late 1593, his seizure of the Wallachian throne. In 1597, following Prince Aaron's death, Marcu and his (step)mother Stanca were reunited.Pascu, p. 91; Rădulescu, p. 55 They returned to Wallachia, possibly alongside Jonas, and were received at Michael's court.Andreescu, p. 56; Pascu, p. 91; Rădulescu, p. 55 Spontone claims that Michael virtually adopted Marcu and intended to make him his son-in-law.Rădulescu, pp. 55–56 By 1598, however, Cercel had promised to marry Gerolama, an Ottoman slave girl and niece of Agha Ömer, the influential eunuch.Pedani, pp. 72–73