The military career of Stephen the Great spanned for nearly 50 years. Stephen the Great commanded the Moldavian military forces for the first time as a co-commander, alongside his father Bogdan II in 1450, then as a Voivode of Moldavia from 1457 until his death in 1504.
Stephen's most famous victory took place at the Battle of Vaslui on 10 January 1475, against the Ottoman army of Hadım Suleiman Pasha, earning him the title Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") from Pope Sixtus IV. Ottoman defeat at Vaslui was described by contemporaries as "the greatest suffered by an Ottoman army in its history". Stephen's victory boosted the morale of numerous leaders of the Christian European states, as it shattered the Ottoman Empire's reputation of invincibility.
Stephen's leaderships allowed him to muster up to 55,000 troops, mainly consisting of peasants. Stephen is traditionally believed to have taken part in 36 battles, out of which 34 were victories. Other sources estimate Stephen's record at 44–46 victories in battles. He's considered a national hero in both Romania and Moldova, earning him canonisation by the Romanian Orthodox Church.
An anonymous chronicler gave the following impression of Stephen as a military leader and his resilient character:
Military record
Opponent flags Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate Nogai Tatars Golden Horde Kingdom of Hungary Kingdom of Poland Duchy of Masovia Teutonic Order Wallachia Moldavian opposition
Results Favorable result Uncertain result Unfavorable result
+ Summary (Incomplete)+Overviews of clashesNo. Clash(es) Date(s) Location(s) Conflict(s) Type(s) Opponent(s) Result1.Battle of the Crasna River5–6 September 1450Crasna river, MoldaviaMoldavian–Polish War (1450)Open battleVictory2.Battle of Doljești12 April 1457Doljești, MoldaviaOpen battleVictory3.Battle of Orbic April 1457Orbic, MoldaviaOpen battleVictory4.Siege of Chilia (1462)22 June 1462Chilia, WallachiaSiegeDefeat5.Siege of Chilia (1465)24 January 1465Chilia, WallachiaSiegeVictory6.Battle of Baia15 December 1467Baia, MoldaviaHungarian–Moldavian WarOpen battleDisputed7.Battle of Lipnic20 August 1470Lipnic, MoldaviaMoldavian–Horde WarsOpen battleVictory8.Battle of Sochi7 March 1471Sochi, near Râmnicu Sărat, WallachiaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsOpen battleVictory9.Battle of the Vodna River18–20 November 1473Vodna river, 45km from Bucharest, WallachiaOpen battleVictory10.Siege of Dâmbovița Fortress23 November 1473Bucharest, WallachiaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsSiegeVictory11.Battle of Bucharest28 November 1473Forest near Bucharest, WallachiaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsOpen battleVictory12.Battle of Vaslui10 January 1475Vaslui, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476)Open battleVictory13.Battle of ŞtefăneştiJuly 1476Ștefănești, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476)Open battleVictory14.Battle of Valea Albă26 July 1476Războieni, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476)Open battleDefeat15.Siege of Neamț Citadel August 1476Neamț Citadel, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman War (1475–1476)Defensive siegeVictory16.Battle of Râmnic8 July 1481Râmnicu Sărat, WallachiaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsOpen battleVictory17.Battle of Cătlăbuga16 November 1485Cătlăbuga, near Chilia, MoldaviaMoldavian Campaign (1484–1486)Open battleVictory18.6 March 1486, MoldaviaMoldavian Campaign (1484–1486)Open battleVictory19.Stephen the Great's expedition to PokuttiaSummer 1490Pokuttia, Kingdom of PolandMoldavian–Polish WarsExpeditionVictory20.Battle of the Cosmin Forest26 October 1497, MoldaviaMoldavian campaign (1497–1499)Open battleVictory21.Battle of Lențești29 October 1497, MoldaviaMoldavian campaign (1497–1499)Open battleVictory22.Battle of Cernăuți30 October 1497Cernăuți, MoldaviaMoldavian campaign (1497–1499)Open battleVictory23.Moldavian campaign in PolandJune – July 1498South-eastern Kingdom of PolandMoldavian campaign (1497–1499)CampaignVictory24.Battle of Botoșani (1498)November 1498Botoșani, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsOpen battleVictory25.Battle of the Prut River5 January 1499Prut river, MoldaviaMoldavian–Ottoman WarsOpen battleVictory26.Battle of Botoșani (1500)14 March 1500Botoșani, MoldaviaMoldavian–Polish WarsOpen battleVictory27.Raid on Chilia and Cetatea Albă1500Chilia and Cetatea Albă, Ottoman EmpireMoldavian–Ottoman WarsRaidVictory28.Battle of the Samara RiverJune 1502Samara river, Wild FieldsMoldavian–Horde WarsOpen battleVictory
References
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