Radu the Handsome
| Radu cel Frumos | |
|---|---|
| Voivode of Wallachia, Beylerbeyi and Pasha of Wallachia | |
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| Born | 1437 or 1439 |
| Died | 1475 |
| Spouse | Maria Despina |
| Issue | Maria Voichiţa |
| House | Drăculeşti |
| Father | Vlad II Dracul |
| Mother | Cneajna of Moldavia |
| Religion | Orthodox Catholic Church, Islam |
Radu III the Fair, Radu III the Handsome or Radu III the Beautiful (Romanian: Radu cel Frumos), also known by his Turkish name Radu Bey (1437-1439—1475), was the younger brother of Vlad Țepeș and voivode (prince) of the principality of Wallachia. They were both sons of Vlad II Dracul and his wife, Princess Cneajna of Moldavia. In addition to Vlad Țepeș, Radu also had two older siblings, Mircea II and Vlad Călugărul, both of whom would also briefly rule Wallachia.
In 1436, Vlad II Dracul ascended the throne of Wallachia. He was ousted in 1442 by rival factions in league with Hungary, but secured Ottoman support for his return by agreeing to pay tribute to the Sultan and also send his two legitimate sons, Vlad III and Radu, to the Ottoman court, to serve as hostages of his loyalty.
The boys were taken to the various garrisons at Edirne. Radu became an intimate friend and a favorite of the sultan's son, Mehmet II. According to Latin translation of Byzantine chronicles Radu was Sultan’s lover and male concubine, and possibly, due to good looks and the amorous affairs with the sultan, Radu received a nickname "cel frumos" (the Beautiful). Their dangerously passionate relationships were described by a Greek chronicler Laonikos Chalkokondyles, who emphasized that the sultan 'nearly died at the boy's hands' when he tried to force himself upon the young prince. As the records report, the young Emperor (Mehmed) - wanting to have relations with the prince - called him to feasts and in one instance, passionately offering him a glass, he called him to the bedchamber. When the boy, not suspecting anything from the other came, the Emperor rushed to him; Radu resisted, not submitting to Mehmed's desire, and then the latter "kissed the boy against his will". Frightened, Radu then pulled out a dagger and cut Mehmed's thigh and ran away. It is further narrated, that while physicians took care of Mehmed's wound, the young boy climbed up a tree where he stayed hidden until the sultan left; he later descended from the tree and not long afterwards became the Emperor’s favorite.Chalkokondyles adds that the sultan along with people of his nation had the custom of using favorite boys, and with such as Radu Mehmed "spends day and night together". In the beginning of the chronicle it was noted that the incident happened when Mehmed came to the throne and had to go against the state of Caraman in 1451.
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