Stephen III of Moldova

Stephen III the Great
Miniature from the 1473 Gospel at Humor Monastery
Prince of Moldavia
Reign	1457–1504
Predecessor	Peter III Aaron
Successor	Bogdan III
Born	1433–1440
Died	2 July 1504 Suceava
Burial	Putna Monastery
Spouse	Mărușca (?) Evdochia of Kiev Maria of Mangup Maria Voichița of Wallachia
Issue more...	Alexandru Bogdan III Petru Rareș
Dynasty	Mușat
Father	Bogdan II of Moldavia
Mother	Maria Oltea
Religion	Orthodox

Saint Stephen the Great
Votive depiction of Stephen at Dobrovăț Monastery
Holy Voivode
Venerated in	Romanian Orthodox Church
Canonized	July 12, 1992, Bucharest, Romania by Romanian Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Putna Monastery
Feast	July 2

Stephen III of Moldavia, known as Stephen the Great (Romanian: Ștefan cel Mare; pronounced [ˈʃtefan t͡ʃel ˈmare]; died on 2 July 1504) was voivode (or prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son and co-ruler of Bogdan II of Moldavia who was murdered in 1451. Stephen fled to Hungary, and later to Wallachia, but with the support of Vlad III Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia, he returned to Moldavia, forcing Peter III Aaron to seek refuge in Poland in the summer of 1457. Teoctist I, Metropolitan of Moldavia, anointed him prince. He broke into Poland and prevented Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, from supporting Peter Aaron, but eventually acknowledged Casimir's suzerainty in 1459.

Stephen decided to recapture Chilia (now Kiliya in Ukraine), an important port on the Danube, which brought him into conflict with Hungary and Wallachia. He besieged the town during the Ottoman invasion of Wallachia in 1462, but was seriously wounded during the siege. Two years later, he captured the town. He promised support to the leaders of the Three Nations of Transylvania against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in 1467. Corvinus invaded Moldavia, but Stephen defeated him in the Battle of Baia. Peter Aaron broke into Moldavia with Hungarian support in December 1470, but was also defeated by Stephen and executed, along with the Moldavian boyars who still endorsed him. Stephen restored old fortresses and erected new ones, which improved Moldavia's defence system as well as strengthened central administration.