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 (1435–1475), was the younger brother of Vlad Ţepeş and voivode (prince) of the principality of Wallachia. They were both sons of Vlad II Dracul (Dracul : the dragon) and his wife, Princess Cneajna of Moldavia. In addition to Vlad Ţepeş, Radu also had two older half-brothers, Mircea II and Vlad Călugărul, both of whom would also briefly rule Wallachia.[1] Of the four siblings, Radu converted to Islam and entered Ottoman service.
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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. Vlad suffered much at the hands of the Ottomans and was locked up in an underground prison; however, Radu caught the eye of the sultan's son, Mehmet II. These years had a great influence on Vlad, as he was often whipped and beaten by the Turks for being stubborn and rude. He developed a well-known hatred for Radu and for Mehmet II, who would later become the sultan. Vlad was later released, corrected and taken to be educated in logic, the Quran and the Turkish and Persian language and literature. The boys' father, Vlad Dracul, with the support of the Ottomans, returned to Wallachia and took back his throne from Basarab II.[2]
While Vlad was eventually released to take his place on the Wallachian throne after his father was killed by the Hungarian king, John Hunyadi, Radu was too released but converted to Islam, and he was allowed into the Ottoman royal court. Radu later participated alongside the now sultan Mehmet II in the Ottoman siege which eventually led to the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, and was since then given command of the Janissaries.
In November, 1447, John Hunyadi launched an attack against Wallachia due to its being allied with the Ottomans by the treaties signed by Vlad Dracul. Radu's father fled, but Mircea II was captured by boyars from Tirgoviste and was blinded with a red hot poker before being buried alive. A short time after their father was captured and killed by the forces of John Hunyadi, Vlad III was released in 1448 and was the Ottoman Turks' candidate for the throne of Wallachia, the first of a succession of times he would hold the throne, this first time for only a matter of months.
Radu, at the age of 22, became a leading figure at the Ottoman court. He was sent by Mehmed to suppress the rebellion and subdue Anatolia and the border with Persia. He became a successful Janissary commander in the Ottoman Empire. He also served during the Battle of Otlukbeli against Uzun Hasan.
Radu's brother Vlad III later went on to take the throne from Vladislav II in 1456 and began his reign of terror for which he would become best known following this period. Like his older brother Mircea II, Vlad Ţepeş was an able military commander and now found himself opposing the Ottomans. He fought against them for a number of years. The Ottomans feared him for his brutal tactics.
However, in 1462 a massive Ottoman army marched against Wallachia, with Radu at the head of the Janissary. Vlad retreated to Transylvania. During his departure, he practiced a scorched earth policy, leaving nothing of importance to be used by the pursuing Ottoman army. When the Ottoman forces approached Tirgoviste, they encountered over 20,000 of their kind impaled by the forces of Vlad III, creating a "forest" of dead or dying bodies on stakes. This atrocious, gut-wrenching sight was too much even for them to bear and frightened them into retreating.
Vlad waged a guerrilla campaign against the Ottoman forces commanded by the Grand Vizier Mahmed-Pasha in May, 1462, pursuing them in their retreat as far as the Danube. On June 16 and 17, he again defeats a sizable Ottoman force in what has become known as The Night Attack, which resulted in heavy casualties to the Ottoman army, as well as logistical losses.
Radu cel Frumos and his Janissary battalion was given the responsibility of repelling his brothers deadly raids after the Sipahis failed to subdue Vlad. Radu was now given the task of leading the Ottoman Empire to victory. He was positioned north of the Danube, after most of the demoralized Ottoman Turks withdrew. There the brothers, known in Turkish as the Blood Brothers, fought lingering battles. Radu and his Janissary blended into the hinterlands well supplied with gunpowder and a continuous flow of Dinars. Radu had soon gained control of much of the country side.
Meanwhile, his brother Vlad III, due to his harsh policies towards the Boyars (who's power struggles he blamed for the state of the realm) abandoned him. Vlad III traveled to Hungary to ask for help from his former ally, Matthias Corvinus. But instead of receiving help he found himself arrested and thrown into the dungeon over false charges of high treason.
After the victorious campaign north of the Danube the Ottomans placed the young Radu (then 26 years of age) as the pasha of Wallachia, during his brief reign order was restored in Romania and Ottoman Sipahi's gained a strong foothold in the south of the country. Radu ruled from 1462 until 1473, soon after the Janissary under his command began attacks and raids on Vlad III's mountain stronghold on the Arges River, Poenari. In 1473, according to a treaty with the Ottomans Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân (Basarab Laiotă the Old) took over the throne. Radu's sudden death at the age of 40 in the year 1475 caused the return of his brother Vlad III Dracula.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vlad III Dracula |
Prince of Wallachia 1462–1473 |
Succeeded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
| Preceded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
Prince of Wallachia 1473–1474 |
Succeeded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
| Preceded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
Prince of Wallachia 1474 |
Succeeded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
| Preceded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |
Prince of Wallachia 1474–1475 |
Succeeded by Basarab Laiotă cel Bătrân |