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| commander1 = [[Stephen the Great|Stephen III of Moldavia]]<br />Mihály Fants<ref name="szeklers">{{cite book |author=Ferencz Kállay |title=Historiai értekezés a' nemes székely nemzet' eredetéről: hadi és polgári intézeteiről a régi időkben |trans-title=Historical discourse about the origin of the 'magnanimous szekler nation' : military and civil institutes in the past times. |publisher=Fiedler Gottfried |location=[[Nagyenyed]], Hungary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tDo-AAAAYAAJ |language=hu |access-date=9 October 2010 |year=1829 |page=247}}</ref>
| commander2 = [[Hadım Suleiman Pasha (governor of Rumelia)|Hadım Suleiman Pasha]]
| strength1 = 30,000–40,000 Moldavians<br />5,000 Székelys<br />2,000
| strength2 =
| casualties1 = ~5,000 killed and wounded
| casualties2 = ~
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Ottoman-Hungarian War}}<br />{{Campaignbox Moldavian–Ottoman Wars}}<br />{{Campaignbox Polish-Ottoman Wars}}
}}
The '''Battle of Vaslui''' (also referred to as the '''Battle of Podul Înalt''' or the '''Battle of Racova''') was fought on 10 January 1475, between [[Stephen the Great|Stephen III of Moldavia]] and the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] governor of [[Rumelia Eyalet|Rumelia]], [[Hadım Suleiman Pasha (governor of Rumelia)|Hadım Suleiman Pasha]]. The battle took place at Podul Înalt ("the High Bridge"), near the town of [[Vaslui]], in [[Moldavia]] (now part of eastern [[Romania]]). The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] troops numbered up to
Stephen inflicted a decisive defeat on the Ottomans, with casualties according to [[Venice|Venetian]] and Polish records reaching beyond 40,000 on the Ottoman side. [[Mara Branković]] (Mara Hatun), the former younger wife of [[Murad II]], told a Venetian envoy that the invasion had been the worst ever defeat for the Ottomans.<ref name="p. 133">''Istoria lui Ştefan cel Mare'', p. 133</ref> Stephen was later awarded the title ''[[Athleta Christi]]'' ("Champion of Christ") by [[Pope Sixtus IV]], who referred to him as {{lang|la|"verus christianae fidei athleta"}} ("the true defender of the Christian faith").<ref>''Saint Stephen the Great in his contemporary Europe (Respublica Christiana)'', p. 141</ref>
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===Ottomans===
[[File:Gentile Bellini 003.jpg|thumb|Mehmed II by [[Gentile Bellini]]]]
Mehmed ordered his general, Suleiman Pasha, to end the siege of [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]]-controlled [[Shkodër]]<ref name="Chronicles of the Ottoman Dynasty">''The Chronicles of the Ottoman Dynasty''</ref> (now in [[Albania]]), to assemble his troops in [[Sofia]], and from there to advance with additional troops towards Moldavia. For these already exhausted Ottoman troops, who had besieged the city from 17 May to 15 August,<ref name="Denize"/> the transit from Shkodër to Moldavia was a month's journey through bad weather and difficult terrain.<ref>''Great Events'' {{page needed|date=May 2024}}</ref> According to Długosz, Suleiman was also ordered that after inflicting defeat on Stephen, he was to advance towards Poland, set camp for the winter, then invade Hungary in spring, and unite his forces with the army of the Sultan. The Ottoman army consisted of [[Janissary|Janissaries]] and heavy infantry, which were supported by the heavy cavalry ''[[sipahi]]s'' and by the light cavalry (''[[Akinji|akinci]]''), who would scout ahead. There were also [[Tatar]] cavalry and other troops (such as the [[Timariots]]) from vassal states. Twenty thousand [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] peasants were also included in the army; their main tasks were to clear the way for the rest of the army by building bridges over waters and removing snow from the roads, and to drive supply wagons.<ref>''Istoria lui Ştefan cel Mare'', p.127</ref> In total, the Ottoman cavalry numbered 30,000.<ref>''Historia Turchesca''</ref> In September 1474, the Ottoman army gathered in [[Sofia]], and from there, Suleiman marched towards Moldavia by crossing the frozen Danube on foot.<ref name="p. 128">''Istoria lui Ştefan cel Mare'', p. 128</ref> His first stop was Wallachia, which he entered via [[Vidin]] and [[Nicopolis]]. His army rested in Wallachia for two weeks, and was later met by a Wallachian contingent of 17,000 under [[Basarab Laiotă]], who had changed sides to join the Ottomans.
[[File:Humorstefan.jpg|left|thumb|Stephen the Great – detail of a dedication miniature in the 1473 ''Gospel'' at Humor Monastery]]
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In 1484, the Ottomans under [[Bayezid II]] managed to conquer [[Kiliya, Ukraine|Chilia]] and [[Cetatea Albă]] and incorporate it into their empire under the name of [[Budjak]], leaving Moldavia a landlocked principality for many years to come.
Between May and September 1488, Stephen built the [[Voroneţ Monastery]] to commemorate the victory at Vaslui; "the exterior walls – including a representation of the Last Judgment on the west wall – were painted in 1547 with a background of vivid cerulean blue. This is so vibrant that art historians refer to Voroneţ blue the same way they do Titian red."<ref>''Artistic Route Through Romania''</ref> In 1490, he extended his work by building another monastery of [[Saint John the Baptist]]. These monasteries served as cultural centres; today, they are on [[UNESCO]]'s [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|World Heritage List]].
==References==
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