Battle of Vaslui

The Battle of Vaslui (also referred to as the Battle of Podul Înalt) (January 10 1475) was fought between the Moldavian Prince, Ştefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great) and the Ottoman General 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 troops numbered between 50,000 and 120,000, facing about 40,000 Moldavian troops, plus smaller allied and mercenary troops.

Ştefan inflicted a decisive defeat on the Ottomans, with casualties, according to Venetian and Polish records, reaching beyond 40,000 on the Ottoman side. The invasion was the worst ever defeat for the Ottomans at that time, and Ştefan was later awarded the title "Athleta Christi" by Pope Sixtus IV. The Polish chronicle, Jan Długosz, hailed Ştefan after his victory in the battle by saying: "Praiseworthy hero, in no respect inferior to other hero soldiers we admire. He was the first contemporary among the rulers of the world to score a decisive victory against the Turks. To my mind, he is the worthiest to lead a coalition of the Christian Europe against the Turks." According to Długosz, Ştefan did not celebrate his victory; instead, he fasted for 40 days on bread and water and forbid anyone to attribute the victory to him - but only to the Lord.

Reasons for the war

The Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, demanded tribute from the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, as well as their recognition of Ottoman sovereignty. Ştefan and his cousin Vlad Ţepes, of the Draculea order, together with the Hungarian King, Hunyady, successfully fought off the Ottoman invasions, until Vlad was imprisoned by Hunyady's successor, Matthias Corvinus. The Sultan then subdued Wallachia and put Vlad's brother, Radu cel Frumos, on the throne. From 1473 onward, Ştefan started to annoy the Sultan by getting involved in Wallachian policy; first when he announced to the Sultan that he would stop paying tribute, and secondly when he joined other European powers in their struggle against the Porte. In 1474, Ştefan managed to replace Radu cel Frumos with the seemingly loyal Prince, Basarab Laiota. The Sultan then gave Ştefan an ultimatum to pay the five-year-old delayed tribute, and, to cede Chilia and Akkerman (Cetatea Albă) to the Ottoman Empire, or face invasion.

The region of Bessarabia, with its capital Chilia, was Moldavia's sole access to the Black Sea coast. The port of Chilia was essential for Moldavian commerce, hosting Armenian merchants who made trade a very profitable business. To the Ottomans, having Chilia would give them a better grip on Moldavia, and also a valuable strategic point from which naval attacks could be launched against the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania; they also pursued the goal of taking control of the Black Sea. (This goal was later achieved, though only briefly.)

Preparations for the war

The Ottomans

Mehmed ordered his great general, Suleiman Pasha, to end his preparation for the siege of Venice, to assemble his troops in Sofia, and from there to advance with additional troops towards Moldavia. The Ottoman army consisted of Janissaries and heavy infantry, which were supported by sipahis — light cavalry, known as Akinci, which would scout ahead; there was also Tatar cavalry and other troops from vassal states. In September 1474 the Ottoman army gathered in Sofia, and was joined by a Wallachian contingent under Basarab Laiota, who had changed sides in favour of the Ottomans. From there, Mehmed ordered Suleiman Pasha and Beylerbey of Rumelia to advance towards Moldavia.

Venetian documents put the number of Ottoman troops as high as 120,000, but more realistically the number would have been between 60,000 and 80,000. Of this number, about 40,000 constituted a standing army, while the rest were to be paid in booty. The Ottomans, when launching attacks on Wallachia and Moldavia, usually attacked with an army of no more than 60,000.

The Moldavians

Ştefan was hoping to gain support from the West, and more specifically, from the Pope. The help that he received was very modest, in numbers. The Hungarian Kingdom sent 1,800 Hungarians and 2,000 Szekely – which were mostly infantry – and Poland sent 2,000 men.

The Moldavians possessed twenty cannon, light cavalry (Călăraşi), elite cavalry – named Viteji, Curteni, and Boyars – and professional foot soldiers. The rest of the force, composed mainly of peasants, was recruited under Oastea Mare (the Great Army), which all able-bodied free males over fourteen had to join. They were lightly armed and most of them used the bow. The army reached up to 40,000, out of which 10,000 to 15,000 were a standing army.

The battle

The invading army entered Moldavia in December 1474. Ştefan had instituted a scorched earth policy in order to inflict fatigue on the Ottomans, while harassing their advance with troops specialised in setting ambushes. Ottoman scouts reported to Suleiman that there were untouched villages near Vaslui, and the Ottomans headed for that region. The winter made it difficult to set camp, which forced the Ottomans to move quickly and head for the Moldavian capital, Vaslui (later moved to Suceava). In order to reach the capital they needed to cross the Podul Înalt (High Bridge) over the River Bârlad. The area was ideal for the defenders: the bridge was not too broad, and the valley was a semi-oval surrounded by hills covered by forest on all three sides. Inside the valley the terrain was marshy, which restricted troop movement.

On January 10 the battle began. The weather was frigid, and a dense fog limited vision. Ştefan fortifed the bridge while setting his cannon to aim at the structure. Peasants and archers were hidden in the forest, together with their Prince and his boyar cavalry. The Moldavians made the first move by sending musicians to the middle of the valley. The sound of drums and buglers made Suleiman think that the entire Moldavian army awaited him there. Instead the centre of the valley held the Moldavian professional army, which was ordered to make a slow retreat when it encountered the enemy. Suleiman ordered his troops to advance and, when they made enough progress, the Moldavian artillery started to fire, followed by archers firing from three different directions. The Moldavian light cavalry then helped to lure the Ottoman troops into the valley by making hit-and-run attacks.

Those Ottoman soldiers who did manage to survive the attacks from the artillery and the archers, and who did not get caught in the marshes, had to confront the Moldavian army, together with the Szekely soldiers further up the valley. The Ottoman cavalry reached the Moldavians and attacked their centre, while the remaining Ottoman infantry attacked the Moldavian flanks. Suleiman tried to reinforce his offensive, but then Ştefan ordered a major attack, and all his troops, together with peasants and the heavy cavalry, attacked from all sides.

Simultaneously, Moldavian buglers concealed behind Ottoman lines started to blow, and in great confusion some Ottoman units changed their direction to face the sound. When the Moldavian army hit, Suleiman lost control of his army and signalled a retreat. The fleeing Ottoman army was pursued by Moldavian light cavalry for days until they reached the town of Obluciţa (now Isaccea, Romania), in Dobruja.

According to Venetian chronicles, the Ottomans lost 45,000 men, which included four pashas, one hundred standards, plus all their artillery. The Ottoman chronicler Sa's ed-Din wrote that the majority of the Turkish army was killed.

Aftermath

The following year the Sultan sent an even greater army, which was joined by Tatars from the Crimea, and Ştefan was defeated at the Battle of Valea Albă, Războieni. However, the Ottomans failed to besiege the castle of Piatra Neamţ, and because their troops were suffering from a plague, the Ottomans retreated. Ştefan assembled his army and invaded Wallachia, sacking Brăila and Bucharest and freeing the principality from Ottoman dominion. In his later years, he built a church in Vaslui, Saint John the Baptizer, in remembrance of his great victory. (The Moldavian churches built by Ştefan are on UNESCO's World Herritage list)

The Ottomans would eventually conquer Bessarabia and incorporate it into their empire, leaving Moldavia a landlocked vassal of the Porte until it was conquered by Mihai Viteazul.

External links

• Detailed article describing the strategy and the units used in the battle
• Brief history of Moldavia covering the Vaslui battle
• Short essay about Stephen the Great with a description of the Vaslui battle
• Short article describing the battle