Udrea Băleanu, also known as Băleanul, Banul Udrea, or Udrea of Băleni (? – ca. May 1601), was a Wallachian and Moldavian statesman and military commander. He was especially noted as a key supporter, and alleged uncle, of the unifying Prince Michael the Brave, serving under his command in the Long Turkish War. In the early stages of Michael's revolt against the Ottoman Empire, Băleanu drove the Wallachian military forces into Rumelia, relieving Nikopol. He served as Ban of Oltenia, then commanded supporting contingents in the 1599 campaign to annex Transylvania. The following year, Michael employed him as one of his four regents in Moldavia, and also made him commander of the Moldavian army, with the title of Hetman. This assignment made Băleanu a direct enemy of the Movilă dynasty, which claimed the Moldavian throne, and of the Movilăs' backers in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Returning to Transylvania in order to help Michael restore his regime in that country, Băleanu was called back to Wallachia, which had been invaded by the Poles. His forces held Curtea de Argeș and absorbed the Polish attack, allowing Michael to escape from the field. Băleanu was taken prisoner and handed over to the Polish-backed Prince, Simion Movilă. Various accounts suggest that he abjured Michael during his captivity, though this remains disputed. He was then beheaded without trial, causing tensions between Movilă and the Poles, who had vouched for the Bans safety.
Băleanu was buried in Gorgota, at Panaghia Monastery, which he had built himself. He had no direct heirs, but was survived by brother-in-law Leca of Cătun and nephew Ivașco I Băleanu. Through the latter's descendants, the Băleanus remained important actors in the political intrigues of the 17th century. The Ban himself endured as a topic of historiographic controversy in the 19th century, as well as a literary hero—in works by Dimitrie Bolintineanu, Octav Dessila, and Mihnea Gheorghiu.
Biography Rise Alive at a time when Wallachia and Moldavia, the two Danubian Principalities, were tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, Udrea was the scion of a high-ranking boyar family. The clan, which may have been ultimately related to the ruling House of Basarab,Lecca, p. 20 could document its ancestry to a Borcea of Slătioare, a Vornic of the 15th-century Wallachian Prince Dan II.Stoicescu, p. 16 They had a long-standing association with Dâmbovița County, owning an eponymous estate therein. Their indirect ancestor, Jupân Gherghina, was also ktitor of Nucet Monastery.Holban, pp. 222, 224; Lecca, p. 20; Stoicescu, p. 21
Udrea's father, Radu Băleanu, was the great Clucer (master of the Wallachian court) under Prince Petru Cercel; Radu's sister Voica was mother of another Prince, Pătrașcu the Good, alleged father of Michael the Brave.Stoicescu, pp. 78, 81, 100 Udrea's uncle, Pătru, a Great Logothete, was father of another Vornic, Ivașco Băleanu;Stoicescu, pp. 78, 81, 100, 114–115. See also Păduraru, pp. 98–99; Lecca, p. 23 some sources, credited by archivist Theodor I. Holban, suggest that Pătru was Udrea's actual father.Holban, p. 222 Through his mother Maria, Udrea was grandson of Stolnic Badea Aiaz Izvoranu. Maria and Radu also had a daughter, Grăjdana, who went on to marry Comis (stable-master) Leca of Cătun.Moisil, p. 26; Stoicescu, pp. 29–30, 81, 100, 156, 202. See also Ionescu-Nișcov, p. 22; Lecca, p. 22 Another son, Badea, never rose to high office, while two of Udrea's sisters, Zamfira and Melania, respectively married the boyars Hrizea and Para.Stoicescu, p. 81. See also Holban, p. 224; Lecca, p. 22
Udrea is first mentioned as an office bearer under Prince Mihnea Turcitul, serving as Comis between April 13, 1586 and May 22, 1588.Stoicescu, p. 100 According to later documents, he had inherited from his father a number of estates, including those at Bălteni, Stâlpeni, and Leurdeni.Ionescu-Nișcov, p. 22; Lecca, p. 22 He is next mentioned a decade later, with the advent of Michael the Brave, when he climbed through the ranks of the military boyardom: on May 4, 1596,Stoicescu, p. 100 he was assigned the rank of Armaș, or chief warden of the prisons. He had lost the title by August 21, 1598, as specified in his will, completed on that date; the document also mentions his wife, Mușa, as well as the couple's patronage of Panaghia Monastery in Gorgota.Stoicescu, p. 100. See also Lecca, p. 22 By that moment, Michael the Brave had rebelled against the Ottomans, leading Wallachia into the Long Turkish War, part of a Holy League headed by the Holy Roman Empire. In 1596, the Wallachian military assisted the Bulgarian rebels, with Băleanu directing the raid on Nikopol.Holban, p. 222; Stoicescu, p. 100. See also Lecca, pp. 21, 22
As noted by Holban, Băleanu was a "general in the true sense of the word", rising above the limited expertise of armed boyars.Holban, p. 222 On September 1, 1598, he was promoted to Great Ban of Oltenia, holding that title to June 14, 1599.Stoicescu, p. 100 During that interval, he commanded a force that managed to outwit Ottoman commander Hafiz Pasha, absconding with all his ammunition.Holban, pp. 222–223 For a while in 1599, Băleanu may have sided with dissident boyars, asking for Simion Movilă, brother of the Moldavian Prince Ieremia Movilă, to take the Wallachian throne from Prince Michael.Stoicescu, p. 100 In autumn of the same year, however, he resumed his activity as Michael's general: Michael led the main Wallachian thrust into Transylvania, while Băleanu and Radu Buzescu led a supporting march from Oltenia.George, pp. 15–16; Iorga, pp. 246–248; Stoicescu, p. 100 Their force, also comprising hajduk irregulars under the command of Starina Novak, climbed up the Olt River by way of Rothenturm, joining up with Michael's forces before the Wallachian victory at Șelimbăr.George, p. 16. See also Iorga, p. 246 According to scholar Octav-George Lecca, Băleanu may have also been designated as governor of Muntenia while Buzescu took over the administration of Oltenia;Lecca, p. 22 Holban regards Udrea as one of the regents, or Caimacami, of Wallachia.Holban, p. 223
Michael then conquered Moldavia from the Movilăs, and Băleanu was again a prominent participant in the events. He led the first strike on Moldavia, at a time when Michael was still stationed in Brețcu, where he met a German diplomatic mission; upon the seizure of Moldavia, Băleanu was left in charge of Hotin Fortress, alongside Novak and Deli-Marko.Holban, p. 223 In May 1600, Michael made him Moldavia's Hetman, as well as one of the country's regents, alongside the Spatharios Negrea, the Armaș Sava, and the Vistier Andronikos Kantakouzenos.Bănică-Ologu, p. 49; Dinu C. Giurescu, "Primul domn al tuturor românilor", in Magazin Istoric, May 1975, p. 5; Holban, p. 223; Rădulescu, p. 56; Stoicescu, pp. 41, 75, 86, 100. See also Grigoraș, p. 10; Iorga, p. 261; Lecca, p. 21; Rezachevici (1979), p. 1342 By July, Michael's nephew, Marcu Cercel, was groomed to take over as Prince of that country.Grigoraș, pp. 9–10; Iorga, p. 261; Rădulescu, pp. 56–57; Stoicescu, p. 37
Also in July, Ban Udrea left his post in Suceava and led the Moldavian military forces into Transylvania, aiding Michael in his feud with a former Holy-League ally, Giorgio Basta.Rezachevici (1979), p. 1334; Stoicescu, p. 100 Another war erupted between Michael and Transylvania's Hungarian nobility, which recognized Sigismund Báthory as Prince of Transylvania. As noted by Holban, this group sought to compromise both Michael and Udrea by circulating a false letter from the former, mentioning the latter; this implied that "Udrea was also recognized as one of the leading boyars by the Hungarians themselves."Holban, p. 223 The Hungarian–Wallachian standoff began in September, when the aristocrats refused to attend a Transylvanian Diet at Sebeșul Săsesc (Szászsebes).Bănică-Ologu, p. 49; George, p. 16 As reported by Jan Zamoyski, the rebels managed to face Michael's forces at Mirăslău before Udrea could arrive in to assist his liege.Iorga, pp. 270–271 At one point in this development, the noblemen asked for Băleanu, Sava and Preda Buzescu to be taken as hostages and guarantees of a truce.Radu Mârza, "Implicarea familiei în diplomație la Mihai Viteazul: practica trimiterii familiei proprii ca ostatică la partenerii politici", in Revista Bistriței, Vol. XII–XIII, 1999, p. 78; Stoicescu, pp. 37, 86, 100
Killing
Băleanu's absence from Suceava also led to a reemergence of the Movilă brothers Ieremia and Simion, who were backed by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—leading to one of the several, recurrent, Polish interventions in Moldavia. The poet Stanislaw Bartholan, who saw action with the Commonwealth army under Stanisław Żółkiewski, later claimed that Udrea (or Udra) was still in Moldavia with Deli-Marko, and only withdrew after Żółkiewski crossed the Dniester.Rezachevici (1979), pp. 1334, 1342 Historian Constantin Rezachevici argues that this is merely a chronological error.Rezachevici (1979), p. 1334
The Poles then moved into Wallachia, where they installed Simion Movilă as Prince. Băleanu, who still considered himself Moldavia's Hetman in diplomatic letters he sent to Żółkiewski,Stoicescu, p. 100 led the returning Wallachian loyalists into battle with the Poles. These were sent in to aid Michael and Novak, whose troops were defeated in a string of battles: at Năeni, Ceptura, and finally at Bucov.Bănică-Ologu, pp. 49–50; George, p. 16; Rezachevici (1979), pp. 1335–1338 Udrea had the leading contribution to the stalling attempt of Năeni, where he commanded 4,000 from a total 7,000 Wallachians. His attempt to encircle Movilă's forces was thwarted by Moldavian boyars with accurate knowledge of the terrain.Iorga, pp. 281–282 On November 25, 1600,Holban, p. 224; Rezachevici (1979), p. 1338; Stoicescu, p. 100 a decisive clash occurred outside Curtea de Argeș. Udrea led four suicidal attacks into the Polish lines, losing some 1,500 men in all, but allowing Michael's main column the time to retreat.Holban, p. 224; Lecca, pp. 21–22
According to historian Nicolae Bănică-Ologu, Băleanu was still free after the battle, joining Michael, Novak and the Buzescus one final time in Râmnicu Vâlcea. There, Michael is believed to have asked his Wallachian generals to save themselves by traveling back home and rendering fealty to Prince Simion.Bănică-Ologu, p. 50 Captured by Starost Jan Potocki of Kamenets, Băleanu appealed to Prince Simion's forgiveness, promising to become his "servant and slave".Stoicescu, p. 100 In one of his messages from captivity, the Ban clarified that he was still hoping to preserve "my inheritance and my estate in this country [of Wallachia]".Rezachevici (1972), p. 58 Several sources, including the chronicler Miron CostinLecca, p. 22 and RezacheviciRezachevici (1972), p. 58 suggest that the prisoner had effectively betrayed Prince Michael. O.-G. Lecca argues differently, proposing that Băleanu remained loyal to the end of his life.Lecca, p. 22 Likewise, Bănică-Ologu sees Băleanu's action as a fulfillment of Michael's last order.Bănică-Ologu, p. 50