page_title: Basarab I of Wallachia
section_title: Towards independence
hierarchical_section_title: Basarab I of Wallachia / Reign / Towards independence
caption_attribution_description: English: King Charles I fleeing from the Battle of Posada (November 9-12, 1330). Romantic painting Charles' army wear hussar clothes of the 17th century. The Basarab I of Wallachia's army ambushed Charles Robert of Anjou, king of Hungary and his 30,000-strong invading army. The Vlach (Romanian) warriors rolled down rocks over the cliff edges in a place where the Hungarian mounted knights could not escape from them nor climb the heights to dislodge the attackers. Español: Huida de Carlos Roberto en la batalla de Posada tras ser derrotado por el Príncipe de Valaquia. Français&#160;: Charles Robert fuyant à Posada. La bataille de Posada (1330) à la suite de laquelle la Hongrie dut reconnaître l'indépendance de la Valachie. עברית: המלך קארוי רוברט נמלט לאחר שהחליף בגדים עם הגיבור דז'ה הדרווארי- ציור של יוז'ף מולנאר. Hrvatski: Karlo I. bježi iz bitke kod Posade. Karlo I. Anžuvinac bježi iz bitke kod Posade. Magyar: Molnár József: Dezső feláldozza magát Róbert Károlyért, olaj, vászon Italiano: La battaglia di Posada. Carlo Roberto fugge dalla battaglia di Posada. 日本語: ポサダの戦いから逃れるカーロイ1世. Nederlands: Karel I vlucht van Posada. Nrf: Les Hongriens fûtent battus à la Batâle dé Posada. Lé Rouai Charles I dé Hongrie eut à êchangi d'habits auve un soudard à seule fîn d's'êcapper. Polski: Karol Robert ucieka spod Posady. Português: Carlos I da Hungria. Română: Fuga lui Carol Robert de la Bătălia de la Posada din 1330. Tablou de Molnár József (1855) Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Karlo I. bježi iz bitke kod Posade. Српски / srpski: Битка код Посада 1330. Türkçe: Posada Savaşı'ndan kaçan Macar kralı Charles I. Українська: Битва при Посаді (1330).
context_page_description: Basarab I, also known as Basarab the Founder, was a voivode, and later the first independent ruler of Wallachia who lived in the first half of the 14th century. Many details of his life are uncertain. Although his name is of Turkic origin, 14th-century sources unanimously state that he was a Vlach. Basarab came into power before 1324, but the circumstances of his ascension are unknown. According to two popular theories, he succeeded either his father, Thocomerius, or the legendary founder of Wallachia, Radu Negru.
  A royal charter issued on 26 July 1324 is the first document to reference Basarab. According to the charter, he was subject to Charles I of Hungary as the voivode of Wallachia. Basarab became "disloyal to the Holy Crown of Hungary" in 1325. He seized the Banate of Severin and raided the southern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary. Basarab supported Michael Shishman of Bulgaria's attack against the Kingdom of Serbia, but their united armies were defeated in the Battle of Velbazhd on 28 July 1330.
context_section_description: A royal charter dated 18 June 1325 records that a person named Stephen, who was the son of a Cuman ispán in Hungary, stated that the king was weaker than Basarab and "did not even reach up to [his] ankle". The same charter describes Basarab as "disloyal to the Holy Crown of Hungary", showing that Basarab had betrayed the crown. A royal charter from 1329 listed Basarab, along with the Bulgarians, Serbs and Tatars, as an enemy who "[made] hostile inroads" around Mehadia. Basarab seems to have entirely controlled the Banate of Severin between 1324 and 1330, since royal charters did not mention a Ban of Severin during this period. In a letter written in 1327, Pope John XXII alluded to "territories of the Kingdom of Hungary which were subjected" to Basarab.
  Michael III Shishman, Tsar of Bulgaria, attacked Serbia in 1330. He was accompanied by "the ruler of the Yas", along with Vlach and "black Tatar" auxiliary troops. According to Serbian sources and a letter written by Stephen Dušan, who became King of Serbia in 1331, Basarab personally led his army to Serbia to assist Shishman. The Serbs routed the united army of Michael Shishman and his allies at the Battle of Velbazhd on 28 July 1330. Shishman was killed while fleeing from the battlefield.
  Taking advantage of the weakened state of Basarab's allies, Charles I of Hungary decided to restore his suzerainty in Wallachia. According to a royal charter issued two years after the events, Charles wanted to recapture "marginal lands" that Basarab "illegally" held in Wallachia. He invaded Oltenia, captured Severin Fort and appointed Denis Szécsi Ban of Severin in September 1330. According to the Illuminated Chronicle, Basarab offered 7,000 "marks of silver" as compensation, along with a yearly tribute to the king. He also promised to send one of his sons to the royal court in Visegrád.
  However, Charles I refused Basarab's offer, saying that "[h]e is the shepherd of my sheep, and I will drag him by his beard from his lair". Charles continued his campaign, but he and his soldiers suffered from hunger while marching to Curtea de Argeș through a sparsely populated region. Charles was compelled to sign an armistice with Basarab, and the royal army started retreating from Wallachia.  On 9 November, however, the Wallachians ambushed the king and his soldiers at a narrow pass in the Southern Carpathians. Standing on the cliffs above the valley, the Wallachians shot arrows and threw rocks upon the army. The battle lasted until 12 November. The royal army was decimated, and King Charles narrowly escaped. Historian Sălăgean writes that Basarab repelled Charles' invasion without assistance from his allies. A charter written in 1351 by Louis I, Charles' son and successor, states that pagan "neighbors and a troop formed of other subjects unfaithful" to Charles supported Basarab during the war, suggesting that Tatar auxiliaries fought for Basarab. However, the credibility of the report, written decades after the events, is uncertain.
caption: King Charles I fleeing from the Battle of Posada
exif: {}