How did he manage to unite Moldova and Wallachia, a feat that wouldn’t be repeated for nearly 300 years? And how did he become ruler of Transylvania, a territory that the Hungarians never relinquished again to an outsider until 1920? Bow to the giant hat! The Tears of Mohacs Although his combined reign was brief (around four months), that act would later serve as patriotic inspiration for both the 1848 revolutions in Wallachia and Moldova and the historic 1918 declaration in Alba Iulia that led to the creation of the modern Romanian state.īut I’ve always wondered how he did it. His incredible claim to fame is that, in the year 1600, he united all three of the majority-Romanian lands – Transylvania, Moldova, and Wallachia – for the very first time in history.

Today, there are statues of Mihai all over Romania and several villages bear his name.

The biggest non-Hungarian statue in Cluj-Napoca is of Mihai Viteazul, known as Mihai “Bravu” in the southern regions of Romania and “Michael the Brave” in English.

Michael the brave