| House of Basarab | |
|---|---|
| Princelynoble house | |
 | |
| Country | Wallachia |
| Founded | 1310 |
| Founder | Basarab I of Wallachia |
| Final ruler |
|
| Titles | Prince (Voivode;Hospodar) |
| Estate(s) | of Wallachia |
| Cadet branches | House of Dănești House of Drăculești |
TheHouse of Basarab (sometimes spelled asBazarab,Romanian:Basarabpronounced[basaˈrab]ⓘ) was a ruling family that established thePrincipality ofWallachia, giving the country its first line ofPrinces, one closely related with theMușatinrulers ofMoldavia. Its status as adynasty is rendered problematic by the officialelective system, which implied that male members of the same family, including illegitimate offspring, were chosen to rule by a council ofboyars (more often than not, the election was conditioned by the military force exercised by candidates). After the rule ofAlexandru I Aldea (ended in 1436), the house was split by the conflict between theDănești and theDrăculești, both of which claimed legitimacy.[1] Several late rulers of theCraiovești claimed direct descent from the House after its eventual demise, includingNeagoe Basarab,Matei Basarab,Constantin Șerban,Șerban Cantacuzino, andConstantin Brâncoveanu.
Rulers usually mentioned as members of the House include (in chronological order of first rule)Mircea the Elder,Dan II,Vlad II Dracul,Vlad III the Impaler,Vlad the Monk,Radu IV the Great, andRadu of Afumați.
The dynasty was named afterVoivodeBasarab I (r. around 1320 – 1352), whogained the independence ofWallachia from theKingdom of Hungary.[2]
The origin of the family is highly disputed, with theories suggesting either aVlach,[3][4][5][6][7][8] orRomanianizedCuman[9][10][11] background. However, there is no scholarly consensus on their actual origin. The Cuman hypothesis is largely based on the origin of Basarab's name, but remains unproven.[12] At least four royal charters from the 14th century refer to Basarab as a 'Vlach'[13] and in his lifetime Basarab would have certainly considered himself as a member of the Romanian elite of Wallachia.[12]
The name Basarab is ofCuman orPechenegTurkic origin and most likely meant "conquering or reigning father";Bas was the present participle of the verb "to rule", while the second part is believed to derive from the honorary title -aba "father", recognizable in many Cuman names, such asTerteroba,Arslanapa, andUrsoba.[14] Besides the Cumans, the name was also common among Romanians in medieval Wallachia andTransylvania.[12][2] Basarab's baptismal name was most likely "Ioan" or "Ivanco", as noted in thepreface to theDušan Code and other Serbian and Bulgarian documents.[15][3] Basarab's "possible" father Thocomerius likely bore a Latin rendering of the Slavic name "Tihomir", a common name amongst Vlachs and South Slavs in the Middle Ages.[16][2] Alternatively, the name is identified asToq-tämir, a Cuman and Tatar name attested in the 13th century.[17] Some historians consider the name's origin a weak argument to support the Dynasty's Cuman origin, while they believe contemporary documents that universally regard Basarab as "Vlach" to be of greater relevance.[3][4][5][6][7]
The following genealogical tree is a simplified version, meant to show the ruling princes, their documented brothers and sisters, and the spouses/extramaritalliaisons of those who had ruling heirs, following the conventions:
The Basarab name is the origin of several place names, including the region ofBessarabia (today part ofMoldova andUkraine) and a few towns, such asBasarabi in Romania,Basarabeasca in the Republic of Moldova, andBasarbovo in Bulgaria.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom herself was descended from Princess Stanca of Basarab (1518?-1601) as an eighth-generation descendant ofClaudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde of Erdőszentgyörgy, a Hungarian countess from the Teck-Cambridge family. Elizabeth was thus also a great-grandniece ofVlad IV the Monk.[18][19]
The Cumans were the co-founders of three successive Bulgarian dynasties (Asenids,Romanian:Basarab Terterids and Shishmanids) and the Wallachian dynasty (Basarabids). They also played an active role in Byzantium, Hungary and Serbia, with Cuman immigrants being integrated into each country's elite.
Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, dropped this nugget last year on an interviewer: "Transylvania is in my blood. The genealogy shows that I'm descended from Vlad the Impaler, you see. So I do have a bit of a stake in the country."
