the Serbian-Wallachian connection of late 15 -early 16th century deepens!

@hogtownserb @Purpura57912934 @vonkronstadt @ArcGreek

Mara Brankovic, daughter of George Brancovic & Eirene Kantakousenos who was married with sultan Murad II became one of the most rich & influential people in the Ottoman Empire. Even though formally Muslim she gave patronage to Hilandar & other Mt Athos monasteries.

Less known is that being childless she adopted Vlad IV the Monk (step brother of Dracula & son of Vlad II Dracul) who at that time ruled Wallachia (1481-1495) with the condition that he would continue to provide support to Orthodox monasteries.

Vlad IV indeed inherited all her fortune (money but also extensive domains throughout the Balkans) & kept his word.

Vlad IV was also adopted by Mara's sister, Catherina Kantakouzenos de Cilly another rich lady who died childless in C-tinople.

Vlad IV seemed to have been quite a charmer that way for these old ladies & he did have a reputation of being quite a mellow & pious guy in his time (opposite of his step bro).

by 1487 though Stephen III the Great has concluded his peace with the Ottomans & will become official sponsor of Mt Athos community.

Radu IV the Great (Vlad the Monk's son) ruled 1495-1509 will also marry Catalina Crnojevic (of Zeta/Montenegro ruling family) & his younger bro Parvu will marry a Jaksic girl.

Then we talked about the 2 daughters of Jovan Brankovic - Milica Despina & Jelena Catherina who will marry Neagoe Basarab respectively Peter V Rares.

Another marriage (around 1528) was between Mircea III Dracula (grandson of Vlad III, son of Mihnea I the Bad) & Maria Despina daughter of Ivanis Berislavic who ruled the mini Serbian despotate of Srem under the Hungarian crown after the death of Jovan Brankovic.

Ivanish Berislavic had married Jelena Jaksic, Jovan Brankovic's still young widow with whom he had 4 children. So Jelena was the mother-in-law of 2 Wallachian princes.

Mircea III and Maria Despina, who lived mostly in C-tinople, had several children 3 of them later becoming rulers of Wallachia - Alexander II Mircea (1568-1577) & Mihnea II "the Turkish" (1577-1583 & 1585-1591)
& Moldova Peter VI the Lame (1574-1579 & 1582-1591).

They were close with Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu who was the king-maker & unofficial "emperor" of the Rum Millet whom they name in a document cognato (brother in law in Italian) but it's unclear if there was a true marriage or just closeness.

Mihnea I the Bad is noted as great benefactor of Serbian monasteries of Pcinja & Krusedol.

plenty of nepotism & matrimonial alliances in the early Ottoman Rum Millet !

Greek, Serb & Vlach aristocracy was working hand in hand & more intimately in those times.