List of princes of Wallachia


This is a list of princes of Wallachia, also known as the Voivodes of Wallachia from the first mentions of Vlach rulers situated in the Wallachian Plain in the mid-13th century until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the establishment of Romania.

Determining Succession

Dynastic succession in Wallachia was not strictly hereditary. Princes could be selected from various branches of a ruling family, and in some cases even from among a ruler’s illegitimate sons. Such candidates were described as os de domn or as possessing heregie. The right to elect the ruler formally rested with assemblies dominated by the boyars, whose influence varied over time. This system was often contested by usurpers and was eventually replaced during the Phanariote era, when the Ottoman sultans directly appointed rulers. Between the Wallachian uprising in 1821 and Romania’s independence in 1878, succession involved a mixture of election and appointment.
The rulers of Wallachia, like those of Moldavia, commonly bore the titles of Voivode and/or Hospodar. In Romanian usage, the term Domn was most frequently employed.

List of Wallachian Princes

Prior to 14th-century

House of Basarab

From the early 15th century the family was divided in two main branches:

Pre-Phanariote period

The Ottoman influence in the Wallachian rulers' election grows from the mid-17th century onward. From 1659, the rulers elected are mostly scions of Greek families, and increasingly less linked to the original Wallachian ruling family. The process reached its peak with the called Phanariote period, where, between the rulers, there was already no connection with the dynasty of Basarab.

Various dynasties

RulerPortraitYearsFamilyNotes
Gheorghe Ghica1659–1660Ghica
Grigore Ghica I1660–1664
1672–1673		Ghica
Radu Leon1664–1669Bogdan-Mușat
Antonie Vodă din Popeşti1669–1672Popeşti
Gheorghe Ducas1673–1678Ducas
Șerban Cantacuzino1678–1688Cantacuzene
Constantin Brâncoveanu1688–1714Brâncovenești
Ștefan Cantacuzino1714–1715Cantacuzino