Mircea the Old, one of the greatest leaders in Romanian history, comes to life in this beautiful new book. Although his grandson, Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula, has acquired much greater international fame, Mircea the Old was the most significant ruler to sit on the throne of the small principality of Wallachia during the Middle Ages. Mircea the Old, during his long reign from 1386 to 1418, consolidated the political and administrative structure of his principality and maintained its freedom at the time of its most significant peril. He defeated the mighty Ottoman Empire, the greatest power of his day, in the battle of Rovine in 1394 and made his small country a major force in international politics at the dawn of the fifteenth century. Mircea positioned himself to play the role of kingmaker as the great powers fighting for control over southeastern Europe all recognized his skill and acumen. He also established the dynamic ruling dynasty from which the Dracula legend would ultimately be born. To understand his famous grandson, best known as Dracula, it is essential to comprehend the life and times of Mircea the Old. He is revered as one of the greatest Romanian rulers in all of history. With numerous illustrations, this book brings to light the life and times of this remarkable prince and the turbulent history of the land over which he reigned. Mircea is shown to be one of the most significant rulers of late fourteenth and early fifteenth century Europe, who the Turkish chronicler Leunclavius rightly described as the "the bravest and most able of Christian Princes.