Michael the Brave was the lord of Wallachia between 1593-1600. For a period (in 1600), he was the ruler of the three major medieval countries that form Romania today: Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia.
The accession of Wallachia to the "Holy League" led to the outbreak (13 November 1594) of an anti-Ottoman revolt resulting in the suppression of the Levantine creditors and of the entire Ottoman garrison stationed in Bucharest. Michael the Brave starts a general offensive against the High Gate, attacking the Turkish fortresses on both sides of the Danube.
The ruler Michael, in 1599-1600, managed to unite the all 3 medieval countries. Three centuries later, in modern Romania, began to be accepted as a unification only in the middle of the nineteenth century. Such an interpretation is entirely absent in the chronic historiography of the seventeenth century and even later in 1800 at the Transylvanian School.
The international context was unfavorable to the romnian hero. The neighboring powers saw in its political ambitions a contradiction with its own dominance interests. The Habsburgs saw threatened plans to keep Transylvania in their sphere of influence, Poland did not want to lose control over Moldavia, and the Ottoman Empire did not accept the idea of not controling Wallachia.
Michael the Brave is killed by a detachment of mercenaries. His head is taken by one of the captains of the ruler.
There are several portraits depicting Michael the Brave, some contemporary, others postumas. In a younger hypostasis he is presented at Căluiul monastery, then at the Royal Church of Târgovişte. Both of them represent the full royal costume.