expedition, the territory of Wallachia was bypassed in order to avoid the Wallachian and Ottoman military forces stationed there. After the defeat, those who tried to find their way across the Danube were either ransomed or executed. This reaction from the Wallachian voivode can be attributed to the massacres by the Crusaders of Bulgarian Orthodox Christians in the conquered cities. In October 1396, another military expedition headed by Stibor, the Transylvanian voivode, led to the defeat and capture of Vlad, who died in captivity. This allowed Mircea the Elder to regain the throne in January 1397. Controversy In establishing the paternity of Vlad I, PP Panaitescu starts from an account by the Hungarian chronicler Johannes de Thurocz (1435 – 1488 or 1489), which speaks of a struggle between Dan, supported by the Turks, and Mircea, supported by King Sigismund. The chronicle mentions that both were of the same blood. Taking into account the theory of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, according to which the struggle described was carried out between Dan I and Mircea in 1386, Panaitescu rejects the assumption of C. Litzica that a battle between Michael I and Dan II took place in 1420, and describes the account as a mistake by Thurocz, confusing Vlad with Dan, and not Mihail with Mircea. He explains that the source of Thurocz's confusion was the fact that Vlad I was the son of Dan I. Gh. Bratianu shares Panaitescu's theory. Al. V. Diţă describes the episode from Thurócz's chronicle as a "nebulous narrative", "an imaginary conflict reminiscent of the theme of 'enemy brothers' in folklore" and "fantasy without a historical theme". Notes References Alexandru V. Diță, "Fuga" și "restaurarea" lui Mircea cel Mare, Roza Vânturilor, București, 1995 Nicolae Iorga, Studii asupra Chiliei și Cetății Albe, București, 1899 Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria românilor, 1935 Elemér Mályusz, Zsigmond király uralma magyarországon (1387–1437), Gondolat, Budapest, 1984 Ioan Bogdan, Scrieri Alese, Cu o prefață de Emil Petrovici. Ediție îngrijită, studiu introductiv și note de G. Mihăilă, București, Editura Academiei, 1968 Rulers of Wallachia Usurpers Romanian princes 14th-century Romanian people 14th-century rulers in Europe