 He had the byname Radu the Oyster-seller.Son of Wallachian ruler Leon Tomşa, and putative grandson of Ştefan Tomşa, ruler of Moldavia, Radu Leon replaced the deposed Grigore I Ghica in December 1664.Supposedly barely able to speak Romanian, Radu's authority relied on the support of the Phanariots, and especially the Cantacuzino family.