Moldavia and Wallachia in the Phanariot Era

 My holiday reading has been Claudiu-Ion Neagoe's new book for Helion on the military organisation of Moldavia and Wallachia in the Phanariot Era, which he defines as 1709-1821.

The Phanariots were a class of wealthy Greek merchants (of mostly noble Byzantine descent), influential in the administration of the Ottoman Empire's Balkan domains in the 18th century. They usually built their houses in the Phanar quarter of Constantinople to be near the court of the Patriarch, who (under the Ottoman millet system) was recognised as the spiritual and secular head (millet-bashi) of the Orthodox subjects. Moldavia and Wallachia were vassal states of the Ottoman Empire, rather than being fully incorporated into the Ottoman system. The Ottomans had traditionally appointed a local prince as the ruler of both states. However, the policy changed due to the rebellion of local princes associated with the rise of Imperial Russia's power under Peter the Great and the presence of the Habsburg Empire on the Carpathian border with the principalities. This led to the appointment of Phanariots, who were regarded as more loyal and were regularly changed. Eleven different princes served in Wallachia alone during this period.

This book focuses on the military organisation, and the author has undertaken an impressive search of the primary sources to identify the units involved. The Ottomans never really trusted the Wallachians and Moldavians, so the overall size of the armed forces was modest, mostly for internal security and tax collecting. Larger forces could be raised during wartime. For example, during the 1737 war, 6,000 troops were raised to defend Wallachia, in support of the Ottoman units based there.

There was a bewildering variety of troop types, although each unit was fairly small. There was a similar approach in both principalities, with a heavy reliance on mercenaries. The traditional troop types declined during this period. For example, the 6,000 troops raised in Moldavia for the 1737 war included Tatars and Turks as well as Moldavians. Tatars were used as couriers, and Cossacks were also recruited, although this may refer to how they were dressed rather than to recruitment from Cossack lands. Serbian infantry (Seymen) were musket-armed foot, and Turkish cavalry (Besli) were prized over the traditional Moldavian and Wallachian horse. There are excellent colour plates of the main troop types.

The traditional view is that Ottomans insisted on a small military because they didn't trust local recruitment. However, this study found no evidence to support that assertion. The constraints were primarily financial, as the Phanariot princes had to refund the cost of their appointment. 

This is a reference book for those interested in the period, rather than a narrative history for the general reader. Very useful for me, though, even if they didn't play a significant role in the fighting. For the wargamer, there are some exotic troop types that will at least look good on the tabletop. The mercenaries can come from Ottoman forces of the period. The locals can fairly easily be converted from the Greek and Aldanian figure ranges. I have a few leftover Old Glory Albanians, which should work out fine.