The Siege of Brăila in 1711. Two Contemporary Viewpoints

Abstract

The author makes a succinct comparative analysis of how the siege of Braila was reflected in two contemporary sources detailing the Russo-Ottoman war of 1710-1711: the chronicle of the Moldavian dignitary Ion Neculce and The History of Wallachia, from October 1688 till March 1717, whose author was, most probably, a boyar from Constantin Brâncoveanu’s court. Both sources stress the role of Toma Cantacuzino, who, in front of his Wallachian army, disobeyed Brancoveanu’s orders and joined Peter the Great”s side, and participated, together with general Karl Ewald von Rönne, in the assault and conquest of the citadel of Braila (July 13-14, 1711).