{"id":12974,"date":"2026-10-27T09:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T08:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grk-byzanz-kriegskulturen.uni-mainz.de\/?page_id=12974"},"modified":"2026-10-27T09:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T08:48:22","slug":"oana-andreea-chirilus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/grk-byzanz-kriegskulturen.uni-mainz.de\/en\/oana-andreea-chirilus\/","title":{"rendered":"Oana-Andreea Chirilu\u0219"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/jgu-base-pageheader>\n
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Doctoral Program in Research Training Group 2304<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cByzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation and Reception,\u201d Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz<\/p>\n\n

Working Title of the Doctoral Dissertation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries (Views, Statements, and Reactions of the Moldavians and Wallachians to the Ottoman Threat from the 15th to the 16th Century<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n

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Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries<\/strong>When you find yourself in the path of the territorial expansion of a military power such as the Ottoman Empire, you prepare for war. However, the need to defend one\u2019s very existence is not the only reason for a state to go to war, especially when the enemy you are about to face on the battlefield has an entirely different religion and culture. This was the case with Moldavia and Wallachia. They were not fighting merely to defend themselves, but to defend all of Christendom. Moreover, their enemy was no ordinary foe. By the time the Danubian Principalities had to face them, the Turks were already considered enemies of Christ and of the Christian faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project investigates the motivation and the religious means of legitimization behind the wars that the Danubian Principalities\u2014Moldavia and Wallachia\u2014waged against the Ottoman Empire during the 14th and 16th centuries. The aim is to identify the religious arguments that shaped the Danubian Principalities\u2019 conception of war during the period under consideration. A key aspect of this topic that requires further examination is the image of the Turkish \u201cOther\u201d\u2014both religious and cultural\u2014and the role it played in shaping their war ideology. Given that religion plays a major role in their mutual perceptions, how is this religious difference incorporated into their ideological discourse? Did the Moldavians or Wallachians ever describe their anti-Ottoman wars as just wars or some sort of crusade? Can motifs such as \u201cfighting the enemies of God,\u201d \u201cmartyrdom,\u201d or \u201csalvation of the soul\u201d for those who fell in battle against the Turks, as well as \u201cantemurale Christianitatis,\u201d be identified? Did the fall of Constantinople in 1453 influence their discourse and bring about a change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to uncover the correlation between representations of the \u201cTurkish Other\u201d and the conception of war for the two states in question, various types of sources\u2014such as chronicles, private letters, and diplomatic correspondence\u2014will shed light on both the official and personal perspectives, while diptychs and monumental inscriptions will provide insight into attitudes toward those who fell in battle against the Turks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to shed light on the ideology of war against the Ottomans and its religious patterns, an interesting approach would be to compare it with the ideology of war against Christians. During the 14th\u201316th centuries, Moldavia and Wallachia found themselves at war on numerous occasions with neighboring kingdoms, and even against one another. Why and how was waging war against the Ottoman Empire different from waging war against other enemies? What are the religious justifications for fighting and killing other Christians\u2014or are there none? Such studies already exist for the Byzantine Empire and for some European kingdoms of the time that faced similar situations. However, for the Romanian Principalities, this topic has so far been addressed only fragmentarily or tangentially.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/jgu-base-section>\n

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Oct. 2018 \u2013 July 2022; associate member since then<\/td>Ph.D. student in Research Training Group 2304 \u201cByzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation, and Reception\u201d at Johannes Gutenberg University of MainzTitle of the doctoral dissertation: Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian<\/em> Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
July 2016 \u2013 July 2018<\/td>Master\u2019s Degree in Institutions and Ideologies of Power in Europe from the Faculty of History at \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Ia\u015fi, Romania;Thesis: The Wars Between the Byzantines and the Arabs: Perceptions, Attitudes, and<\/em> Interpretations in Byzantine Sources from the 7th\u201310th Centuries<\/em>Advisors: Prof. Dr. Bogdan-Petru Maleon \u2020 and Prof. Dr. Alexandru-Florin Platon<\/td><\/tr>
Oct. 2013 \u2013 July 2016<\/td>Bachelor\u2019s degree in History, with a focus on Byzantine and Medieval History, from the Faculty of History at \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Ia\u015fi, Romania;Thesis: The Transformation of the Byzantine Conception of War under the<\/em> Impact of the Arab Expansion (7th\u20138th Centuries)<\/em>Advisor: Prof. Dr. Bogdan-Petru Maleon \u2020<\/td><\/tr>
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Feb. \/ 2017 \u2013 Jun. \/ 2017<\/td>Erasmus+ for studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, School of History and Archaeology<\/td><\/tr>
Sept. \/ 2015 \u2013 Feb. \/ 2016<\/td>Erasmus+ for studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, School of History and Archaeology<\/td><\/tr>
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Doctoral Program in Research Training Group 2304 \u201cByzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation and Reception,\u201d Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Working Title of the Doctoral Dissertation Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries (Views, Statements, and Reactions of the Moldavians and Wallachians to the Ottoman … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12974","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"content_raw":"\n

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Doctoral Program in Research Training Group 2304<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cByzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation and Reception,\u201d Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz<\/p>\n\n

Working Title of the Doctoral Dissertation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries (Views, Statements, and Reactions of the Moldavians and Wallachians to the Ottoman Threat from the 15th to the 16th Century<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n

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Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries<\/strong>When you find yourself in the path of the territorial expansion of a military power such as the Ottoman Empire, you prepare for war. However, the need to defend one\u2019s very existence is not the only reason for a state to go to war, especially when the enemy you are about to face on the battlefield has an entirely different religion and culture. This was the case with Moldavia and Wallachia. They were not fighting merely to defend themselves, but to defend all of Christendom. Moreover, their enemy was no ordinary foe. By the time the Danubian Principalities had to face them, the Turks were already considered enemies of Christ and of the Christian faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project investigates the motivation and the religious means of legitimization behind the wars that the Danubian Principalities\u2014Moldavia and Wallachia\u2014waged against the Ottoman Empire during the 14th and 16th centuries. The aim is to identify the religious arguments that shaped the Danubian Principalities\u2019 conception of war during the period under consideration. A key aspect of this topic that requires further examination is the image of the Turkish \u201cOther\u201d\u2014both religious and cultural\u2014and the role it played in shaping their war ideology. Given that religion plays a major role in their mutual perceptions, how is this religious difference incorporated into their ideological discourse? Did the Moldavians or Wallachians ever describe their anti-Ottoman wars as just wars or some sort of crusade? Can motifs such as \u201cfighting the enemies of God,\u201d \u201cmartyrdom,\u201d or \u201csalvation of the soul\u201d for those who fell in battle against the Turks, as well as \u201cantemurale Christianitatis,\u201d be identified? Did the fall of Constantinople in 1453 influence their discourse and bring about a change?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an effort to uncover the correlation between representations of the \u201cTurkish Other\u201d and the conception of war for the two states in question, various types of sources\u2014such as chronicles, private letters, and diplomatic correspondence\u2014will shed light on both the official and personal perspectives, while diptychs and monumental inscriptions will provide insight into attitudes toward those who fell in battle against the Turks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to shed light on the ideology of war against the Ottomans and its religious patterns, an interesting approach would be to compare it with the ideology of war against Christians. During the 14th\u201316th centuries, Moldavia and Wallachia found themselves at war on numerous occasions with neighboring kingdoms, and even against one another. Why and how was waging war against the Ottoman Empire different from waging war against other enemies? What are the religious justifications for fighting and killing other Christians\u2014or are there none? Such studies already exist for the Byzantine Empire and for some European kingdoms of the time that faced similar situations. However, for the Romanian Principalities, this topic has so far been addressed only fragmentarily or tangentially.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Oct. 2018 \u2013 July 2022; associate member since then<\/td>Ph.D. student in Research Training Group 2304 \u201cByzantium and the Euro-Mediterranean Cultures of War. Exchange, Differentiation, and Reception\u201d at Johannes Gutenberg University of MainzTitle of the doctoral dissertation: Speaking of War: Moldavian and Wallachian<\/em> Perceptions of the Ottoman Threat during the 14th\u201316th Centuries<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
July 2016 \u2013 July 2018<\/td>Master\u2019s Degree in Institutions and Ideologies of Power in Europe from the Faculty of History at \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Ia\u015fi, Romania;Thesis: The Wars Between the Byzantines and the Arabs: Perceptions, Attitudes, and<\/em> Interpretations in Byzantine Sources from the 7th\u201310th Centuries<\/em>Advisors: Prof. Dr. Bogdan-Petru Maleon \u2020 and Prof. Dr. Alexandru-Florin Platon<\/td><\/tr>
Oct. 2013 \u2013 July 2016<\/td>Bachelor\u2019s degree in History, with a focus on Byzantine and Medieval History, from the Faculty of History at \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d University of Ia\u015fi, Romania;Thesis: The Transformation of the Byzantine Conception of War under the<\/em> Impact of the Arab Expansion (7th\u20138th Centuries)<\/em>Advisor: Prof. Dr. Bogdan-Petru Maleon \u2020<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
Feb. \/ 2017 \u2013 Jun. \/ 2017<\/td>Erasmus+ for studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, School of History and Archaeology<\/td><\/tr>
Sept. \/ 2015 \u2013 Feb. \/ 2016<\/td>Erasmus+ for studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Philosophy, School of History and Archaeology<\/td><\/tr>
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