nch were
victorious.

(T. AS.)

BASSARAB or BASSARABA, the name of a dynasty in Rumania, which ruled
Walachia from the dawn of its history until 1658. [v.03 p.0491] The origin
of the name and family has not yet been explained. It undoubtedly stands in
close connexion with the name of the province of Bessarabia, which oriental
chroniclers gave in olden times to the whole of Walachia. The heraldic
sign, three heads of negroes in the Bassarab shield, seems to be of late
western origin and to rest on a popular etymology connecting the second
half of the word with Arabs, who were taken to signify Moors (blacks). The
other heraldic signs, the crescent and the star, have evidently been added
on the same supposition of an oriental origin of the family. The Servian
chroniclers connect its origin with their own nationality, basing this view
upon the identification of Sarab with Sorb or Serbia. All this is mere
conjecture. It is, however, a fact that the first appearance of the
Bassarabs as rulers (_knyaz_, _ban_ or _voivod_) is in the western part of
Rumania (originally called Little Walachia), and also in the southern parts
of Transylvania--the old dukedoms of Fogarash and Almash, which are
situated on the right bank of the Olt (Aluta) and extend south to Severin
and Craiova. Whatever the origin of the Bassarabs may be, the foundation of
the Walachian principality is undoubtedly connected with a member of that
family, who, according to tradition, came from Transylvania and settled
first in Campulung and Tirgovishtea. It is equally certain that almost
every one of the long line of princes and voivods bore a Slavonic surname,
perhaps due to the influence of the Slavonic Church, to which the Rumanians
belonged. Starting from the 13th Century the Bassarabs soon split into two
rival factions, known in history as the descendants of the two brothers Dan
and Dragul. The form Drakul--devil--by which this line is known in history
is no doubt a nickname given by the rival line. It has fastened on the
family on account of the cruelties perpetrated by Vlad Drakul (1433-1446)
and Vlad Tsepesh (1456-1476), who figure in popular legend as
representatives of the most fiendish cruelty. The feud between the rival
dynasties lasted from the beginning of the 15th century to the beginning of
the 17th.

The most prominent members of the family were Mircea (1386-1418), who
accepted Turkish suzerainty; Neagoe, the founder of the famous cathedral at
Cu