Peter Aaron ascended to the throne after assassinating
Bogdan II, while the latter was at a wedding in
Rauseni. Immediately, his rule was challenged by Alexăndrel, whom Peter managed to defeat in March 1455, forcing Alexăndrel to take refuge in the fortress at
Cetatea Albă. Peter confirmed his father's commercial privileges awarded to
Polish traders in Moldavia, and took an oath of
vassalage to
King Casimir IV. In 1456, Peter agreed to pay the
Ottomans a
tribute of 2,000
gold ducats, in order to ensure his southern borders, thus becoming the first of the Moldavian rulers to accept the Turkish demands. The real challenge to his throne came with Bogdan II's son
Ştefan cel Mare. The young prince had been given the protection of
Kingdom of Hungary captain-general
John Hunyadi and, after John's death, that of
Vlad III Dracula (Vlad Ţepeş) - the new
Prince of
Wallachia. According to the interpretation of the account in the Vlad had offered Ştefan his full support for his venture. In April 1457, after two battles, Peter was deposed and had to flee, taking refuge first in Poland and then in
Székelyföld. There, he played a part in increasing the tensions between Ştefan cel Mare and
King Matthias Corvinus. Following Matthias's incursion and subsequent defeat at the
Battle of Baia (15 December 1467), Peter was captured and executed. Peter Aaron issued new
billon and
copper currency - on the
grosh design but struck in better
silver, probably as a part of a reform in
monetary standards. ==See also==