Negru Vodă ("[The] Black Voivode" or "[The] Black Prince"), also known as Radu Negru ("Radu [the] Black"), was, according to the legend, the founder and the first Voievode of Wallachia.
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Negru.Voda.pictura.jpg/320px-Negru.Voda.pictura.jpg)
Radu is a name derived from the Slavic word for "joy". In 2009, Radu was the 43rd most popular name among Romanian boys in the modern state of Romania[1] and Moldova.[citation needed].
According to Romanian traditions, Negru Vodă would have been the founder and ruler of Wallachia at a date around 1290. The legend was first mentioned in the 17th-century Cantacuzino Annals, which also state that the prince built large churches in Câmpulung and Curtea de Argeș, successive capitals of Wallachia. This is probably a confusion with Radu I of Wallachia, who reigned 1377–1383. Legends surrounding Meșterul Manole also mention Negru Vodă as the commissioner of the church and blend his image with that of Neagoe Basarab, who ruled at a much later date than Radu I.
In various folk traditions and legends, Negru Vodă's image blends with that of the following rulers:
- Thocomerius, father of Basarab I
- Basarab I (c. 1270–1351/52), Great Voivode of Wallachia
- Nicolae Alexandru, Voivode of Wallachia (c. 1352 – 1364)
- Radu I, Voivode of Wallachia (c. 1377 – c. 1383)
- Neagoe Basarab, Voivode of Wallachia (1512-1521)
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