Burebista - King of the Dacians Decebal Basarab I the Founder Vlad III the Impaler Stephen III the Great Michael the Brave Ion Antonescu Mircea Eliade Nicolae Ceaușescu Sergiu Nicolaescu BASARAB I THE FOUNDER (? - 1352) Ruler of Wallachia Basarab I, also known as Basarab the Founder or Basarab the Great, was the voivode (prince) of Muntenia starting from 1310/1319 and of all Wallachia from 1330 to 1352. He was the son of Tokomeria. In documents from 1324, Basarab was recognized as a vassal of the Hungarian King Charles Robert. However, he later waged war against Hungary and defeated the Hungarian army at the Battle of Posada on November 12, 1330. This event marked the end of Hungarian rule and the emergence of the first independent state on the territory of present-day Romania. Basarab founded the Basarab dynasty in Wallachia. In the 15th century, the name Basarab gave rise to the old Wallachian-Bulgarian name for Wallachia — Bessarabia ("land of Basarab"). Much later, between the late 17th and 19th centuries, the name Bessarabia gradually came to refer to the historical region of Bugeac, which was previously part of the Principality of Moldavia and later the Bessarabian Governorate.