Aslo known as Stephen the Great, he was the most prominent representative of the House of Muşat. During his long reign, the principality of Moldavia became a strong regional power and maintained its independence against the ambitions of Hungary, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. In the numerous battles against the Ottomans, he was mostly victorious, delaying their onslaught on Christina Europe. As a sign of recognition, Pope Sixtus IV deemed him verus christianae fidei athleta (true Champion of Christian Faith). Though it was marked by continual strife, Stephen's long reign brought considerable cultural development and was a period of great ecclesiastical building: one of the many churches and monasteries he built, Voroneţ,…