The rulers of Wallachia are officially vassals of the King of Hungary, as well as margraves with the responsibility of protecting commerce and trade routes from Transylvania to Wallachia for the Roman Catholic Church.

Vlad, son of Mircea cel Batran, though in favor of Catholicism, is known to have murdered members of the rival princely House of Danesti, related to his own father's House of Basarab, and gains power in Wallachia, upon returning from exile in Transylvania in 1436.

He rules as voivode Vlad II.