Abstract:
This article explores the concept of “sphere of influence” in international relations, focusing on how it shaped the history and politics of the Principality of Moldavia during the 15th and 16th centuries. A sphere of influence refers to a region over which a major power exerts dominance, often through force or threat, without direct control. During the period under review, major powers such as Poland, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire competed to expand their spheres of influence over Moldavia through treaties, political and matrimonial alliances, as well as military interventions. Due to its strategic location between the Carpathians, the Dniester River, and the Black Sea, Moldavia was frequently drawn into these rivalries, with its rulers striving to maintain a balanced foreign policy to defend the principality’s sovereignty. A central aspect of the article is concerned with the strategies employed by the great powers to draw Moldavia into their respective spheres of influence, as well as the measures taken by Moldavian rulers to preserve state autonomy in the face of external pressures. The foreign policy promoted by Moldavian rulers was largely balanced, based on shifting alliances and armed resistance. Moldavia was compelled to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire to preserve its autonomy, while maintaining diplomatic and military ties with Poland and Hungary to offset Ottoman pressure. Alliances with Christian powers, vassalage treaties, and dynastic marriages emerged as essential instruments for preserving autonomy. Nevertheless, mounting external and internal pressures, armed conflicts, and evolving geopolitical dynamics gradually led to the loss of independence, culminating in Moldavia’s inclusion in the Ottoman sphere of influence by the mid-16th century. This study highlights the importance of the balance of power and diplomacy in the survival of small states amidst the great powers’ competition for supremacy.
