[1] – July or September 1620) was a Moldavian statesman, commander of the military forces, and father-in-law of Prince Lupu (Vasile) Coci.

He began his political career in the 1580s, emerging in the late 1590s as an ally of the Movilești dynasty, with then-Prince Ieremia Movilă advancing him to the post of Clucer.

From 1601, he was Constantin Movilă's Paharnic, receiving from him the estate of Deleni and other villages around Hârlău, which formed part of a Bucioc domain that also extended into Bukovina and Bessarabia.

As an army leader, Costea was involved in the Moldavian Magnate Wars, during which the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth fought to emancipate its Movilești clients from subservience to the Ottoman Empire.

During the events that led to Constantin's defeat and drowning, he became a supporter of the Ottoman-appointed Radu Mihnea, emerging as great Vornic of the Lower Country.

His father's regime survived to 1653, by which time Bucioc's other granddaughter, Ruxandra, had become wife and widow of Tymofiy Khmelnytsky, an Otaman of the Cossack Hetmanate.

[3] Costea's own career probably began in the 1580s: a 1585 writ by Prince Peter the Lame confirms Bucioc as an administrator (or Pârcălab) of Hotin.

[6] After the brief conquest of Moldavia by Michael the Brave and the presence of Marcu Cercel on the Moldavian throne (1600), Bucioc regained high offices under the returning Ieremia.

The latter were in fact purchased from the Prince as a disguised form of financial assistance for the central authority, which was at the time beleaguered by Ottoman fiscal demands.

[15] As noted by the agricultural historian Radu Rosetti, the Bucioc family helped the Movilești exercise control over Moldavia's land fund through original accumulation, thus eliminating competition from other boyars.

[18] Prince Constantin's Polonophilia was viewed with alarm by his own liege, the Sultan Ahmed I, who put up Ștefan Tomșa as a replacement.

Alongside Nestor Ureche, Bucioc led a delegation of boyars to the Polish king, Sigismund III Vasa, asking for military support.

[23] From exile, the Movilești still made attempts to recover Moldavia, but their expedition of July 1612 ended in defeat at Cornul lui Sas.

[29] According to historian Gavril Luca, Bucioc was actually in Tomșa's camp during the Drăcșani debacle, leading into battle a 2,000-strong regiment of Tatar mercenaries.

[32] According to historian Daniel Botezatu, the document may show that Radu Mihnea intended to warn his subordinate about what would happen should he switch sides again.

[6] Nevertheless, an account popularized later in the 17th century by Miron Costin claims that Graziani attempted to poison Bucioc, as well as imprisoning his son-in-law Coci.

According to one reading, Graziani assigned command of the Moldavian army to Bucioc, who, in September 1620, fought alongside the Poles, and lost, a decisive battle at Țuțora.

[6] Another version is that he never had a military role to play in the conflict, and as early as July went into hiding at Braniște, hoping that his godson, the Bessarabian boyar Toader Brănișteriul, would protect him.

[50] His brother-in-law Coci had been opposed to Graziani's anti-Ottoman policies, and therefore enjoyed a steady rise through the boyar ranks under Alexandru Iliaș, then under new reigns by Tomșa and Radu Mihnea.

Khmelnytsky's support was crucial in Moldavia's subsequent clash with Wallachia, but defeat in that conflict resulted in his death and in Lupu's dethronement.

She married a second time, to Andriy Antonovsky, a member of the Hetmanate's starshyna—when he died, Ruxandra came under the watch of her former brother-in-law, Yurii Khmelnytsky, who reportedly treated her as his hostage.

[70] Through his mother Catinca Șoldan, the Spatharios Iordache Toderașco Cantacuzino was another close ally of the Coci family, viewing himself as Ruxandra's cousin and Costea's nephew.

[73] The Mălai family inherited the former village of Pișcani, in Iași County, which in February 1657 they sold to the Moțocs, whom they still viewed as their kin, through Costea.

In this retelling, Graziani is the "evil genius of tragedy rather than drama",[76] secretly in love with Bucioc's virtuous wife, referred to as "Irina".

His penchant for corruption allows two of Bucioc's boyar rivals, Șeptilici and Goia, to maneuver against the Vornic, and ultimately to frame him; his arrest sparks a popular revolt, prompting Graziani to release him, but then to also try and poison him.

[78] Feminist writer Constanța Dunca Schaiu immediately saluted it as a "manifestation against pessimism" which allowed Romania to consider herself "an oriental France".

As noted by critic Ioan Massoff, Vornicul Bucioc stirred up "something like a popular movement" on its premiere, but, by 1900, "none of [Urechia's] plays was even being produced".