[1] However, the two were not fully committed to one another; the sexual exploits and lavish lifestyle led by Iliaş, the increasing influence of his Turkish entourage, combined with harsh taxation policies, had caused mounting discontent & opposition among his boyars, and even admonishment from his mother, Elena Ecaterina Rareș.

Chronicles mention that all came to a boiling-point after he had executed, unjustifiably, several boyars, with the highest among them the hetman (general) and portar (governor) Petru Vartic of capital city of Suceava on April 7, 1548 [1] causing widespread disapproval and consternation among the ruling class.

In the last months of his reign, as he increasingly realized that his political situation was becoming untenable, he amassed as much treasure as he could and stated publicly that he wished to go to the sultan in Istanbul with the due tribute and to persuade him to decrease the fiscal obligations of the country.

[1] He renounced the throne in front of the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, converted to Islam, took the name Mehmet on May 1551 and was circumcised, he married several wives, and had a big harem of Turkish Roma women.

He then lived for several years in Istanbul, then was banished to Aleppo (in present-day Syria) where he eventually died in 1562 at age 31 in unclear circumstances.