Luca Arbore or Arbure (Old Cyrillic: Лꙋка Арбꙋрє;[1] Renaissance Latin: Herborus[2] or Copacius;[3] died April 1523) was a Moldavian boyar, diplomat, and statesman, several times commander of the country's military.

He is tentatively identified as "Luca the Vlach", who served Stephen on crucial diplomatic missions to Poland and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

He maintained his position despite suffering defeat, and, possibly as a hetman, went on to serve as tutor of Bogdan's orphaned son, Stephen IV "Ștefăniță".

As such, he aligned the country with Poland and waged war against the Crimean Khanate (a proxy for the Ottoman Empire), winning a major victory at Ștefănești in August 1518.

By then, the gatekeeper had also been recovered as a symbolic figure in the literature of authors such as Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, Mihai Eminescu, and Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea.

[14] He purchased Arbore, including the present-day city of Solca and communes of Botoșana and Iaslovăț, in March 1502, developing it into his main demesne—favored, with Șipote, because it was closest to Stephen's preferred courts (Suceava and Hârlău).

[15] Folklore records that Arbore used Polish and Ottoman prisoners of war as his laborers, forcing them to quarry stone from Solca River.

Albert, thinking that Arbore might have princely aspirations, proposed to the gatekeeper that he handle him Suceava and receive support for obtaining the throne.

[30] In late 1497, the itinerant Oscherin and Luka voloshanin were robbed in Terebovlia by a band of Crimeans and Cossacks, allegedly led by Prince Yapancha.

[32] That year, a number of Muscovite envoys were detained in Moldavia by Stephen, who wanted safety guarantees for his daughter Olena, imprisoned alongside his grandson Dmitry.

[35] If the identification of Luca walachus is correct, in November 1503 Arbore also led a Moldavian delegation to Lublin, trying to reach an understanding over Stephen's annexation of Pokuttya.

[37] According to historian Virgil Pâslariuc, he was co-opted there because he supported Stephen's co-ruler and designated successor, Bogdan III, whose claim to the throne was contested by his brothers; and also because he was a distinguished warrior.

[40] In 1504, with Stephen III dead, Arbore was allegedly a pretender to the throne, although he continued to serve as courtier of the recognized successor, Bogdan.

[46] The Poles responded twice, anticipating Arbore's counterattacks and defeating the Moldavian troops on both occasions, which prompted Bogdan to sue for peace.

[52] Bogdan was an ailing prince, incapable of fulfilling his duties toward the end of his life; alongside Totrușan, Arbore again took hold of the actual government.

[46][55] His estate increased in 1516 with the purchase of Soloneț from the boyars Hanco,[56] eventually comprising 39 separate domains, including Mount Giumalău.

[61] Arbore, identified by medievalist Ilie Grămadă as the leader of a Polonophile party, negotiated advantageous terms: until Polish troops had entered her territory and provided for her security, Moldavia was not required to either assist Poland or cease paying her debts to the Ottoman Empire.

These were met outside Ștefănești by a well-prepared Moldavian force, led by Arbore; there, Mehmed suffered a massive defeat, with many of his troops drowning in the Prut River.

[65] Military historian Mihai Adauge describes Arbore as a "great strategist" and "fearless patriot", on par with Stephen III.

[83] Rubeo Arbore, allegedly one of her two surviving sons, took hold of two Moldavian bombards and surrendered with them to the Kingdom of Hungary; his sister Sofiica and her husband Gavril also left the country, settling in Poland.

[85] Genealogist Octav-George Lecca argues that the fugitive was another Gliga Arbore, collaterally related to Luca, and describes the flight as an eloping to Poland with two nuns.

She commissioned master Dragosin Coman to repaint the manorial church, which had been damaged by an Ottoman invasion in 1538, and, dying childless, bequeathed the place to her niece Parasca Udrea.

[90] A Mihu Arbore was recorded as hetman during the reign of Rareș; in 1538, he changed sides and offered his support to Stephen V "Locust", only to take part in a conspiracy against the latter that ended with the prince being assassinated in Suceava.

This new administration passed the core Solca estate into a church land fund, then rented it, cementing its designation as Arbore (also Arbure or Arbura).

[104] By 1860, the manor had been looted and vandalized, with some of its discarded masonry used for a belfry (a feature not present in the original building); the coat of arms of Moldavia, displayed on its walls, was covered with mortar.

[107] Historian Alexandru Furtună also proposes that, by 1746, some Arbores had merged with a branch of the Cantacuzino family and with the boyar clans of Bantăș and Prăjescu.

[112] According to art historian Emil Dragnev, the Suceava Church of Saint George, painted during the rule of Stephen's half-brother and successor Petru Rareș, may give clues that Arbore's execution was already seen as a serious transgression.

[46] In the 1860s, the Bessarabian Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu made him a key figure in the novella Ursita, loosely based on the conflict between Stephen IV and Șarpe Gănescu.

[122] In Delavrancea's subsequent work, Viforul, Arbore is again the central figure—although, according to critic Eugen Lovinescu, his presence is superfluous, epic rather than dramatic.

[123] The hunting trip episode is depicted as an early stage in the conflict between the prince and the gatekeeper, leading to the deliberate murder of Arbore junior, here named Cătălin.