He obtained the throne from the Ottoman overlord through bribery and intrigue against Alexandru Iliaş.
After replacing Iliaş, Moise Movilă distinguished himself only through his determination to stay on the throne in Iaşi.
After Miron Barnovschi Movilă's assassination in Istanbul, Moise was given back his office on the orders of Sultan Murad IV, in the hope that the gesture would pacify Moldavia after the rebellion of boyars led by Vasile Lupu.
Although expected to take the side of the Turks in the Polish-Ottoman War in 1633, Moise continued his family traditional friendship with Poland, and started furnishing false information to the Porte.
Moise fled to Poland, carrying off the large fortune he had gathered during his rule.