Thocomerius of Wallachia

T [h] ocomerius/Tihomir/Togomer/Totomer/Tugomir/Toq-Timur is thought to have been a Cuman/Romanian voivode (c. 1290 – c. 1310), possibly the father of Basarab I, the founder of the principality of Wallachia.

Myths

He is sometimes identified with the legendary figure Radu Negru ("Radu the Black"), the character of 17th century Wallachian Chronicles who is given as the first Prince and the central figure of the Wallachian "descălecare" ("dismounting") - the establishment of a state.

Etymology

Early modern historians assumed that the name is just a peculiar rendation of the Slavic name "Tikhomir", composed of the roots for "quiet" and "peace". Indeed, there was a boyar Tikhomir attested in neighbouring Bulgaria at that time.

However, the attested form is hard to be explained by the adaptation of the name in any language of the area. A theory of Aurel Decei (and supported by Neagu Djuvara) says that Thocomerius is a rendition of "Toctomerie" (meaning "hardened steel" [Djuvara, p.161] ), a genuine Cuman name found in Russian chronicles. He could also be identified with a minor Mongol prince, Toq-Timur, a son of Mongke-Timur (5th Khan of the Blue Horde), who lived in that area, as the eastern parts of Wallachia were under the hordes control.

Notes

References

*Neagu Djuvara, "Thocomerius - Negru Vodă. Un voivod de origine cumană la începuturile Tării Româneşti", Humanitas, 2007