Background
Ştefan was a son of Petru Rareş and succeeded to the Moldavian throne on 11 June 1551 when his brother Ilie II Rareş was forced to abdicate by the Ottoman Empire.
Ştefan was a son of Petru Rareş and succeeded to the Moldavian throne on 11 June 1551 when his brother Ilie II Rareş was forced to abdicate by the Ottoman Empire.
He attempted to create an alliance with the German King Ferdinand I against the Ottomans, but was unsuccessful. He attempted an invasion of Transylvania in 1564, and when this failed he was assassinated by his boyars.