Talk:Radu cel Frumos

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"...by the end of that year Radu was Prince once more, and remained so until the following year when he died of syphilis, and was naturally succeeded by Basarab. He left a daughter, Maria Voichiţa, who afterwards became the wife of Ştefan cel Mare."

Who wrote this crap? Radu died in 1475. But if you look just "over the fence" in the page about syphilis:

"The earliest references to the disease now known as syphilis come from the 1490s, when it broke out among German troops besieging the city of Naples. The disease swept across Europe from its early epicenter at Naples. As Jared Diamond describes it, "when syphilis was first definitely recorded in Europe in 1495, its pustules often covered the body from the head to the knees, caused flesh to fall people's faces, and led to death within a few months." In addition, the disease was more frequently fatal than it is today. Diamond concludes that "by 1546, the disease had evolved into the disease with the symptoms so well known to us today."

So, how the hell could he die in 1475 of syphilis if the syphilis was first recorded in 1494?

I'm by no means an expert on syphilis, but I did see a documentary on Vlad Tepes last night, and it also stated that Radu died of syphilis. Perhaps it is a case of retro-diagnosis? Perhaps the syphilis page notes only the first times it was recorded by doctors? I'm not sure, but I have heard that syphilis was the cause. I didn't write the article though.

Also, I propose that searching for "Radu the Handsome" redirects here, as I had to do a bit of hunting to find this article.VincentValentine29 16:01, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

This no longer seems plausible or necessary to me. VincentValentine29 17:34, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Update--I did a bit of looking on the web about Radu, and according to one page I found so far (http://www.romerica.com/rom/hist_ad1400_70.htm) he had a homosexual lover. Though it warrants further investigation, it might merit mentioning if I can find more sources that report this. In addition, it would seem to add credence to the syphilis argument. In addition, the syphilis page (which I just looked at) notes that the instances cited by the first person who commented here were the first "well-recorded" and other such terms that clearly show that it was by no means necessarily existing only after 1475.

Also, if no one objects in the next day or so, I'll have "Radu the Handsome" redirect to the page. -VincentValentine29 20:52, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

People seem as though they keep removing anything that might even hint at the possibility of him being involved in gay relationships. From what I've seen across a few sources, this seems premature, at best. I'll do some more research and hopefully come up with some phrasing that leaves possibilities open, yet NPOV at the same time. VincentValentine29 15:33, 24 September 2007 (UTC)