moldavia was at its greatest when stephen the great was ruling between 1457 and 1504. he was a great military leader, winning 47 battles and losing only 2. after every battle he won, stephen would build a church. because he won 47 of the battles that he fought, he ended up building 48 churches. after stephen the great's death, moldavia came under the suzerainty of the ottoman empire during the 16th century.