The Arms of Nikopol in 1598
In 1594 and the subsequent years, the Prince of Wallachia, Michael the Brave, led a military campaign south of the Danube, capturing the fortresses of Isaccea, Măcin, Cernavodă, Razgrad, Babadag, Târgu de Floci, Silistra, and even Ruse, Sviștov, Nikopol, and Vidin. The campaign of harassment against the Ottomans resulted in their retreat to the fortresses along the Danube, a situation in which the Wallachians attacked the fortresses of Giurgiu and Turnu, managing to liberate the civilian settlements and besiege the fortresses. On December 11, 1594, envoys from Michael's camp in Weißenburg in Bayern announced that “our army has conquered the fortress of Brăila and Turnu without any losses.”
By January 1595, the entire left bank of the river was under Wallachian control. According to historian Nicolae Iorga, the cavalry of Michael the Brave had reached Edirne in the east and Plevna in the west. This action was accompanied by the attacks of Moldavian Prince Aaron the Tyrant against the Turks in the fortresses of Tighina, Chilia, and Cetatea Albă, through incursions made in northern Dobruja and the devastation of the city of Ismail.
It was while campaigning in today's Bulgaria that Giovanni Orlandi made an engraving of Prince Michael the Brave, in 1598. He is shown after conquering Nikopol, wearing a breastplate and a fur coat. In his right hand, the staff of a commander, while his left hand rests on his sword.
Engraving showing Wallachian Prince Michael the Brave after conquering the fortress of Nikopol, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum
In the upper right corner, we can see a shield depicting a fortress with three towers and an opened gate, symbolizing the arms of Nikopol. These would be the first ever recorded arms for the Bulgarian city.
The arms of Nikopol as depicted in the engraving of Wallachian Prince Michael the Brave, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum
