Velica was the daughter of Ioan Norocea, a Logofethe in Wallachia and Stana Basarab, daughter of Mircea the Shepherd and Lady Chiajna. After Petru the Younger was deposed, her parents moved to Transylvania, where Velica was raised.

Her grandma at the time was in the Ottoman Empire, trying to get one of her sons on the throne, starting the conflict between the Mihneștii (Alexandru II Mirceas family) and the Mirceștii (Mircea the Shepherds family). While she didn't get one of her sons to occupy Wallachia, she started to support Vlad, son of Miloș and nephew of Alexandru II Mircea, her archnemesis.

In 1587, Velica married Vlad (probably the wedding was planned by Chiajna to make one of her granddaughters a consort). After the death of Ecaterina Salvaressi (between 8th February and 20th April 1589), regent and advisor of Mihnea II, Vlad became a pretender to the throne, with the support of Peter the Lame of Moldavia (his uncle), Sinan Pasha and Bortolomeo Brutti. In 19th July 1589 he takes the Wallachian throne, Velica becoming a princess consort of Wallachia, but for only for some days. On 6th August 1589, Vlad dies poisoned, probably by his cousin, Mihnea II, who regains the throne as Mihnea the Turk.

Velica remarried to Fabbio Gegna. In 1595, Velica becomes an interpreter for Mihai the Brave, who falls in love with her and even forbid her husband to sleep with her, threatening him. An Imperial agent even wrote, that Velica had all the affairs of the country at her fingertips. More than that, Michael would appear with Velica in public and make everyone curtsy to her "like a lady she was and like a lady she could be". In 1599 Velica titled herself "Gospodja Velica" (Lady Velica). After Mihai's death in 1601 nothing is known about her.

The Person in the ăainting

**Source**: Constantin Rezachevici "Cronologia Critică a domnilor din Moldova și Țara Românească"

George Marcu "Enciclopedia personalităților feminine din România"

Nicolae Iorga "Analele Academiei Românești"

[https://www.google.ro/books/edition/Analele\_Academiei\_Romane/MI8xAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1](https://www.google.ro/books/edition/Analele_Academiei_Romane/MI8xAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1)

Velica Norocea (fl.1587-1601), princess consort of Wallachia for 18 days and mistress of Michael the Brave for 6 years.