Nicholas Mavrocordatos
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Mavrocordatos was a Greek
member of the Mavrocordatos
family, Grand Dragoman
to the Divan
(1697), and consequently the first Phanariote Hospodar
of the Danubian Principalities
- Prince of Moldavia
, and Prince of Wallachia
(both on two separate occasions). He was succeeded as Grand Dragoman (1709) by his son John Mavrocordato (Ioan), who was for a short while hospodar in both Wallachia and Moldavia.
Deposed as Grand Dragoman in Moldavia in favor of Dimitrie Cantemir
, owing to the suspicions of his Ottoman
overlord, Sultan
Ahmed III
, he was restored in 1711 (after Cantemir's rebellion during the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711
), and, for this second rule, is considered the first in a line of Phanariotes in Moldavia (indicating that the election
by the traditional Moldavian council of boyars was no longer enforced).
Soon afterwards, he was replaced by Mihai Racoviţă
and became ruler of Wallachia, being thus the first Phanariote in that country — after the Porte decided to regulate the same system following the rebellion of Ştefan Cantacuzino
. According to Anton Maria Del Chiaro
, the Florentine
secretary to Constantin Brâncoveanu
(predecessor and rival of Ştefan Cantacuzino), Mavrocordatos torture
d and otherwise persecuted Wallachian boyars who had supported the Cantacuzinos, and also ordered the execution of Ştefan's son.
In 1716, during the Austro-Turkish War
, Mavrocordatos attempted to resist Habsburg
invasion, but was betrayed by his boyars and had to flee to the Ottoman-held town of Rousse
. He returned to Bucharest
with Ottoman assistance, and executed a number of his adversaries, including Lupu Costachi, but was deposed by the troops of Prince Eugene of Savoy
, and held prisoner in Sibiu
.
Replaced by his son John until 1719, he was restored after the Peace of Passarowitz - through which the country lost its westernmost part, Oltenia
, to the Habsburgs; Nicholas' second ascension followed a period of major distress, including a bubonic plague
outbreak and a major fire in Bucharest (it is possible that John himself had died as a result of the epidemic). Prince Nicholas died while in office in Bucharest; he was succeeded as prince of Wallachia in 1730 by his son Constantine Mavrocordatos
, who would rule Wallachia six times and Moldavia five times until 1769.
Nicholas was also noted for awarding tax exemption
s to the majority of high-ranking boyars, as the first ruler to concede to the growth of the monetary economy and the decay in importance of manorialism
.
Nicholas Mavrocordatos was the first in a line of rulers appointed directly by the Porte. He introduced Greek manners, the Greek language
and Greek costume, and set up a splendid court on the Byzantine
model; at the same time, Mavrocordatos was influenced by the Age of Enlightenment
, the founder of libraries, the builder of the monumental Văcăreşti Monastery and of the Stavropoleos Church, and himself the author of an original work entitled Peri kathekonton / Liber de Officiis (Bucharest, 1719). He wrote also the first Greek novel, Philotheou Parerga / The Leisures of Philotheos.
A polyglot
, he surrounded himself with savant
s from several parts of Europe, including the Daniel de Fonseca and Stephan Bergler
; his library was among the continent's most treasured. Mavrocordatos engaged in a correspondence with major religious figures of his time, including Jean Leclerc
, William Wake
, Archbishop of Canterbury
, and Chrysanthus, Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
; the first volume written by an author from the Danubian Principalities
to be published in England
was Mavrocordatos', and it is during his last rule in Wallachia that a more intimate knowledge of politics and society in the Kingdom of Great Britain
became evident in historical records kept by locals (the chronicle
r Radu Popescu recorded the ascension of George II
as King of Great Britain).
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
member of the Mavrocordatos
Mavrocordatos
Mavrocordatos was the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks, distinguished in the history of the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia, Moldavia, and modern Greece...
family, Grand Dragoman
Dragoman
A dragoman was an interpreter, translator and official guide between Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts...
to the Divan
Divan
A divan was a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states, or its chief official .-Etymology:...
(1697), and consequently the first Phanariote Hospodar
Hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or "master".The rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia were styled hospodars in Slavic writings from the 15th century to 1866. Hospodar was used in addition to the title voivod...
of the Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg Monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common...
- Prince of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, and Prince of Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
(both on two separate occasions). He was succeeded as Grand Dragoman (1709) by his son John Mavrocordato (Ioan), who was for a short while hospodar in both Wallachia and Moldavia.
Reigns
Dimitrie Cantemir
Dimitrie Cantemir was twice Prince of Moldavia . He was also a prolific man of letters – philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer....
, owing to the suspicions of his Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
overlord, Sultan
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
Ahmed III
Ahmed III
Ahmed III was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV . His mother was Mâh-Pâre Ummatullah Râbi'a Gül-Nûş Valide Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at Hajioglupazari, in Dobruja...
, he was restored in 1711 (after Cantemir's rebellion during the Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711
Russo-Turkish War, 1710-1711
The war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire erupted after the Russians had defeated Sweden in the Battle of Poltava. With help from the Austrian and French diplomats, the wounded Charles XII of Sweden escaped from the battlefield to the court of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III, whom he persuaded to...
), and, for this second rule, is considered the first in a line of Phanariotes in Moldavia (indicating that the election
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
by the traditional Moldavian council of boyars was no longer enforced).
Soon afterwards, he was replaced by Mihai Racoviţă
Mihai Racovita
Mihai or Mihail Racoviţă was a Prince of Moldavia on three separate occasions and Prince of Wallachia on two occasions...
and became ruler of Wallachia, being thus the first Phanariote in that country — after the Porte decided to regulate the same system following the rebellion of Ştefan Cantacuzino
Stefan Cantacuzino
Ştefan Cantacuzino , was a Prince of Wallachia between April 1714 and January 21, 1716, the son of stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino.-Life:Ştefan was involved in his father's intrigue against Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, denouncing him to the Ottoman Empire , and surrendering Brâncoveanu's secret...
. According to Anton Maria Del Chiaro
Anton Maria Del Chiaro
Anton-Maria Del Chiaro was a Florentine Italian secretary of Constantin Brancoveanu, the Prince of Wallachia.He is the author of a book on the history of Wallachia of his time, called Istoria delle moderne rivoluzioni della Valachia , dedicated to Pope Clement XI, written in Italian, and printed...
, the Florentine
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
secretary to Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714.-Ascension:A descendant of the Craioveşti boyar family and related to Matei Basarab, Brâncoveanu was born at the estate of Brâncoveni and raised in the house of his uncle, stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino...
(predecessor and rival of Ştefan Cantacuzino), Mavrocordatos torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and otherwise persecuted Wallachian boyars who had supported the Cantacuzinos, and also ordered the execution of Ştefan's son.
In 1716, during the Austro-Turkish War
Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18
The Austro-Turkish War was fought between Austria and the Ottoman Empire.The Treaty of Karlowitz was not an acceptable long-standing agreement for the Ottoman Empire...
, Mavrocordatos attempted to resist Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
invasion, but was betrayed by his boyars and had to flee to the Ottoman-held town of Rousse
Rousse
Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
. He returned to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
with Ottoman assistance, and executed a number of his adversaries, including Lupu Costachi, but was deposed by the troops of Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
, and held prisoner in Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
.
Replaced by his son John until 1719, he was restored after the Peace of Passarowitz - through which the country lost its westernmost part, Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
, to the Habsburgs; Nicholas' second ascension followed a period of major distress, including a bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
outbreak and a major fire in Bucharest (it is possible that John himself had died as a result of the epidemic). Prince Nicholas died while in office in Bucharest; he was succeeded as prince of Wallachia in 1730 by his son Constantine Mavrocordatos
Constantine Mavrocordatos
Constantine Mavrocordatos was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several intervals...
, who would rule Wallachia six times and Moldavia five times until 1769.
Nicholas was also noted for awarding tax exemption
Tax exemption
Various tax systems grant a tax exemption to certain organizations, persons, income, property or other items taxable under the system. Tax exemption may also refer to a personal allowance or specific monetary exemption which may be claimed by an individual to reduce taxable income under some...
s to the majority of high-ranking boyars, as the first ruler to concede to the growth of the monetary economy and the decay in importance of manorialism
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
.
Cultural achievements
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Greek costume, and set up a splendid court on the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
model; at the same time, Mavrocordatos was influenced by the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, the founder of libraries, the builder of the monumental Văcăreşti Monastery and of the Stavropoleos Church, and himself the author of an original work entitled Peri kathekonton / Liber de Officiis (Bucharest, 1719). He wrote also the first Greek novel, Philotheou Parerga / The Leisures of Philotheos.
A polyglot
Polyglot (person)
A polyglot is someone with a high degree of proficiency in several languages. A bilingual person can speak two languages fluently, whereas a trilingual three; above that the term multilingual may be used.-Hyperpolyglot:...
, he surrounded himself with savant
Savant
Savant may refer to:* An expert or wise person* Savant syndrome* Marilyn vos Savant* Savant publications* Doug SavantIn popular culture:* Characters in the Noble Warriors Trilogy...
s from several parts of Europe, including the Daniel de Fonseca and Stephan Bergler
Stephan Bergler
Stephan Bergler was a Transylvanian Saxon classical scholar and antiquarian.-Biography:Born in Kronstadt , he studied at the University of Leipzig, after which he went to Amsterdam, where he edited the works of Homer and the Onomasticon of Julius Pollux...
; his library was among the continent's most treasured. Mavrocordatos engaged in a correspondence with major religious figures of his time, including Jean Leclerc
Jean Leclerc (theologian)
Jean Le Clerc, also Johannes Clericus was a Swiss theologian and biblical scholar. He was famous for promoting exegesis, or critical interpretation of the Bible, and was a radical of his age...
, William Wake
William Wake
William Wake was a priest in the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 until his death in 1737.-Life:...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, and Chrysanthus, Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
; the first volume written by an author from the Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg Monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common...
to be published in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was Mavrocordatos', and it is during his last rule in Wallachia that a more intimate knowledge of politics and society in the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
became evident in historical records kept by locals (the chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
r Radu Popescu recorded the ascension of George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
as King of Great Britain).