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Constantine Hangerli ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Χατζερής, ''Konstantinos Chatzeris''; c. 1760 – 18 February 1799), also written as Constantin Hangerliu, was a
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
of
Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
between 1797 and the time of his death. He was the brother of Alexander Hangerli, who served as
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
of
Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
in 1807.


Biography


Early life and investiture

As a Phanariote, Hangerli claimed heritage from the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
family of the
Palaiologos The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...
.Mézière He was married to Doamna Roxana, who survived his death.Caragea, p. 85 According to one account, the surname ''Hangerli'' () had been assigned to one of his ancestors by
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
Mehmed IV Mehmed IV ( ota, محمد رابع, Meḥmed-i rābi; tr, IV. Mehmed; 2 January 1642 – 6 January 1693) also known as Mehmed the Hunter ( tr, Avcı Mehmed) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the a ...
, after allegedly saving his life by curing him of a potentially fatal illness. The name was based on the word , which was indicative of closeness to the Sultan's person. The Hangerlis were related to other high-ranking
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
families, including the Ypsilantis and the Mourousis.Caragea, p. 84 After serving as
Dragoman of the Fleet The Dragoman of the Fleet ( Ottoman Turkish: , ' Dragoman of the Arsenal'; el, δραγουμάνος του στόλου) was a senior office in the Ottoman Empire, held by Phanariote Greeks during the 18th and early 19th centuries. As the chief ...
, Constantine surprised foreign diplomats through his appointment to the throne in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
, in competition with the much more prestigious
Alexander Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης, Aléxandros Ypsilántis, ; ro, Alexandru Ipsilanti; russian: Александр Константинович Ипсиланти, Aleksandr Konstantinovich Ipsilanti; 12 Dece ...
. He probably owed this rise to the influence of his friend and former associate,
Kapudan Pasha The Kapudan Pasha ( ota, قپودان پاشا, modern Turkish: ), was the Grand Admiral of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also known as the ( ota, قپودان دریا, links=no, modern: , "Captain of the Sea"). Typically, he was bas ...
Husein Küçük: the latter had been dispatched to quell the rebellion of
Osman Pazvantoğlu Osman Pazvantoğlu (1758 – January 27, 1807 in Vidin) was an Ottoman soldier, governor of Vidin after 1794, and a rebel against Ottoman rule. He is also remembered as the friend of Rigas Feraios, a Greek revolutionary poet, whom he tried to r ...
in
Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...
, and requested that Wallachia be made secure through the investiture of a trustworthy prince. Hangerli reached Bucharest on 4 January 1798, breaking with local custom by entering the city area through Podul Mogoşoaiei, instead of ''Calea Şerban Vodă''. Bucharesters believed this to be a bad
omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...
, indicative of an "unwise rule". Like all Phanariotes, he stopped at Văcăreşti Monastery to prepare for the official inauguration.Ionescu, p. 244 For unknown reasons, he stayed there for more than a month, before temporarily settling in the
Saint Sava Monastery The Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery and School of Theology ( sr, Манастир Светог Саве, Manastir Svetog Save) in Libertyville, Illinois is a monastery and professional theological school in the Serbian Orthodox Church in ...
, where he remained until
Curtea Nouă Curtea Nouă (, ''New Court'') was the residence of the Princes of Wallachia between 1776 and 1812. Located near the Mihai Vodă Monastery, on Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, it was built between 1775 and 1776 during the rule of Alexander Ypsilanti ...
was completely repaired.


"Hangerli's winter" and conflicts with Husein Küçük

Hangerli increased
tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
es to a very high level; new fees were created, including a special one for widowers. These measures were prompted by the substantial demands of the
Porte Porte may refer to: *Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire *Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy *John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator *Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...
, who was faced with Pazvantoğlu's major military successes, as well as by the prince's wish to increase his own revenue. The taxation reached its peak with the re-introduction of the despised '' văcărit'' tax (per head of cattle owned), which had been dismissed for perpetuity by his predecessor,
Constantine Mavrocordatos Constantine Mavrocordatos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μαυροκορδάτος, Romanian: ''Constantin Mavrocordat''; February 27, 1711November 23, 1769) was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several ...
– Hangerli purchased the lifting of a
curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particula ...
on the latter (cast in 1763) from
Gregory V Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname Places Australia * Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire o ...
,
Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
. Despite this, the tax continued to face stiff opposition from the part of Orthodox clergy and
Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
Dosiftei Filiti. The
boyars A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, and later Romania, Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. Boyars wer ...
also refused to sign the decree, and Hangerli had to bribe four of them (among them Nicolae Brâncoveanu and Cornescu) in order to agree to countersign it; so as to avoid a rebellion against Hangerli, all the boyars were subsequently exempt from this new tax. The early months of 1798, during which princely envoys raided the country while peasants attempted to hide their livestock, became known as "Hangerli's winter". Results of the inventory showed an abundance of cattle, but the population lacked access to currency. As a result, Hangerli enforced
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
through
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...
(it is probable that several peasants were killed in an attempt to collect their entire possessions – "if they pay, no one will get killed" was supposedly a reply uttered by Hangerli himself). The ensuing war between the Ottomans and Pazvantoğlu brought several defeats for the former, prompting Husein Küçük to take refuge in Bucharest. Fearing the anger of
Selim III Selim III ( ota, سليم ثالث, Selim-i sâlis; tr, III. Selim; was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa ...
, he attempted to throw the blame on Hangerli for not having raised enough funds. Catching news of this, the prince tried to intrigue against Küçük, but was disfavored after a coalition of his political adversaries began campaigning against him. According to the
chronicler A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
Dionisie Eclesiarhul, Hangerli attempted to buy back Küçük's protection by having him attend a banquet during which prostitutes, disguised and introduced as members of the most powerful boyar families, competed for the pasha's attention.


Execution

On 11 February 1799, the sultan issued a ''
firman A firman ( fa, , translit=farmân; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman co ...
'' to execute Hangerli on the spot, and a ''
kapucu A kapucu (; ro, Kapudju or ') was an official envoy of the Ottoman Sultan in medieval Wallachia and Moldavia. Their missions were mostly associated with the recalling of subject hospodars or voivodes, often followed by their imprisonment or ...
'' was dispatched to Bucharest, accompanied by an
executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...
(whom Dionisie described as "a frightening Moor").Dionisie, in Djuvara, p. 18 The pair made efforts to travel in secrecy, and, upon their arrival, spent three days in seclusion at the Beilic Inn. Dismissing the warning of his ''
postelnic ''Postelnic'' (, plural: ''postelnici,'' from the Slavic ''postel'', "bed"; cf. Russian '' postelnichy'') was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to the position of '' chamberlain''. I ...
'' (according to a contemporary account), Hangerli, after being read the ''firman'', was attacked by the two as he was attempting to call his guards: he was strangled by the Moor, shot twice in the chest and stabbed once by the ''kapucu'', and finally decapitated. The guards, who stormed in after hearing the shots, were shown the ''firman'', and could no longer intervene. The ''kapucu'' displayed Hangerli's head for all witnesses to see, stating: "Here is the dog that ate away the sultan's ''
rayah A raiyah or reaya (from , a plural of "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing, subjects, nationals, flock", also spelled ''raiya'', ''raja'', ''raiah'', ''re'aya''; Ottoman Turkish رعايا ; Modern Turkish râiya or reaya; related to the Arabi ...
''". He then presented it to Roxana, with the words: "Here is the head of your husband". Hangerli's remains were exposed in the palace's courtyard for a few days; a passer-by aimed a
para Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly ...
at the severed head, and was recorded saying: "Here, gorge on money" (''Satură-te de bani''). The prince was ultimately buried in the Bucharest church of St Spyridon the New. Zilot Românul, who wrote his verses sometime after, praised Sultan Selim for having "made good out of evil" by "unwittingly deliver ngus from the ''angarea'' r ''angarà'', an antiquated word referring to heavy taxes.Zilot, in Hasdeu


Notes


References

* Anton Caragea, "Ceasul cel mare al lui Constantin Hangerli" ("Constantin Hangerli's Big Hour"), in ''Magazin Istoric'', December 2000 *
Neagu Djuvara Neagu Bunea Djuvara (; 18 August 1916 – 25 January 2018) was a Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. Biography Early life A native of Bucharest, he was descended from an aristocratic Aromanian family ...
, ''Între Orient şi Occident. Ţările române la începutul epocii moderne'' ("Between Orient and Occident. The Romanian Lands at the beginning of the modern era"), Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995 * Constantin C. Giurescu, ''Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre'' ("History of Bucharest. From the earliest times until our day"), Editura Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966 * Ernest Mézière, "Alexandre Handjeri", in ''Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours'', Tome 23, Firmin Didot, Paris, 1858, p. 290 *
Bogdan Petriceicu-Hasdeu Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu ( 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Life He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in Cristineștii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...
, ''Ethymologicum Magnum Romaniae. Dicţionarul limbei istorice şi poporane a românilor (Pagini alese)'',
Editura Minerva Editura Minerva is one of the largest publishing houses in Romania. Located in Bucharest, it is known, among other things, for publishing classic Romanian literature Romanian literature () is literature written by Romanian authors, although the ...
, Bucharest, 1970: "Angarà", pp. 330–333 * Ştefan Ionescu, ''Bucureștii în vremea fanarioţilor'' ("Bucharest in the Time of the Phanariotes"),
Editura Dacia Editura Dacia ("Dacia Publishing House") is a publishing house based in Romania, located on Pavel Chinezul Street 2, Cluj-Napoca. Named after the ancient region of Dacia, it was founded in 1969 by a group of Transylvanian intellectuals, and print ...
, Cluj, 1974


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hangerli, Constantine 1799 deaths Dragomans of the Fleet Executed monarchs Phanariotes Rulers of Wallachia 18th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Executed Romanian people Year of birth unknown People executed by the Ottoman Empire by decapitation