The House of Cantacuzino (; ) is a Romanian aristocratic family of

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

origin. The family gave a number of princes to

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine

Kantakouzenos The House of Kantakouzenos ( Kantakouzenoi; , pl. Καντακουζηνοί; feminine form Kantakouzene; ), also found in English-language literature as Cantacuzenus or Cantacuzene, was a Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek Nobility, noble family t ...

family, specifically from

Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...

(reigned 1347–1354). After the Russo-Ottoman War of 1710–11, a lateral branch of the family settled in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, receiving the princely (''

Knyaz A , also , ''knjaz'' or (), is a historical Slavs, Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times. It is usually translated into English language, English as 'prince', 'king' or 'duke', depending on specific historical c ...

'', as opposed to '' Velikij Knyaz'') status. In 1944, Prince Ștefan Cantacuzino settled in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, where his descendants form part of the unintroduced nobility of that country.

Origin of the family

Members of the family claim that the

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

links between the original House of Kantakouzinos and the subsequent House of Cantacuzino have been extensively researched.Jean-Michel Cantacuzène, ''Mille ans dans les Balkans'' Éditions Christian Paris (1992) . The family first appears among the

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

in the late 16th century, with Michael "Şeytanoğlu" Kantakouzenos, after a gap of over a century from the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...

. Whether the family is indeed linked to the Byzantine imperial house of Kantakouzenos is disputed, as it was usual among wealthy Greeks of the time to assume Byzantine surnames and claim descent from the famous noble houses of their Byzantine past. The first member of the family to publicly stress his imperial descent on an international level was the adventurer and pretender Radu Cantacuzino (1699–1761), who produced a genealogy linking himself to Emperor

, though it contained several invented figures. Radu also changed his coat of arms from the earlier arms depicting an eagle holding a cross, to a new rendition with more shields representing various families and regions, a version still in use by the family today. The eminent Byzantinist

Steven Runciman Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman (7 July 1903 – 1 November 2000), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume '' A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). His works had a profound impact on the popula ...

considered the latter-day Kantakouzenoi "perhaps the only family whose claim to be in the direct line from Byzantine Emperors, as authentic", but according to the historian Donald Nicol, "Patriotic Rumanian historians have indeed labored to show that ... of all the Byzantine imperial families that of the Kantakouzenos is the only one which can truthfully be said to have survived to this day; but the line of succession after the middle of the fifteenth century is, to say the least, uncertain." The origin of the Byzantine family can be traced to

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

. The Greek scholar Konstantinos Amantos suggested that "Kantakouzenos" derives from , ultimately from the locality of Kouzenas, a name for the southern part of Mount Sipylon near Smyrna. Donald Nicol agrees with this theory, and lists some connections the Kantakouzenoi had with the locale in the 11th and 13th centuries.

Origin of the Romanian branch

The Greek Kantakouzenos family had been active in Constantinople and Greece during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

, but several branches of the original Greek family were created via the migrations and establishment of Kantakouzenos family members to different parts of Europe. Two of those new branches were the Romanian (

n and

n) Cantacuzino branch as well as the

n branch (which is an offshoot of the Wallachian-Moldavian one, among the Russian branch's members Prince Michael who married in 1892 Olga Nikolaievna, daughter of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia). As a consequence of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

and the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation of Romania after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, (between 1944 and 1947) the last two branches now mostly live in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. According to Jean-Michel Cantacuzène and Mihail Sturdza, the origin of the Cantacuzino family in Romania is traced to Andronikos Kantakouzenos (1553–1601; also known as Andronik), a Greek financier from Constantinople, son of the "''Prince of the Greeks''" Michael "Şeytanoğlu" Kantakouzenos. Andronikos had among his several sons two who became "boyars" in what today is Romania and founded the yet-surviving new branches of Cantacuzino: * "boyar" Georgios 'Iordaki' Kantakouzenos became forefather of the Moldavian branch, which soon branched to Cantacuzino-Deleanu and Cantacuzino-Pasceanu. * "boyar" Konstantinos 'Kostaki' Kantakouzenos married an heiress (daughter) of the late reigning prince Radu Șerban, onetime ruler of Wallachia, and they founded the Wallachian branches which soon clashed against the Ghica family over power.

Family tree of notable members

* Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu (1510–1578) ** Andronikos Kantakouzenos (1553–1601) ***Mihai ****

Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino (c. 1620 – 1686) was Prince of Moldavia 1673, 1674 to 1675, and 1684 to 1685. Life Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino was the son of the Grand Treasurer () Michael Kantakouzenos (in Romanian Mihai Cantacuzino) and the great-gra ...

(died 1686), Prince of Moldavia ***Iordache (died 1663) ****Toderascu (died 1685) *****Ionitsa (1664–1692) ******Iordache (1688–1758) *******Ionitsa (1721–1789) ********Matei (1750–1817) ********* Alexandros Kantakouzinos (1787–1841), magnate and politician ********** Alexandru Cantacuzino (1811–1884), government minister ****Iordache (died 1700) *****Iordache (died 1740) ******Constantin (died 1740) ******* (1740–1826) ********Constantin (1778–1843) *********Lascar (1805–1885) ********** Constantin Cantacuzino-Pașcanu (1856–1927), politician *********Nicolas (1811–1840), married to (1821–1860) **********Pulcheria (1840–1865), married to Prince Emil zu

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was one of several imperial counties and later principalities ruled by the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein. Most of the former county is located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein (in the modern state of North ...

(1824-1878) ***********Lucia zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Beleburg (1859-1903), married

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. The ...

Otto Victor von Schönburg-Waldenburg (1856-1888) ************ Princess Sophie von Schönburg-Waldenburg (1885-1936), married

Wilhelm, Prince of Albania Wilhelm, Prince of Albania (Wilhelm Friedrich Heinrich; , 26 March 1876 – 18 April 1945) was Principality of Albania, sovereign of the Principality of Albania from 7 March to 3 September 1914. His reign officially came to an end on 31 January ...

********Grigore (1779–1809) ********* Elisabeta Știrbey (1805–1874), Princess of Wallachia ********Alexandru (1786–1832) ********* (1829–1897) *** (1598–1663); married to Elena Cantacuzino **** (1630–1667) *****Parvu (died 1696) ******Parvu (1689–1751) *******Ioan (died 1749) ********Iordache (1747–1803) ********* Constantin Cantacuzino (1793–1877) ********** Ion C. Cantacuzino (1825–1878), politician *********** Ioan Cantacuzino (1863–1934), physician and scientist **********Adolf (1839–1911) *********** Scarlat Cantacuzino (1874–1949), poet and diplomatMihaela Roco and Mihail C. Roco, Diplomatie si Poezie - Contributia Europeana a lui Scarlat A. Cantacuzino (Charles-Adolphe Cantacuzène), 176 p. Bucharest: Editura Universitară, 2018. . (http://www.editurauniversitara.ro/carte/istorie-75/diplomatie_si_poezie___contributia_europeana_a_lui_scarlat_a_cantacuzino_charles_adolphe_cantacuzne/11683) *********Grigore (1800–1849) ********** Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (1833–1913),

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

*********** Mihail G. Cantacuzino (1867–1928),

Mayor of Bucharest The mayor of Bucharest (), sometimes known as the general mayor, is the head of the Bucharest City Hall in Bucharest, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast ...

and Justice Minister ************ Constantin Cantacuzino (1905–1958),

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

*********** Grigore Gheorghe Cantacuzino (1872–1930),

; married to Alexandrina Cantacuzino (1876–1944), political activist ************ Alexandru Cantacuzino (1901–1939), politician *******Matei (died 1742) ******** Pârvu Cantacuzino (died 1769), Ban of Oltenia, the leader of an anti- Ottoman rebellion in 1769 ********Constantin (died 1761) *********Ioan (1756–1828) **********Nicolae (1790–1857) ***********Vasile (1818–1906) ************ Matei B. Cantacuzino (1855–1925), Mayor of Iași,

Education Minister An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

and

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

************Nicolae (1864–1948) ************* George Matei Cantacuzino (1899–1960), architect ************** Serban Cantacuzino (1928–2018), architect *********** Marie Cantacuzène (1820–1898), painter's model ******** Rodion Cantacuzino (1725–1774) ********* (1761–1841) **********Rodion (1812–1880) *********** (1847–1894) ************ Prince Mikhail Cantacuzène (1875–1955), Russian diplomat; married to Julia Dent Cantacuzène Spiransky-Grant (1876–1975), granddaughter of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and author **********Alexander (1813–1857) *********** Olga Cantacuzène-Altieri (1843–1929), novelist **********Ivan (1816–1888) ***********Pavel (1852–1922) ************George (1881–1950) *************Pierre (1922–1975) **************

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...

(1947–2009), Bishop of Vevey ****

Șerban Cantacuzino Șerban Cantacuzino (), (1634/1640 – 29 October 1688) was a List of rulers of Wallachia, Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688. Biography Șerban Cantacuzino was a member of the Romanian branch of the Cantacuzino family, Cantacuzino noble ...

(1634–1688),

Voivode of Wallachia This is a list of princes of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which unification of Moldavia and Wallachia, led to the creation of ...

1678–1688 ***** (1673–1739) ******Toma (1714–1762) *******Matei (1745–1817) ********Iordache (1775–1827) *********Constantin (1811–1876) ********** (1845–1898),

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

**********Constantin (1847–1920), married to (1863–1944), writer *********Gheorghe (1815–1890) **********Ioan (1847–1911) *********** Gheorghe Cantacuzino-Grănicerul (1869–1937), politician ***********Ioan Radu (1885–1950), married to

Maria Filotti Maria Filotti (9 October 1883, Batogu, Brăila, Batogu, Brăila County, Romania – 5 November 1956, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian actress . She was described as one of the "prestigious actors of the great realistic school" and the "directres ...

(1883–1956), actress ************ Ion Filotti Cantacuzino (1908–1975), writer and film producer ************* Gheorghe I. Cantacuzino (1937–2019), historian *************

(1941–2011), actor *********** (1895–1951) ***** (1685–1713), Princess of Moldavia **** (1637–1699) **** Constantin Cantacuzino (1639–1716), high official in Wallachia *****

Ștefan Cantacuzino Ștefan Cantacuzino, (c. 1675 – 7 June 1716) was a Prince of Wallachia between April 1714 and January 21, 1716, the son of '' stolnic'' Constantin Cantacuzino. He was married to Păuna Greceanu-Cantacuzino. Life Ștefan was involved in his ...

(1675–1716), Voivode of Wallachia 1714–1716; married to Păuna Greceanu-Cantacuzino (died 1740) ****** Radu Cantacuzino (1699–1761) **** (1640–1716) ****Matei (died 1685) ***** Toma Cantacuzino (died 1721) **Ioannis (born 1570) *** Bella Rosetti (Cantacuzino), wife of Lascaris Rosetti, high chancellor of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and mother of Constantin Rosetti and Prince Antonie Ruset

References

External links

Romanian Society at the Dawn of Modern Ages (17th–18th Centuries)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantacuzino Family Kantakouzenos family Greek noble families Romanian people of Greek descent Phanariotes Romanian boyar families Swedish unintroduced nobility Bulgarian noble families

Origin of the family

Origin of the Romanian branch

Family tree of notable members

See also

References

External links