The House of Caradja (also spelt as Karadja, Karaca, Caragea) or Karatzas (also spelt Caratzas; ) is a princely house of

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and

Phanariote 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 ...

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 ...

origins, present as dignitaries in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, and established as

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

s and

hospodar ''Gospodar'' or ''hospodar'', also ''gospodin'' as a diminutive, is a term of Slavic origin, meaning "lord" or " master". The compound (, , , sh-Latn-Cyrl, gospodar, господар, ) is a derivative of ''gospod'' / ''gospodin'', , or when spe ...

s in the

Danubian Principalities The 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 (1774) ...

from the late 16th century.

Origins

The princely House of Caradja originated in the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

, probably in the capital

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. The earliest mentions of the family's history are present in historian

Anna Komnene Anna Komnene (; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine Greek historian. She is the author of the '' Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Her work constit ...

's ''

Alexiad The ''Alexiad'' () is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. It was written in a form of artificial Attic Greek. Anna described th ...

''. In 1091,

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

sent Argyros Karatzas to

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

, and appointed him '' doux'' of Dyrrhachium and of Philippopolis in 1094.V. Laurent, "Argyros Karatzas, protokuropalates et duc de Philippopolis" , Revista Istorica 29 (1943), 203-210 In the year 1453, during events surrounding 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 ...

, Eustathios Karadja was mentioned as the intermediary between

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

Gennadius II Scholarius Gennadius II of Constantinople (Greek: Γεννάδιος; lay name: Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος, ''Georgios Kourtesios''; – ) was a Byzantine Greek philosopher and theologian, and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constant ...

and

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) 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 came to be use ...

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

. In 1591, a Constantin Caradja was assigned the rank of Grand Postelnic in

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 was therefore the first member of the family to be attested in one of the two principalities. Beginning with this generation, it is possible to reconstruct the family's genealogy completely. Constantin's nephew, the Postelnic Jean Karadja, was present in

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 ...

, where he founded the monastery in

Slobozia Slobozia () is the capital city of Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, with a population of 41,550 in 2021. Etymology Its name is from the Romanian "slobozie", which meant a recently colonized village which was free of taxation. The word its ...

, as well as in Moldavia, where he restored the Saint Sava Church in Iaşi (1625).

Branches

The two branches of the family descend from Constantin's other nephew, Constantin (Kostas) Caradja, who was himself Grand Postelnic of Moldavia in 1653. The descendants of his son Dumitraşco Caradja notably include

Nicolae Caradja Nicholas Caradja (, ; 1737–1784) was a Phanariote Prince of Wallachia, who reigned between 5 January 1782 and 6 July 1783. Early life He was born as the son of Prince Konstantin Caradja (d. 1771) and his wife, Zefira Soutzos (d. 1791). Bio ...

(1737–1784), reigning

Prince 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 ...

in 1782–1783. The branch extinguished in 1918, with the death of Prince Georges Caradja in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The branch still in existence comprises the descendants of Dumitraşco's second son, George Caradja. His first son, the

Grand Dragoman The Dragoman of the Sublime Porte (Ottoman Turkish language, Ottoman Turkish: ; ), Dragoman of the Imperial Council (), or simply Grand Dragoman (, ) or Chief Dragoman (), was the senior interpreter of the Imperial Council (Ottoman Empire), Ottom ...

Scarlat (Charles) Caradja (1695–1780), was appointed Honorary Prince of Moldo-Wallachia by Sultan

Abdul Hamid I Abdulhamid I or Abdul Hamid I (, ''`Abdü’l-Ḥamīd-i evvel''; ; 20 March 1725 – 7 April 1789) was the 27th sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1774 to 1789. A devout and pacifist sultan, he inherited a bankrupt empire and sought military r ...

, on September 26, 1774. Between 1761 and 1763, his brother Jean Caradja (c. 1700–1793), was the Patriarch of Constantinople, under the name of ''Joannicios III''. Scarlat's grandson, Ioan Gheorghe Caradja, was reigning Prince of Wallachia between 1812 and 1818, leaves two sons, the '' Beyzadés'' Georges and Constantin, from who the present-day representatives of the family in Germany descend. Beyzadé Georges Caradja married Smaragda Bibica, of the

Rosetti family The House of Rosetti (also spelled ''Ruset'', ''Rosset, Rossetti'') was a Moldavian boyar princely family of Byzantine Greek and Italian ( Genoese) origins. There are several branches of the family named after their estates: Roznovanu, Solescu, B ...

. Their grandson Prince

Aristide Caradja Aristide Caradja (28 September 1861 – 29 May 1955) was a Romanian entomologist and lawyer. Life Aristide Caradja was born in 1861 to the Caradja family, nobles with Greek-Byzantine origins who had serves as dignitaries in the Ottoman Empire. H ...

(1861–1955) married Mathilde Grecianu (1862–1945), daughter of the univ. professor Alexandre Grecianu (1828–1894) from Iaşi. The couple had five children. The eldest, Prince Constantin Nicolas Caradja (1892–1961), who married Catherine Kretzulescu (1893–1993), a member of the Kretzulescu family; they had three children: Princess Irène Mathilde Catherine Caradja (1915–1940), who married Constantin Emandi (d. 1940); Princess Marie Constance Lucie Caradja (1916–1933); Princess Alexandra (Tanda) Caradja (1920–1997). Prince Aristide Caradja also had three daughters and a second son: Princess Marguerite Marie Catherine (1893–1933; married to Leon Sculy Logotheti), Princess Lucie Caradja (1894–1950; married to Carl Alfred Alioth), Princess Marcelle Hélène (1896–1971; married to Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démetre Karadja) and Prince Alexandre Caradja (1900–1930). Beyzadé Constantin Caradja (1799–1860) and his wife Adèle Condo-

Dandolo The House of Dandolo () was a patrician family of the Republic of Venice, which produced four Doges of Venice. The progenitor of the family was a merchant named Domenico. The family became more successful by the beginning of the 12th century. M ...

(1814–1890) had one son, Prince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja Pasha (1835–1894), Ministre Plénipotentiaire, married with Mary-Louise Smith (1868–1943), daughter of commander L. O. Smith,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

. The couple had two children: Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démetre Karadja (1889–1950), Consul General of Romania in Germany, married with Princess Marcelle Hélène Caradja, daughter of Prince Aristide Caradja, and Princess Despina Marie Roxane Alexandra Theodora Karadja (1892–1983) who had no descendants. The couple also had two children: Prince Jean (Ion) Aristide Caradja (1917–1993); married with Minna Frieda Auguste Starke (1911–1992) and in second marriage with Georgeta Cătănescu (1915–2017), and Princess Marie Marcelle Nadèje Karadja (1919–2006).

Notable members

Patriarch Joannicius III of Constantinople Joannicius III of Constantinople (; ; 1700 – 1793) was Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch from 1739 to 1746 and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1761 to 1763. The ordinal number of his title is III both for his office as Serb ...

(c. 1700–1793)

Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch This is a list of heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church, since the establishment of the church as an Autocephaly, autocephalous archbishopric in 1219 to today's patriarchate. The list includes all the archbishops and patriarchs that led the Se ...

from 1739 to 1746 and

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

from 1761 to 1763; *

(1737–1784) – ruler of Wallachia (1782–1783); * Ioan Gheorghe Caradja (1754–1844) – ruler of Wallachia (1812–1818); * Ralou Caradja (1799–1870) – protector of arts and founder of the first theater in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

called "Cişmeaua Roşie"; * Jean Karadja Pasha (1835–1894) – army officer, diplomat (father of Constantin); *

(1861–1955) – naturalist (entomologist), jurist, member of the Romanian Academy; *

Constantin Karadja Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja (24 November 1889 – 28 December 1950) was a Greeks in Romania, Greek-Romanian diplomat, barrister-at-law, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorary member (1946) of the Romanian Academy. He ...

(1889–1950) – diplomat, jurist, historian and bibliophile, honorific member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

and

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

; *

Catherine Caradja Princess Catherine Olympia Caradja (born Ecaterina Olimpia Creţulescu; 28 January 1893 – 26 May 1993) was a Romanian aristocrat and philanthropist. Born in Bucharest, she grew up in England and France, and lived in Romania from 1908 to 1952 ...

(born Ecaterina Olimpia Creţulescu, 1893–1993) – philanthropist and humanitarian worker.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Caradja family Caradja family Phanariotes Greek noble families Greek families Byzantine families Greek nobility Romanian people of Greek descent Romanian noble families Romanian boyar families

Origins

Branches

Notable members

See also

References

External links