Constantin or Constantine Cantemir (1612–1693) was a
Moldavian
nobleman, soldier, and statesman who served as
voivode between 25 June 1685 and 27 March 1693. He established the
Cantemir dynasty which—with interruptions—ruled
Moldavia prior to the imposition of
phanariot rule.
Life
Constantin was born into a
Moldavian family of
Crimean Tatar origin in 1612. He was created
voivode of Moldavia by its
Ottoman overlords in 1685, being favored over his rival
Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino. (His son
Demetrius would later marry a
Cantacuzene
The House of Kantakouzenos ( Kantakouzenoi; el, Καντακουζηνός, pl. Καντακουζηνοί), Latinized as Cantacuzenus and anglicized as Cantacuzene, was one of the most prominent Greek noble families of the Byzantine Empire in th ...
princess.) Constantin was a good and conscientious ruler, protecting his people from rapacious
tax farmers. He largely brought peace to his realm, but served in campaigns of the
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
against
Poland and
Austria. Under his rule, Moldavia was invaded twice, once by the
Nogai Tatars and once by Poland. Nonetheless, he constantly informed the Polish and
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
of Turkish designs and his sons
Antioch and
Demetrius, who eventually succeeded him, would be instrumental in allying Moldavia to
Russia in its first wars against the Turks.
In 1691, Cantemir ordered
Miron Costin
Miron Costin (March 30, 1633 – 1691) was a Moldavian (Romanian) political figure and chronicler. His main work, ''Letopiseţul Ţărâi Moldovei e la Aron Vodă încoace' (''The Chronicles of the land of Moldavia Aron Vodă]'') was meant to e ...
, a Moldavian chronicler and
Intellectual, man of letters, to be put to death on charges of
conspiracy.
[Ion Neculce, ''Letopiseţul Ţării Moldovei'', Ed. Minerva, București, 1972, p. 71]
According to
Neculce, Constantin was illiterate to the point of only being able to write his own signature. Nonetheless, he ensured that his sons received a good education. His grandson
Antioch would serve as Russia's ambassador to
Britain and
France at the height of the
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
, penning satires after
Juvenal, translating
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
, and befriending
Voltaire and
Montesquieu.
Constantin died in 1693 at the age of 80. His son
Demetrius notionally succeeded him but was passed over by the
Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
in favor of
Constantin Duca
Constantine Ducas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Δούκας, ''Kōnstantínos Doúkas''; ro, Constantin Duca), (? – 1704) son of George Ducas, was a Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia between April 1693 and December 18, 1695 and September 12, 170 ...
, who was supported by his father-in-law, the
Wallachian voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu.
See also
*
Khan Temir
Notes
References
*
External links
*
1612 births
1693 deaths
Cantemirești family
Rulers of Moldavia
People of the Great Turkish War
{{europe-royal-stub