Demetrius Nicolaides

Demetrius Nicolaides ( el, Δημήτριος Νικολαΐδης ''Dimitrios Nikolaidis''; french: Démétrius Nicolaïdes;c. 1843Strauss, "A Constitution for a Multilingual Empire," p. 29 (PDF p. 31) - 3 July 1915Balta and Kavak, p
56
), also known as Nikolaidis Efendi,Balta and Kavak, p
41
was an Ottoman Greek journalist and compiler of legislation. Johann Strauss, author of "A Constitution for a Multilingual Empire: Translations of the '' Kanun-ı Esasi'' and Other Official Texts into Minority Languages," wrote that Nicolaides was "an extremely active but somewhat enigmatic figure in the press
life of 19th century Istanbul."

Nicolaides was born and raised in Ottoman Constantinople (now Istanbul) and attended the Great School of the Nation (Megalē tou Genous scholē), he graduated in 1861. His family was the Ieromnimon.Balta and Kavak, p
33

Career

He began editing the '' Anatolikos Astēr'' in 1862. In 1864 he left the first publication and began editing '' Heptalophos''; he received ownership of it in 1865 and renamed it ''Nea Eptalofos''. It became a newspaper in 1867, and it was renamed '' Kōnstantinoupolis'' after that.Balta and Kavak, p
36
During periods when ''Kōnstantinoupolis'' was not in operation Nicolaides edited '' Thrakē'' ("Thrace"; August 1870 – 1880) and '' Avgi'' ("Aurora"; 6 July 1880 – 10 July 1884).Balta and Kavak, p
37

He edited a French-language collection of Ottoman law, ''Législation ottomane'', that was published by Gregory Aristarchis. He also edited the Greek version of the Düstur, Оθωμανικοί Κώδηκες ("Othōmanikoi kōdēkes", meaning "Ottoman Codes", with Demotic Greek using "Οθωμανικοί κώδικες"), its first non-Turkish version. These two publications enriched him financially, giving him money used to operate his newspapers.Balta and Kevak, p
40
/ref> After the Ottoman government received the Greek version, it made him a third-class civil servant. Nicolaides also wrote a document stating that he translated volumes of the ''Dustür'' and the ''Mecelle'' into Bulgarian.Balta and Kavak, p
5152
The Bulgarian copies of the ''Dustür'' circulating stated that they were written by Christo S. Arnaudov ( bg, Христо С. Арнаудовъ; Post-1945 spelling: Христо С. Арнаудов), who published it.Strauss, "A Constitution for a Multilingual Empire," p. 31 (PDF p. 33) Johann Straus concluded that the Bulgarian version likely originated from Nicolaides's Greek version due to "striking similarities" between the two, even though the Bulgarian one states that it was a collaborative work that was directly translated from Ottoman Turkish.

A ''Konstantinoupolis'' employee, Manuel Gedeon, wrote that Nicolaides, Christoforos Samartzidis, and a person Gedeon described as "another impostor" together published a French version of '' Pharos of the Bosphorus'' (or ''Lighthouse of the Bosphorus'').Balta and Kavak, p
38
Gedeon stated that Nicolaides obtained 5,000 gold francs from the Ambassador of Russia to the Ottoman Empire, Ignatieff, to fund this publication, and that he did not give much of this away to other parties. According to Gedeon, Theodoros Kasapis wrote in '' Diogenis'' that the Russian ambassador had bribed Nicolaides.

Nicolaides also applied to make his own Karamanli Turkish publication, ''Asya'', but was denied. Evangelina Baltia and Ayșe Kavak, authors of "Publisher of the newspaper Konstantinoupolis for half a century," wrote that they could find no information explaining why Nicolaides' proposal was turned down. Ultimately in 1889 he established an Ottoman Turkish newspaper, ''Servet''. '' Servet-i Fünûn'' was originally a supplement of ''Servet''.Strauss, "A Constitution for a Multilingual Empire," p. 29 (PDF p. 31).

For a period his main printing facility was at Millet Han in Galata. He applied to move to a new facility on two occasions, to Financılar Yokușu in 1899, approved but not completed, and then to Lloyd Han in 1902, also approved.Balta and Kavak, p
48
The move was completed by 1903.Balta and Kavak, p
49

Because Nicolaidis tried to save his newspapers no matter what it took, he sold his possessions and lost his wealth.

Life and death

He had a wife, Sevastitsa; two sons, Nikolakis "Nikos" and Georgakis;Balta and Kavak, p
55
and a daughter, who married in 1892. He invited Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdulhamid II to his daughter's wedding; Balta and Kavak stated that this illustrated the close relationship between the Ottoman government and Nicolaides.Balta and Kavak, p
54
He himself was in favour of Ottomanism.Balta and Kavak, p
57

According to Gedeon, Nicolaides had a house in Phanar (now Fener), one in Mouchli, and one in Antigone (now Burgazada) in the Prince's Islands.Balta and Kavak, p
39
An 1894 earthquake ruined the Mouchli house.

In 1915 Nicolaides died a poor man, and his children were not present as they were in different places. Rum Millet community members living in Pera (Beyoğlu) and friends bankrolled his funeral, which was officiated by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Germanus V.

Awards

Nicolaides received medals: the Ücüncü Rütbe'den Mecidî nişani; after requesting so from the Ottoman government, the Serbian Ücüncü Rütbe'den Takova nişani, a third degree award; and then second and first degree medals, Saniye Rütbesi and Mütemayize Rütbesi, the last in 1893.Balta and Kavak, p
53
He also received the Gold Cross of the Holy Sepulcher and the Gold Cross of the Holy Savior.

See also

* Phanariotes
* Media of the Ottoman Empire

References

* - Volume 12 of Bamberger Orientstudien - Hosted at (KOBV)
*
info page on book
at Martin Luther University)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolaides, Demetrius
Constantinopolitan Greeks
Greek journalists
1840s births
1915 deaths
Journalists from Istanbul