John Theodore Callimachi (; 1690–1780) was

Prince of Moldavia This is a list of monarchs of Moldavia, from the first mention of the medieval polity east of the Carpathians and until its disestablishment in 1862, when it united with Wallachia, the other Danubian Principality, to form the modern-day state of ...

from 1758 to 1761.

Early years

Ioan was the second son of Teodor Calmăşul. Teodor, born Calmăşul, changed the family name to the Greek form Callimachi (Καλλιμάχης). Ioan's older brother,

Gavriil Callimachi Gavriil Callimachi (; 1689–1786) was a monk at Putna Monastery who rose eventually to the position of Metropolitan of Moldavia. He was born Gheorghe Călmaşul, son of the Câmpulung headman, Teodor Călmaşul, and younger brother of Ioan Teodo ...

(1689–1786) was a monk at

Putna Monastery The Putna monastery () is a Romanian Orthodox monastery (one of the most important cultural) religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Stephen the Great. Putna was founded ...

. Ioan pursued his studies at

Lvov Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. He knew Latin, Turkish, Italian, Greek and French.

Career

Callimachi served in the administrations of

John Mavrocordatos John Mavrocordatos (, ; 23 July 1684 – 23 February 1719) was caimacam of Moldavia (7 October 1711 – 16 November 1711) and List of rulers of Wallachia, Prince of Wallachia between 2 December 1716 and 23 February 1719.Emile Legrand ''Généalogi ...

and of

Grigore II Ghica Grigore II Ghica (1695 – 3 September 1752) was Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia at four different intervals — from October 1726 to April 16, 1733, from November 27, 1735 to 14 September 1739, from October 1739 to September 1741 and from May 1747 ...

. He was

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 ...

at the

Ottoman Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildin ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

where, over the course of his sixteen years of service, he was recognized for his diplomatic ability. In 1758, he was rewarded with the position of Prince of

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 ...

which he held until 1761. Callimachi retired to

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 ...

where he lived for 19 years before his death.

Personal life

Callimachi married Ralitsa Chrysoskoleos and they had four children. Their son, Gregory Callimachi (1735–1769), succeeded Callimachi as Prince of Moldavia; and son Alexander Callimachi (1737–1821) was Prince of Moldavia before the turn of the century. Their elder daughter, Sevastiţa (born 1736), married

Mihai Suţu Michael Drakos Soutzos (; ; 1730 – 1803) was a Prince of Moldavia between 1792 and 1795. A member of the Soutzos family of Phanariotes (descended from the Drakos family), he was the grandfather of Michael Soutzos, himself a ruler of Moldavia ...

; the younger daughter was called Maria (1740–1831).

References

*Nita Dan Danielescu. "Gavriil Callimachi, ctitorul Catedralei mitropolitane Sf. Gheorghe din Iasi" ''Ziarul Lumina,'' 2006-02-20 {{DEFAULTSORT:Callimachi, John Theodore John Theodore Dragomans of the Porte Monarchs of Moldavia 1690 births 1780 deaths 18th-century translators 18th-century civil servants from the Ottoman Empire 18th-century Moldavian people