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104-640: After 1714, when Constantin Brâncoveanu was executed with his entire family in Constantinople , all the family's wealth was confiscated by the Ottomans and the palace was converted into an inn. Rebought by Prince Ștefan Cantacuzino, he returned it to Brâncoveanu's grandson Constantin, and remained with the family until the early nineteenth century. The palace was devastated by the Ottomans during

208-754: A printing press was established in Bucharest - an institution overseen by Anthim the Iberian . In 1694, he founded the Royal Academy of Bucharest . In his religious and laic constructions, Brâncoveanu harmoniously combined in architecture the mural and sculptural painting, the local tradition, the Neo-Byzantine style and the innovative ideas of the Italian Renaissance , giving rise to Brâncovenesc style . The most accomplished and

312-532: A common border with Moldavia. The first effect of this was the cession of the eastern half of Moldavia (renamed as Bessarabia ) to the Russian Empire in 1812. Phanariote rule was officially ended after the 1821 occupation of the country by Alexander Ypsilantis 's Filiki Eteria during the Greek War of Independence ; the subsequent Ottoman retaliation led to the rule of Ioan Sturdza . He was considered

416-797: A daughter of Antioh Cantemir, former Moldavian ruler, but the planned marriage didn't come to fruition in light of the 1714 events. Matei Brâncoveanu [REDACTED] 1702-1714 At the time of his death 11 or 12 years of age. A number of more and less reliable accounts of the August 1714 martyrdom state that he made a plea for his life, but his father convinced him not to trade his faith for his life. Was killed in front of his father. Moldavia Moldavia ( Romanian : Moldova , pronounced [molˈdova] or Țara Moldovei lit.   ' The country of Moldova ' ; in Romanian Cyrillic : Молдова or Цара Мѡлдовєй )

520-542: A duty to defend his fatherland"; according to Polish chronicler Jan Długosz , if someone was found without carrying a weapon, he was sentenced to death . Stephen reformed the army by promoting men from the landed free peasantry răzeși (i.e. something akin to freeholding yeomen ) to infantry ( voinici ) and light cavalry ( hânsari ), reducing his dependence on the boyars , and introduced guns. The Small Host ( Oastea Mică ) consisted of around 10,000 to 12,000 men. The Large Host ( Oastea Mare ), which could reach up to 40,000,

624-426: A great friend towards Costandin-vodă, asking him, in all good faith, to teach him what he should do next. And he told all the truth about how his and his troops' arrival had been brought about by the lies of [a high boyar], and how [the boyar] had boasted that, were [they] to enter the country, all boyars and all country would pay allegiance to [them], but that this had not in fact happened. Thus Costandin-vodă told him

728-750: A later date, the territories between the Dniester and the Bug rivers. Petru II profited from the end of the Hungarian-Polish union and moved the country closer to the Jagiellonian realm , becoming a vassal of Władysław II on September 26, 1387. This gesture was to have unexpected consequences: Petru supplied the Polish ruler with funds needed in the war against the Teutonic Knights , and

832-769: A military expedition in 1342, under King Władysław I , against the Margraviate of Brandenburg . In 1353, Dragoș , mentioned as a Vlach Knyaz in Maramureș , was sent by Louis I to establish a line of defense against the Golden Horde forces of Mongols on the Siret River . This expedition resulted in a polity vassal to Hungary, in the Baia ( Târgul Moldovei or Moldvabánya ) region. Bogdan of Cuhea , another Vlach voivode from Maramureș who had fallen out with

936-403: A military occupation under the command of Pavel Kiselyov , Russian domination gave Wallachia and Moldavia, which were not removed from nominal Ottoman control, the modernizing Organic Statute (the first document resembling a constitution , as well as the first to regard both principalities). After 1829, the country also became an important destination for immigration of Ashkenazi Jews from

1040-579: A military office) or to the Mare Vornic (approx. Governor of the Country; a civilian office second only to the Voievod , which was filled by the prince himself). Supplying the troops was by tradition-later-made-into-law the duty of the inhabitants of those lands on which the soldiers were present at a given time. The Moldavians' (as well as Wallachians') favourite military doctrine in (defensive) wars

1144-839: A relative (who was also a descendant of Constantin Brâncoveanu) and thus passed the family name on. According to a genealogical study, roughly 250 of his bloodline were alive at the middle of the 19th century. Amongst them Gheorghe Bibescu and Barbu Știrbei (rulers of Wallachia and Moldova), famous revolutionary Alexandru Ipsilanti, Romanian Prime ministers Barbu Catargiu , Nicolae Kretzulescu , George Manu and Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino "Nababul" and historians Dan and Mihnea Berindei. Constantin II Brâncoveanu [REDACTED] 1683-1714 Constantin III ( mare ban ) Constantin II

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1248-461: A stiff competition with the high boyars over appointments to the Court. As the manor system suffered the blows of economic crises, and in the absence of salarisation (which implied that persons in office could decide their own income), obtaining princely appointment became the major focus of a boyar's career. Such changes also implied the decline of free peasantry and the rise of serfdom , as well as

1352-613: A thing to happen, the nearby Tatars [who were Ottoman allies] would immediately arrive with a mighty force in order to enslave and plunder the country, and the Austrians would prove of no help. And immediately they moved spot and went to the village of Ruși, where the princely fish ponds are located. Then [the Austrian General] came to Drăgănești, inviting Costandin-vodă to leave Ruși and meet him in Drăgănești, showing himself

1456-597: Is a historical region and former principality in Central and Eastern Europe , corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later autonomous state, it existed from the 14th century to 1859, when it united with Wallachia ( Țara Românească ) as the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, Moldavia included

1560-759: Is also considered the first Phanariote in that country). Through his death, Constantin Brâncoveanu became the hero of a series Romanian folk ballads , as well as being depicted on some of Romania 's official coinage . According to the Romanian Orthodox Church , the reason for his and his sons' execution was their refusal to give up their Christian faith and convert to Islam . In 1992 the Church declared him, his sons, and Enache saints and martyrs ( Sfinții Martiri Binecredinciosul Voievod Constantin Brâncoveanu, împreună cu fiii săi Constantin, Ștefan, Radu, Matei și sfetnicul Ianache - "The Martyr Saints

1664-494: Is bordered on the principalities of Halych, Volhynia and Kiev. Archaeological research also identified the location of 13th-century fortified settlements in this region. Alexandru V. Boldur identified Voscodavie, Voscodavti, Voloscovti, Volcovti, Volosovca and their other towns and villages between the middle course of the rivers Nistru/Dniester and Nipru/Dnieper. The Bolohoveni disappeared from chronicles after their defeat in 1257 by Daniel of Galicia 's troops. Their ethnic identity

1768-494: Is reflected in chronicles of the time, which are ideologically divided: Letopisețul Cantacuzinesc gives a bleak account of Șerban's rule, as does Cronica Bălenilor ; Radu Greceanu 's is an official account of Brâncoveanu's rule, and Radu Popescu is adverse to Cantacuzino rulers. Dimitrie Cantemir 's Historia Hieroglyphica is centered on the clash, and reflects Cantemir's preference for Constantin Cantacuzino, who

1872-652: Is rendered under the composite form Moldo-Wallachia (in the same way Wallachia may appear as Hungro-Wallachia ). Ottoman Turkish references to Moldavia included Boğdan Iflak ( بغدان افلاق , meaning ' Bogdan 's Wallachia') and Boğdan (and occasionally Kara-Boğdan , قره بغدان , "Black Bogdania"). See also names in other languages . The names of the region in other languages include French : Moldavie , German : Moldau , Hungarian : Moldva , Russian : Молдавия ( Moldaviya ), Turkish : Boğdan Prensliği , Greek : Μολδαβία . The inhabitants of Moldavia were Christians. Archaeological works revealed

1976-622: Is uncertain; although Romanian scholars, basing on their ethnonym identify them as Romanians (who were called Vlachs in the Middle Ages ), archeological evidence and the Hypatian Chronicle (which is the only primary source that documents their history) suggest that they were a Slavic people . In the early 13th century, the Brodniks , a possible Slavic – Vlach vassal state of Halych , were present, alongside

2080-655: The seimeni . However, Moldavia and the similarly affected Wallachia remained both important sources of income for the Ottoman Empire and relatively prosperous agricultural economies (especially as suppliers of grain and cattle – the latter was especially relevant in Moldavia, which remained an under-populated country of pastures ). In time, much of the resources were tied to the Ottoman economy , either through monopolies on trade that were only lifted in 1829, after

2184-965: The Bolgrad , Cahul , and Ismail counties. Russian domination ended abruptly after the Crimean War , when the Treaty of Paris also passed the two Romanian principalities under the tutelage of Great European Powers (together with Russia and the Ottoman overlord, power-sharing included the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Austrian Empire , the French Empire , the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia , and Prussia ). Due to Austrian and Ottoman opposition and British reserves,

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2288-459: The Communist regime. After 1945, the palace was forcibly nationalized by the communist authorities , and the owners, Valentina and Dimitrie Ghika-Comănești, were arrested. Some of its precious art collections disappeared during this period. In 1957, it eventually became a museum. The palace is now a popular tourist destination, but although the grounds and gardens are beautiful, the interior of

2392-526: The Habsburg Empire its northwestern part, which became known as Bukovina . For Moldavia, it meant both an important territorial loss and a major blow to the cattle trade, as the region stood on the trade route to Central Europe. The Treaty of Jassy in 1792 forced the Ottoman Empire to cede Yedisan to the Russian Empire, which made Russian presence much more notable, given that the Empire acquired

2496-576: The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria and areas of Russia ( see History of the Jews in Romania and Sudiți ). The first Moldavian rule established under the Statute, that of Mihail Sturdza , was nonetheless ambivalent: eager to reduce abuse of office, Sturdza introduced reforms (the abolition of slavery, secularization , economic rebuilding), but he was widely seen as enforcing his own power over that of

2600-600: The Metropolitan Theodosie, as well as all his lower and higher boyars, summoning a great council on what was to be done, whereupon some of the boyars vigorously showed themselves to favor Costandin-vodă's rejection of the Turks and his joining the Austrians; while another bunch of boyars, foremost Costandin [Constantin] Cantacuzino, who has been great stolnic , and Mihai Cantacuzino , the great spătar , believed this not to constitute good advice, as, where such

2704-601: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth into Moldavian territory (see Moldavian Magnate Wars ), and rivalries between pretenders to the Moldavian throne encouraged by the three competing powers. The Wallachian prince Michael the Brave , after previously taking over Transylvania , also deposed Prince Ieremia Movilă, in 1600, and managed to become the first Prince to rule over Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania;

2808-683: The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. It was later granted by prince Grigore to his daughter, Zoe Mavrocordat, who had married George D. Bibescu, sovereign Prince of Wallachia . The palace remained within Bibescu family and was renovated by Nicolae Bibescu. In November 1916, during the Romanian Campaign of World War I , the palace at Mogoșoaia was bombed by the German air forces. Bought from Marie-Nicole by her cousin (and head of

2912-738: The Russo-Turkish War of 1710-1711 . Prince Dimitrie Cantemir sided with Peter in open rebellion against the Ottomans, but he was defeated at Stănilești . Sultan Ahmed III officially discarded recognition of local choices for princes, imposing instead a system relying solely on Ottoman approval: the Phanariote epoch , inaugurated by the reign of Nicholas Mavrocordatos . Phanariote rule was marked by political corruption , intrigue, and high taxation, as well as by sporadic incursions of Habsburg and Russian armies deep into Moldavian territory. Nonetheless, they also attempted legislative and administrative modernization inspired by The Enlightenment (such as

3016-527: The Tatars ; this gave them great mobility and also flexibility, in case they found it more suitable to dismount their horses and fight in hand-to-hand combat, as it happened in 1422, when 400 horse archers were sent to aid Jagiellon Poland , Moldavia's overlord against the Teutonic Knights . When making eye-contact with the enemy, the horse archers would withdraw to a nearby forest and camouflage themselves with leaves and branches; according to Jan Długosz, when

3120-455: The Treaty of Adrianople (which did not affect all domains directly), or through the raise in direct taxes - the one demanded by the Ottomans from the princes, as well as the ones demanded by the princes from the country's population. Taxes were directly proportional with Ottoman requests, but also with the growing importance of Ottoman appointment and sanctioning of princes in front of election by

3224-470: The boyars and the boyar Council – Sfatul boieresc  [ ro ] (drawing in a competition among pretenders, which also implied the intervention of creditors as suppliers of bribes). The fiscal system soon included taxes such as the văcărit (a tax on head of cattle), first introduced by Iancu Sasul in the 1580s. The economic opportunities offered brought about a significant influx of Greek and Levantine financiers and officials, who entered

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3328-575: The boyars or of the monasteries. Historian Nicolae Iorga associated the Roma people's arrival with the 1241 Mongol invasion of Europe and considered their slavery as a vestige of that era; he believed that the Romanians took the Roma as slaves from the Mongols and preserved their status to control their labor. Other historians consider that the Roma were enslaved while captured during the battles with

3432-452: The stagnation of the Ottoman Empire ; at one point, during the 1650s and 1660s, princes began relying on counterfeit coinage (usually copies of Swedish riksdalers , as was that issued by Eustratie Dabija ). The economic decline was accompanied by a failure to maintain state structures: the feudal -based Moldavian military forces were no longer convoked, and the few troops maintained by the rulers remained professional mercenaries such as

3536-681: The 1710 Russian intervention in Moldavia , the prince contacted Tsar Peter and accepted gifts from the latter, while his rivalry with the Moldavian Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (the main regional ally of the Russians) prevented a more decisive political move. Instead, Brâncoveanu gathered Wallachian troops in Urlați , near the Moldavian border, awaiting for Russian troops to storm into his country and offer his services to

3640-562: The 1774 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca allowed Russia to intervene in favour of Ottoman subjects of the Eastern Orthodox faith - leading to campaigns of petitioning by the Moldavian boyars against princely policies. In 1712, Hotin was taken over by the Ottomans and became part of a defensive system that Moldavian princes were required to maintain, as well as an area for Islamic colonization (the Laz community). In 1775, Moldavia lost to

3744-578: The Austrians, who were their enemies. Brâncoveanu and his wife Marica had seven daughters and four sons. Although all of his sons were murdered, many of his daughters had issue. Brâncoveanu's first born, Constantin II, also had a son who survived exile and rose to be a mare ban (foremost state function in Wallachian political hierarchy, except for the ruler). The male line of the Brâncoveanu family became extinguished in 1832, when Grigore Brâncoveanu died without having any children of his own. Yet he adopted

3848-706: The Hungarian king, crossed the Carpathians in 1359, took control of Moldavia, and succeeded in wrenching Moldavia from Hungarian control. His realm extended north to the Cheremosh River , while the southern part of Moldavia was still occupied by the Tatar Mongols. After first residing in Baia, Bogdan moved Moldavia's seat to Siret (it was to remain there until Petru II Mușat moved it to Suceava ; it

3952-613: The Islamic religion, which would pardon them from beheading. They chose to keep their Christian faith. According to his secretary, Anton Maria Del Chiaro , their heads were then carried on poles through the streets of Istanbul, an episode which caused a great unrest in the city. Fearing a rebellion, including from that of the Muslim population which was outraged by the injustice done to the Prince, his sons and his close friend, he ordered for

4056-643: The One-Eyed , Ottoman overlordship was confirmed in the shape that would rapidly evolve into control over Moldavia's affairs. Peter IV Rareș , who reigned in the 1530s and 1540s, clashed with the Habsburg monarchy over his ambitions in Transylvania (losing possessions in the region to George Martinuzzi ), was defeated in Pokuttya by Poland, and failed in his attempt to extricate Moldavia from Ottoman rule –

4160-649: The Ottomans (adding in turn to Brâncoveanu's determination to strip Wallachia of Turkish rule). Brâncoveanu left to the secular Romanian spirituality a few fundamental books, printed for the first time in Wallachia; among them, Aristotle's Ethics , the Flower of the Gifts and the Philosophical Examples, the last two being translated and printed by Antim Ivireanul . The neo-Romanian style was born from

4264-608: The Right-Believing Voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu, together with his sons Constantin, Ștefan, Radu, Matei, and the counselor [Enache]"). Their feast day is August 16. [...] Then Costandin-vodă [old rendition of his name] as well, arriving to his seat in Bucharest, catching news of the Austrians having entered his country and having reached Târgoviște, immediately left his seat [...] went forth towards Pitariului Bridge, setting camp in

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4368-427: The Tatars. The practice of enslaving prisoners may also have been taken from the Mongols. The ethnic identity of the "Tatar slaves" is unknown, they could have been captured Tatars of the Golden Horde , Cumans , or the slaves of Tatars and Cumans. While it is possible that some Romani people were slaves or auxiliary troops of the Mongols or Tatars, most of them came from south of the Danube , demonstrating that slavery

4472-430: The Vlachs, in much of the region's territory (towards 1216, the Brodniks are mentioned as in service of Suzdal ). Somewhere in the 11th century, a Viking named Rodfos was killed by Vlachs presumably in the area of what would become Moldavia. In 1164, the future Byzantine emperor Andronikos I Komnenos , was taken prisoner by Vlach shepherds in the same region. The Franciscan Friar William of Rubruck , who visited

4576-404: The best preserved example of Brâncovenesc style architecture is Hurezi monastery , inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites , where Brâncoveanu intended to have his tomb. Other buildings built by him are Mogoșoaia Palace complex, Potlogi Palace, Brâncoveanu monastery. Such cultural ventures relied on increased taxation, which was also determined by the mounting fiscal pressure of

4680-673: The bodies to be thrown into the Bosporus . Christian fishermen took the bodies from the water, and buried them at the Halchi Monastery, in the city's vicinity. The circumstances and facts of Constantin's death are recorded in history, and his sanctification is recognized by all Eastern Orthodox Churches . On 15 August 1714, the Feast of the Dormition , when Constantin Brâncoveanu was also celebrating his 60th birthday, he and his four sons and boyar Ianache Văcărescu were brought before Sultan Ahmed III of Turkey. Diplomatic representatives of Austria, Russia, France and England were also present. After all of his fortune has been seized, in exchange for

4784-417: The church and state. By the 1850s, the movement gained support from almost the whole of Romanian society. In December 1855, following a proposal by Prince Grigore Alexandru Ghica , a bill drafted by Mihail Kogălniceanu and Petre Mavrogheni was adopted by the Divan; the law emancipated all slaves to the status of taxpayers (citizens). Support for the abolitionists was reflected in Romanian literature of

4888-412: The country lost Bender to the Ottomans, who included it in their Silistra Eyalet . A period of profound crisis followed. Moldavia stopped issuing its own coinage c.  1520 , under Prince Ștefăniță , when it was confronted with rapid depletion of funds and rising demands from the Porte . Such problems became endemic when the country, brought into the Great Turkish War , suffered the impact of

4992-433: The court of the Great Khan in the 1250s, listed "the Blac", or Vlachs, among the peoples who paid tribute to the Mongols, but the Vlachs' territory is uncertain. Friar William described "Blakia" as " Assan's territory" south of the Lower Danube, showing that he identified it with the northern regions of the Second Bulgarian Empire . Later in the 14th century, King Charles I of Hungary attempted to expand his realm and

5096-427: The crown and the traditional system of succession were ended by scores of illegitimate reigns; one of the usurpers, Ioan Iacob Heraclid , was a Protestant Greek who encouraged the Renaissance and attempted to introduce Lutheranism to Moldavia. In 1595, the rise of the Movilești boyars to the throne with Ieremia Movilă coincided with the start of frequent anti-Ottoman and anti- Habsburg military expeditions of

5200-409: The day of the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia by means of a personal union . In 1862, after diplomatic missions that helped remove opposition to the action, the United Principalities (the basis of modern Romania) was formally created, and instituted Cuza as Domnitor – thus officially ending the existence of the Principality of Moldavia. All other pending legal matters were clarified after

5304-430: The decision by Constantine Mavrocordatos to salarize public offices, to the outrage of boyars, and the abolition of serfdom in 1749, as well as Scarlat Callimachi 's Code ), and signified a decrease in Ottoman demands after the threat of Russian annexation became real and the prospects of a better life led to waves of peasant emigration to neighboring lands. The effects of Ottoman control were also made less notable after

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5408-423: The decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church added these saints to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church. On 16 August 2020, Romania celebrated for the first time the day of remembrance of the persecution of Christians in the world. Although Brâncoveanu died on 15 August, his death was also remembered for having refused to convert to Islam. The intrigue marking Constantin's ascension and reign

5512-420: The enemy entered the wood, they were "showered with arrows" and defeated. The heavy cavalry consisted of the nobility, namely, the boyars, and their guards, the viteji (lit. "brave ones", small nobility) and the curteni (court cavalry). These were all nominally part of the Small Host. In times of war, boyars were compelled by the feudal system of allegiance to supply the prince with troops in accordance with

5616-420: The episode ended in Polish conquests of lands down to Bucharest , soon ended by the outbreak of the Polish–Swedish War and the reestablishment of Ottoman rule. Polish incursions were dealt a blow by the Ottomans during the 1620 Battle of Cecora , which also saw an end to the reign of Gaspar Graziani . A period of relative peace followed during the more prosperous and prestigious rule of Vasile Lupu . He took

5720-438: The exiled revolutionaries to return to Moldavia c. 1853, which led to the creation of the National Party ( Partida Națională ), a trans-boundary group of radical union supporters which campaigned for a single state under a foreign dynasty. In 1856, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris , the Russian Empire returned to Moldavia a significant territory in southern Bessarabia (including a part of Budjak ), organised later as

5824-418: The extent of their manorial domain . Other troops consisted of professional foot soldiers ( lefegii ) which fulfilled the heavy infantry role, and the plăieși , free peasants whose role was that of border guards: they guarded the mountain passes and were prepared to ambush the enemy and to fight delaying actions. In the absence of the prince, command was assigned to the Mare Spătar (Grand Sword-Bearer,

5928-418: The first of a new system, since the Ottomans and Russia had agreed in 1826 to allow for the election by locals of rulers over the two Danubian Principalities , and convened on their mandating for seven-year terms. In practice, a new foundation to reigns in Moldavia was created by the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829) , beginning a period of Russian domination over the two countries which ended only in 1856. Begun as

6032-399: The first ruler of the Ghica family , George Ghica . In the early 1680s, Moldavian troops under George Ducas intervened in right-bank Ukraine and assisted Mehmed IV in the Battle of Vienna , only to suffer the effects of the Great Turkish War . During the late 17th century, Moldavia became the target of the Russian Empire 's southwards expansion, inaugurated by Peter the Great with

6136-459: The founding figure of the principality. The names Moldavia and Moldova are derived from the name of the Moldova River ; however, the etymology is not known and there are several variants: On a series of coins of Peter I and Stephen I minted by Saxon masters and with German legends, the reverses feature the name of Moldavia in the form Molderlang / Molderlant (recte: Molderland ). In several early references, Moldavia

6240-431: The grounds of the palace. During the second world war, Prince Antoine Bibesco (a cousin of George Bibesco) and his wife Elizabeth Bibesco refused to flee the country. When Elizabeth died of pneumonia on April 7, 1945, she was buried in the Bibesco family vault on the grounds of Mogoșoaia. Neither Elizabeth Bibesco's husband, Antoine, nor George Bibesco's wife, Martha, could be buried beside them, as they both died during

6344-402: The influence of the Catholic Church eastwards after the fall of Cuman rule, and ordered a campaign under the command of Phynta de Mende (1324). In 1342 and 1345, the Hungarians were victorious in a battle against Tatar-Mongols ; the conflict was resolved by the death of Jani Beg , in 1357. The Polish chronicler Jan Długosz mentioned Moldavians (under the name Wallachians ) as having joined

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6448-552: The life of his family he was asked to renounce the Orthodox Christian faith. He reportedly said: "Behold, all my fortunes and all I had, I have lost! Let us not lose our souls. Be brave and manly, my beloved! Ignore death. Look at how much Christ, our Savior, has endured for us and with what shameful death he died. Firmly believe in this and do not move, nor leave your faith for this life and this world." After this, his four sons, Constantin, Ștefan, Radu and Matei and advisor Ianache were beheaded in front of their father. History also that

6552-494: The mid-19th century. The issue of the Roma slavery became a theme in the literary works of various liberal and Romantic intellectuals, many of whom were active in the abolitionist camp. The Romanian abolitionist movement was also influenced by the much larger movement against Black slavery in the United States through press reports and through a translation of Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin . Translated by Theodor Codrescu and first published in Iași in 1853, under

6656-464: The name Coliba lui Moșu Toma sau Viața negrilor în sudul Statelor Unite din America (which translates back as "Uncle Toma's Cabin or the Life of Blacks in the Southern United States of America"), it was the first American novel to be published in Romanian. The foreword included a study on slavery by Mihail Kogălniceanu. Under the reign of Stephen the Great , all farmers and villagers had to bear arms. Stephen justified this by saying that "every man has

6760-525: The newly founded Moldavian Metropolitan seat ; Patriarch Antony IV even cast an anathema over Moldavia after Roman I expelled Constantinople's candidate, sending him back to Byzantium. The crisis was finally settled in favor of the Moldavian princes under Alexander I . Nevertheless, religious policy remained complex: while conversions to faiths other than Orthodox were discouraged (and forbidden for princes), Moldavia included sizable Latin Catholic communities (Germans and Magyars ), as well as Armenians of

6864-441: The newly instituted consultative Assembly. A supporter of the union of his country with Wallachia and of Romanian Romantic nationalism , he obtained the establishment of a customs union between the two countries (1847) and showed support for radical projects favored by low boyars; nevertheless, he clamped down with noted violence the Moldavian revolutionary attempt in the last days of March 1848. Grigore Alexandru Ghica allowed

6968-464: The non-Chalcedonian Armenian Apostolic Church ; after 1460, the country welcomed Hussite refugees (founders of Ciuburciu and, probably, Huși ). The principality of Moldavia covered the entire geographic region of Moldavia. In various periods, various other territories were politically connected with the Moldavian principality. This is the case of the province of Pokuttya , the fiefdoms of Cetatea de Baltă and Ciceu (both in Transylvania ) or, at

7072-498: The palace itself is under reconstruction and presently houses a museum and art gallery ( Muzeul de Artă Brâncovenească ). The exterior and tunnels of the complex were featured in 2018 film The Nun . 44°31′39.65″N 25°59′33.77″E  /  44.5276806°N 25.9927139°E  / 44.5276806; 25.9927139 Constantin Br%C3%A2ncoveanu Constantin Brâncoveanu ( Romanian pronunciation: [konstanˈtin brɨŋkoˈve̯anu] ; 1654 – August 15, 1714)

7176-512: The plight of the poor country, and immediately lifted camp and left for Buzău . And when he arrived there, he sent his Lady and all her ladies-in-waiting to the convent [...], and he rode with a few of his men to meet the Sultan, paying him high allegiance and offering him many gifts. It is then that the Sultan saw that Costandin-vodă was not being rebellious, but rather [his] honest servant, and gave him assurance that his country would not be enslaved, and that [the Ottomans] were instead to meet

7280-399: The princely house), Prince George Bibesco , the palace was given to his wife, Princess Martha. He later deeded the land to her, too. Martha spent her private fortune for the reconstruction. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, the palace became the meeting place for politicians and for the international high society. When Prince George died in 1941, he was buried in the small, white 1688 church on

7384-418: The property of Romanian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox monasteries, and țigani boierești ("Gypsies belonging to the boyars"), who were enslaved by the category of landowners. The abolition of slavery was carried out following a campaign by young revolutionaries who embraced the liberal ideas of the Enlightenment . In 1844, Moldavian Prince Mihail Sturdza proposed a law on the freeing of slaves owned by

7488-458: The rapid fall in the importance of low boyars (a traditional institution, the latter soon became marginal, and, in more successful instances, added to the population of towns); however, they also implied a rapid transition towards a monetary economy , based on exchanges in foreign currency. Serfdom was doubled by the much less numerous slave population ( robi ), composed of migrant Roma and captured Nogais . The conflict between princes and boyars

7592-527: The regions of Bessarabia (with the Budjak ), all of Bukovina and Hertsa . The region of Pokuttya was also part of it for a period of time. The western half of Moldavia is now part of Romania, the eastern side belongs to the Republic of Moldova , and the northern and southeastern parts are territories of Ukraine. The original and short-lived reference to the region was Bogdania , after Bogdan I ,

7696-502: The remains of a Christian necropolis at Mihălășeni , Botoșani county , from the 5th century. The place of worship, and the tombs had Christian characteristics. The place of worship had a rectangular form with sides of eight and seven meters. Similar necropolises and places of worship were found at Nicolina, in Iași The Bolohoveni are mentioned by the Hypatian Chronicle in the 13th century. The chronicle shows that this land

7800-574: The replacement of Cuza with Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in April 1866, and the creation of an independent Kingdom of Romania in 1881. Slavery ( Romanian : robie ) was part of the social order from before the founding of the Principality of Moldavia, until it was abolished in stages during the 1840s and 1850s. Most of the slaves were of Roma (Gypsy) ethnicity. There were also slaves of Tatar ethnicity, probably prisoners captured from

7904-580: The river meadow of Plătăreşti , leaving behind the ispravnic [...] with orders that, when the Austrians were to arrive in Bucharest, he was to provide them with all supplies they would need. Subsequently [the Austrian General], upon understanding this [action], immediately sent a letter to Costandin-vodă, inviting him to return to his seat and join [the Austrians] in harassing the Turk. Then Costandin-vodă, upon understanding this, called as soon as he could

8008-479: The smallest child, Matei (12 years old) was so frightened after seeing the bloodbath and the heads of his three brothers that he started crying and asking his father to let him renounce Christianity and convert to Islam. At that moment, Constantin Brâncoveanu said: "Of our kind none have lost their faith. It is better to die a thousand times than to leave your ancient faith just to live few more years on earth." Matei listened and offered his head. After Brâncoveanu himself

8112-583: The state reached its most glorious period. Stephen blocked Hungarian interventions in the Battle of Baia , invaded Wallachia in 1471, and dealt with Ottoman reprisals in a major victory (the 1475 Battle of Vaslui ); after feeling threatened by Polish ambitions, he also attacked Galicia and resisted a Polish invasion in the Battle of the Cosmin Forest (1497). However, he had to surrender Chilia (now Kiliia) and Cetatea Albă (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi),

8216-886: The style can be found in Mogosoaia palace and the reworked Old Court. The Brâncovenesc style was revived in the 20th century in form of the Romanian Revival style , also called "Neo-Brâncovenesc". The Constantin Brâncoveanu University is located in Pitești , but it also has subsidiaries in Brăila and Râmnicu Vâlcea . In June 1992, the Sinode of the Romanian Orthodox Church decreed the sanctification of Constantin Brâncoveanu, his sons Constantin, Radu, Ștefan and Matei, and vornic Ianache Văcărescu. On March 7, 2018,

8320-525: The style of the monasteries, of the houses and of the palaces of Brâncoveanu and it became, through Ion Mincu and his school, the national style at the time of the affirmation of the cultural identities of the nations of Europe in the beginning of the 20th century. The architectural Brâncovenesc style is found in the churches of the Monasteries of Hurezi , Râmnicu Sarat , Doicesti and New St. George Church in Bucharest . Among secular buildings,

8424-427: The throne as a boyar appointee in 1637 and began battling his rival Gheorghe Ștefan , as well as the Wallachian prince Matei Basarab . However, his invasion of Wallachia, with the backing of Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky , ended in disaster at the Battle of Finta in 1653. A few years later, Moldavia was occupied for two short intervals by the anti-Ottoman Wallachian prince Constantin Șerban , who clashed with

8528-626: The throne for supporting Fyodor Koriatovych in his conflict with Vytautas the Great of Lithuania . Under Stephen I . Although Alexander I was brought to the throne in 1400 by the Hungarians (with assistance from Mircea I of Wallachia ), he shifted his allegiances towards Poland (notably engaging Moldavian forces on the Polish side in the Battle of Grunwald and the Siege of Marienburg ), and placed his own choice of rulers in Wallachia. His reign

8632-574: The tsar, while also readying to join the Ottoman counter-offensive in the event of a change in fortunes. When several of his boyars fled to the Russian camp, the prince saw himself forced to decide in favor of the Ottomans or risk becoming an enemy of his Ottoman suzerain , and swiftly returned the gifts he had received from the Russians. Such policies were eventually denounced to the Porte . Brâncoveanu

8736-412: The two main fortresses in the Budjak , to the Ottomans in 1484, and in 1498 he had to accept Ottoman suzerainty, when he was forced to agree to continue paying tribute to Sultan Bayezid II . Following the taking of Hotin (Khotyn) and Pokuttya , Stephen's rule also brought a brief extension of Moldavian rule into Transylvania : Cetatea de Baltă and Ciceu became his fiefs in 1489. Under Bogdan III

8840-493: The two thrones could not be occupied by the same person, allowing Partida Națională to introduce the candidacy of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in both countries. On January 17 (January 5, 1859, Old Style ), in Iași , he was elected prince of Moldavia by the respective electoral body. After street pressure over the much more conservative body in Bucharest , Cuza was elected in Wallachia as well (February 5/January 24), this being considered as

8944-530: The union program as demanded by radical campaigners was debated intensely. In September 1857, given that Caimacam Nicolae Vogoride had perpetrated fraud in elections in Moldavia, the Powers allowed the two states to convene ad hoc divans , which were to decide a new constitutional framework; the result showed overwhelming support for the union, as the creation of a liberal and neutral state. After further meetings among leaders of tutor states, an agreement

9048-516: The wars with the Nogai and Crimean Tatars . The institution of slavery was first attested in a 1470 Moldavian document, through which Prince Stephen the Great frees Oană, a Tatar slave who had fled to Jagiellon Poland . The exact origins of slavery are not known, as it was a common practice in medieval Europe . As in the Byzantine Empire , the Roma were held as slaves of the state, of

9152-629: The whole truth, about how the Tatars wished to enter his country, and [he] threw a major banquet in his honor and then returned to Bucharest in great fear. And the Tatars, aware of the Austrian presence, wasted no time in raising troops for the Sultan and sent forth messengers to Costandin-vodă, telling him that they were to come in the country to fight the Austrians. Thus Costandin-vodă, upon hearing news of this, became very saddened, most of all considering

9256-455: Was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. A descendant of the Craiovești boyar family and heir through his grandfather Preda of a considerable part of Matei Basarab ′s fortune, Brâncoveanu was born on the estate of Brâncoveni and raised in the house of his uncle, stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino . He rose to the throne after the death of his uncle, prince Şerban Cantacuzino. He

9360-599: Was Brâncoveanu's first son, albeit not his first offspring. He had one son, Constantin III, who was spared by the Ottomans: he later engaged in politics and furthered the family's name. Ștefan Brâncoveanu [REDACTED] 1685-1714 Bălașa, daughter of Ilie Cantacuzino . (27 February 1709) Maria Ștefan was noted for his accomplished classical education. He is the author of several books in ancient Greek. His line ended with his daughter, who bore no children. Radu Brâncoveanu [REDACTED] n/a-1714 Engaged to

9464-405: Was a scorched earth policy combined with harassment of the advancing enemy using hit-and-run tactics and disruption of communication and supply lines, followed by a large scale ambush: a weakened enemy would be lured in a place where it would find itself in a position hard or impossible to defend. A general attack would follow, often with devastating results. The shattered remains of what was once

9568-493: Was a widespread practice. The Tatar slaves, smaller in numbers, were eventually merged into the Roma population. Traditionally, Roma slaves were divided into three categories. The smallest was owned by the hospodars , and went by the Romanian-language name of țigani domnești ("Gypsies belonging to the lord"). The two other categories comprised țigani mănăstirești ("Gypsies belonging to the monasteries"), who were

9672-606: Was also related to Dimitrie through marriage (despite the fact that Cantemir and Brâncoveanu have taken the same side in the conflict with the Porte). Ștefan Cantacuzino 's brief rule saw in turn the downfall of the Cantacuzinos; he and his father were executed by the Ottomans, who saw the solution to the risk of Wallacho-Russian alliances in imposing the rigid system of Phanariote rule (inaugurated in Wallachia by Nicholas Mavrocordato , who, through his previous rule in Moldavia,

9776-526: Was decapitated, their heads were impaled on javelins and displayed in a procession. Their bodies were left before the gate and later on thrown into the waters of the Bosphorus. Brâncoveanu was a great patron of culture, his achievements being part of the Romanian and world cultural heritage. Under his reign, many Romanian, Greek , Bulgarian , Arabic , Turkish , and Georgian texts were printed after

9880-583: Was deposed from his throne by Sultan Ahmed III , and brought under arrest to Istanbul , where he was imprisoned in 1714 at the fortress of Yedikule ( the Seven Towers ). There he was tortured by the Ottomans, who hoped to locate the immense fortune he had supposedly amassed. He and his four sons were beheaded on the same day in August, together with Prince Constantin's faithful friend, grand treasurer Enache Văcărescu . Most importantly, Constantin and his sons were asked to renounce Christianity and join

9984-540: Was finally moved to Iași under Alexandru Lăpușneanu - in 1565). The area around Suceava, roughly correspondent to future Bukovina , would later constitute one of the two administrative divisions of the new realm, under the name Țara de Sus (the "Upper Land"), whereas the rest, on both sides of the Prut river, formed Țara de Jos (the "Lower Land"). Disfavored by the brief union of Angevin Poland and Hungary (the latter

10088-636: Was granted control over Pokuttya until the debt was repaid; as this is not recorded to have been carried out, the region became disputed by the two states, until it was lost by Moldavia in the Battle of Obertyn (1531). Prince Petru also expanded his rule southwards to the Danube Delta . His brother Roman I conquered the Hungarian-ruled Cetatea Albă in 1392, giving Moldavia an outlet to the Black Sea , before being toppled from

10192-458: Was initially supported by his maternal uncles Constantin and Mihai Cantacuzino, but grew increasingly independent from them in the course of his reign. Constantin Cantacuzino retreated to one of his estates and began advocating his son Ștefan 's candidacy to the throne. The prince took steps in negotiating anti-Ottoman alliances first with the Habsburg monarchy , and then with Peter the Great 's Russia ( see Russo-Turkish War, 1710-1711 ): upon

10296-539: Was one of the most successful in Moldavia's history, but also saw the first confrontation with the Ottoman Turks at Cetatea Albă in 1420, and later even a conflict with the Poles. A deep crisis was to follow Alexandru's long reign, with his successors battling each other in a succession of wars that divided the country until the murder of Bogdan II and the ascension of Petru III Aron in 1451. Nevertheless, Moldavia

10400-598: Was reached (the Paris Convention ), whereby a limited union was to be enforced – separate governments and thrones, with only two bodies in common (a Court of Cassation and a Central Commission residing in Focșani ); it also stipulated that an end to all privilege was to be passed into law, and awarded back to Moldavia the areas around Bolhrad , Cahul , and Izmail . However, the Convention failed to note whether

10504-592: Was recruited from all the free peasantry older than 14 and strong enough to carry a sword or use a bow . This seldom happened, for such a levée en masse was devastating for both economy and population growth. In the Battle of Vaslui , Stephen had to summon the Large Host and also recruited mercenary troops. In the Middle Ages and early Renaissance , the Moldavians relied on light cavalry ( călărași ) which used hit-and-run tactics similar to those of

10608-707: Was still the country's overlord), Bogdan's successor Lațcu accepted conversion to Latin Catholicism around 1370. Despite the founding of the Latin diocese of Siret , this move did not have any lasting consequences. Despite remaining officially Eastern Orthodox and culturally connected with the Byzantine Empire after 1382, princes of the House of Bogdan-Mușat entered a conflict with the Constantinople Patriarchate about control of appointments to

10712-481: Was subject to further Hungarian interventions after that moment, as Matthias Corvinus deposed Aron and backed Alexăndrel to the throne in Suceava . Petru Aron's rule also signified the beginning of Moldavia's Ottoman Empire allegiance, as the ruler agreed to pay tribute to Sultan Mehmed II . Under Stephen the Great , who took the throne and subsequently came to an agreement with Casimir IV of Poland in 1457,

10816-422: Was to become exceptionally violent – the latter group, who frequently appealed to the Ottoman court in order to have princes comply with its demands, was persecuted by rulers such as Alexandru Lăpușneanu and John III . Ioan Vodă's revolt against the Ottomans ended in his execution (1574). The country descended into political chaos, with frequent Ottoman and Tatar incursions and pillages. The claims of Mușatins to

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