Constantine Mourouzis
Constantine Demetrius Mourouzis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Δημήτριος Μουρούζης, romanized: Konstantinos Demetrios Mourouzis, Romanian: Constantin Dimitrie Moruzi), (1730 – 1 May 1787) was a Phanariote Prince of Moldavia, and member of the Mourousis family. A remarkable polyglot, he spoke five languages: Greek, Latin, French, Arabic and Turkish.
| Constantine Mourouzis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prince of Moldavia | |
| Reign | 12 October 1777 – 9 June 1782 |
| Predecessor | Grigore III Ghica |
| Successor | Alexander I Mavrocordatos |
| Born | 1730 Istanbul |
| Died | 1 May 1787 Istanbul |
| House | Mourouzis family |
| Religion | Orthodox |
In 1761, he became Grand Postelnic (foreign minister) in Moldavia, and soon after Dragoman of the Fleet (deputy minister) of the Ottoman Admiralty, and eventually Grand Dragoman. There are indications that he was politically involved in the dismissal and assassination of his predecessor, Grigore III Ghica, by the Porte.[1] Trusted by the Porte, he obtained the throne of Moldavia on October 12, 1770.
Mourouzis spent much of his time in Iaşi, supervising the gathering of agricultural resources demanded by the Porte, but also fought extravagant luxury and surrounded himself with scholars, paying particular attention to schools and founding scholarships. He was deposed on June 7, 1782 and exiled to the island of Tenedos. He returned in 1783, but died soon after.
Notes
- Brezianu, Andrei and Spânu, Vlad (eds.) (2007) "Moruzi. Constantin" Historical Dictionary of Moldova (2nd ed.) Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, USA, p. 250, ISBN 978-0-8108-5607-3
| Preceded by Alexander Ypsilantis |
Grand Dragoman of the Porte 1774–1777 |
Succeeded by Nicolae Caradja |
| Preceded by Grigore III Ghica |
Prince/Voivode of Moldavia 1777–1782 |
Succeeded by Alexander I Mavrocordatos |