1716: Stefan Cantacuzino, Wallachian prince

On this date in 1716, the Ottomans extinguished their Wallachian (Romanian) client king — and with him native rule on that soil.

The Cantacuzino family has bequeathed Romania no small quantity of notables down to our present time. Our man Stefan Cantacuzino (English Wikipedia entry | Romanian) got the throne of the Ottoman satellite principality of Wallachia via intriguing against a cousin whom the Ottomans deposed and executed in 1714. That guy is a saint today for refusing to convert to save his life.

Stefan Cantacuzino aimed perhaps at a more secular apotheosis, tipping the Austrians to Turkish battle plans as the frontier slid into war between those empires. Who knows what reverential murmurs would attend his name had he been able to attach the Danubian Principalities to Christendom?

But considering that summary death at the command of dissatisfied sultans was an occupational hazard for Wallachian princes, he can’t have been surprised to find the bowstring around his own neck instead.

“With him terminated the rule of the native princes,” notes this 19th century history — and began that of “the so-called Phanariote governors,” a class of Greek magnates initially resident in Istanbul. The Porte’s arbitration among these as deputies for Wallachia enabled it to maintain much better control of the troublesome province than entrusting succession to the treacherous local boyars.

On this day..

3 thoughts on “1716: Stefan Cantacuzino, Wallachian prince

  1. The Cantacuzino family wasn’t at all an “native” family. They might have been born on one of the Romanian countries soil but they were still not (at tge time of these events) so far in time from their greek/byzantine origine

  2. In these days Romania was essentially divided in 3 parts: the heartland Walachia, Southern Romania, the north-eastern Moldavia which sometimes also included Moldova, Bessarabia and the Bukowina and the parts administered by Austro-Hungaria: Transsylvania, East Banat and the western border provinces. Moldavia and Walachia were Turkish vassals and not well treated by the Ottoman Caliphate.There had never been an united Romania. Transsylvania was a vastly different country, the first state to allow freedom of religion and for a time an elective monarchy. It was a minority state with Romanians, Hungarians, Skeler and German speakers but the Hungarian minority was in charge. Unlike most of Moldavia and Walachia Transsylvania was liberated by Austria while the hapless Romanian vassals suffered for yet another century or more under continued Ottoman misrule – as well from incursions by Czarist Russia.

    • You are absolutelly wrong about “never” have been an united Romania. Check some historical data more than 100 years before this events.

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