DIMITRIE CANTEMIR (1673-1723)

Prince of Moldavia, encyclopedist scholar, writer. Born in 1673, September 26, in Silisteni villages, Falciu county from a boyard family. Learns at the princely court from Iasi with the greek priest Cacavela latine, greek, slavonic etc. languages, having an extraordinary memory. His father became ruler of Moldavia and his two sons Antioh and Dimitrie, have special learning conditions

At 15 years old, Dimitrie Cantemir is hostage at Constantinole, pledged by his father to the High Gate, replacing Antioh. He will stay 22 years in the capital of the Otoman Empire and will study a lot and different with well known teacher of the epoch. After the death of his father he is ellected prince of Moldavia (1693), but the Ottomans did nor confirm him. From 1695 he is representative, in Constantinopole, of his brother Antioh, elected prince. He marries Serban Cantacuzino's daughter, Casandra, and will have a lot of children, one of them is the Russian priest and diplomate Antioh Cantemir (1708-1744). In 1710 he is set up by the Turks Prince, but he makes a secret treaty with Peter the Great (1711), to obtain the liberation from the Ottomans. Unfortunatelly the Russo-moldavian army is defeated at Stanilesti, on the Prut (1711), and Cantemir is obliged to escape to Russia with his family and 4,000 Moldavian (among the is Ion Neculce). They lives in Harcov, next in Moskow (being counsellor of the tzar), remaining in Russia till his death at his estate Dimitrievska (1723). In 1935, his remains were brought in the country and burried at Iasi.

Main works:

• Divanul sau galceava inteleptului cu lumea, first work written in Romanian, with a preface from his former teacher Cacavela
• Istoria ieroglifica, the most important literary work, written at Constantinopole in Romanian (1703-1705). Is a fable describing the fights for power in the Romanian states between the boyard families. First attempt of a politico-social novel.
• Hronicul vechimei a roman-moldo-vlahilor, written in Romanian (1719-1722), is the history from origins till the settling down.
• The History of the Ottoman Empire, written in Latine between 1714-1716 and translated in English, French and German, makes him the renown of an European learned. he was elected in 1714 member of the Academy from Berlin. Red by Voltaire, Byron and Victor Hugo.
• Descriptio Moldaviae, written in Latine (1714-1716), when he lived in Rusia, at the request of the Academy from Berlin.

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Last update: 1999, September 8
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