Caradja
Encyclopedia
Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenised citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, the southern Balkans, the Greek islands, Asia Minor , Cyprus and the large urban centres of the Near East...
and Phanariote
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Phanariote Greeks were members of those prominent Greek families residing in Phanar , the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is situated.For all their cosmopolitanism and often Western education, the Phanariots were...
Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
origins, present as dignitaries in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and established as hospodar
Hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or "master".The rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia were styled hospodars in Slavic writings from the 15th century to 1866. Hospodar was used in addition to the title voivod...
s and boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
s in the Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg Monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common...
from the late 16th century. One branch of it remained present in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in modern-day Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Origins
The House of Caradja originated in the Byzantine EmpireByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, probably in the capital Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The earliest mentions of the family's history are present in historian Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene
Anna Komnene, Latinized as Comnena was a Greek princess and scholar and the daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos of Byzantium and Irene Doukaina...
's Alexiad
Alexiad
The Alexiad is a medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I....
. In 1091, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
sent Argyros Karadja (or Karatzas) to Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, and appointed him Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
and Duke of Philippopolis
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
in 1094. In the year 1453, during events surrounding the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
, Efthatios Karadja was mentioned as the intermediary between Patriarch Gennadius II Scholarius
Gennadius II Scholarius
Gennadius II Gennadius II (in Greek Γεννάδιος Β') (lay name Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios, in Greek Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος) Gennadius II (in Greek Γεννάδιος Β') (lay name Georgios Kourtesios Scholarios, in Greek Γεώργιος Κουρτέσιος Σχολάριος) (c. 1400 – c...
and Sultan
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
.
In 1591, a Constantin Caradja assigned the rank of Grand Postelnic
Postelnic
Postelnic was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to the position of chamberlain...
in Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, and was therefore the first member of the family to be attested in one of the two principalities. Beginning with this generation, it is possible to reconstruct the family's genealogy completely. Constantin's nephew, the Postelnic Jean Karadja, was present in Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
, where he founded the monastery in Slobozia
Slobozia
Slobozia is the capital city of Ialomiţa County, Romania, with a population of 52,710 in 2002.-Geography:Slobozia lies roughly in the middle of the county, on the banks of Ialomita River, at ca. east of Bucharest and west of Constanţa, important port at the Black Sea...
, as well as in Moldavia, where he restored the Saint Sava Church in Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
(1625).
Branches
The two branches of the family descend from Constantin's other nephew, Constantin (Kostas) Caradja, who was himself Grand Postelnic of Moldavia in 1653. The descendants of his son Dumitraşco Caradja notably include Nicolae CaradjaNicolae Caradja
Nicolae Caradja , also known as Nicolae Vodă Caragea, was a Phanariote Prince of Wallachia, who reigned between 15 January 1782 and 17 July 1783. Previously, he was the great Dragoman of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople ....
(1737–1784), reigning Prince of Wallachia in 1782-1783. The branch extinguished in 1918, with the death of Prince Georges Caradja in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The branch still in existence comprises the descendants of Dumitraşco's second son, George Caradja. His first son, the Grand Dragoman
Dragoman
A dragoman was an interpreter, translator and official guide between Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts...
Scarlat (Charles) Caradja (1695–1780), was appointed Honorary Prince of Moldo-Wallachia by Sultan Abdul Hamid I, on September 26, 1774. Between 1761 and 1763, his brother Jean Caradja (c. 1700–1793), was the Patriarch of Constantinople, under the name of Joannicios III.
Scarlat's grandson, Ioan Gheorghe Caradja, was reigning Prince of Wallachia between 1812 and 1818, leaves two sons, the Beyzadés
Historical Romanian ranks and titles
This is a glossary of historical Romanian ranks and titles used in the principalities of Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania, and later in Romania. Many of these titles are of Slavic etymology, with some of Greek, Byzantine, Latin, and Turkish etymology; several are original...
Georges and Constantin, from who the present-day representatives of the family in Germany descend.
Beyzadé Georges Caradja married Smaragda Bibica, of the Rosetti family. Their grandson Prince Aristide Caradja (1861–1955) married Mathilde Grecianu (1862–1945), daughter of the univ. professor Alexandre Grecianu (1828–1894) from Iaşi. The couple had five children. The eldest, Prince Constantin Nicolas Caradja (1892–1961), who married Catherine Kretzulescu
Catherine Caradja
Princess Catherine Olympia Caradja was a celebrated Romanian aristocrat and philanthropist. Born in Bucharest, she grew up in England and France, and lived in Romania from 1908 to 1952, when she escaped from the communist regime on a Danube boat...
(1893–1993), a member of the Kretzulescu family; they had three children: Princess Irène Mathilde Catherine Caradja (1915–1940), who married Constantin Emandi (d. 1940); Princess Marie Constance Lucie Caradja (1916–1933); Princess Alexandra (Tanda) Caradja (1920–1997). Prince Aristide Caradja also had three daughters and a second son: Princess Marguerite Marie Catherine (1893–1933; married to Leon Sculy Logotheti), Princess Lucie Caradja (1894–1950; married to Carl Alfred Alioth), Princess Marcelle Hélène (1896–1971; married to Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démetre Karadja
Constantin Karadja
Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja was a Romanian diplomat, jurist, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorific member of the Romanian Academy...
) and Prince Alexandre Caradja (1900–1930).
Beyzadé Constantin Caradja (1799–1860) and his wife Adèle Condo-Dandolo (1814–1890) had one son, Prince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja Pasha
Jean Karadja Pasha
Prince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja Pasha. was a Phanariot army officer and diplomat of the Ottoman Empire. He was a talented pianist and composer.-Family:...
(1835–1894), Ministre Plénipotentiaire, married with Mary-Louise (1868–1943), daughter of commander L. O. Smith
Lars Olsson Smith
Lars Olsson Smith , also L.O. Smith, was a Swedish spirits manufacturer and politician. He was called "The King of Spirits" because of his domination of the of spirits production in Stockholm during the end of the 19th century...
, Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Senator
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
. The couple had two children: Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démetre Karadja (1889–1950), Consul General of Romania in Germany, married with Princess Marcelle Hélène Caradja, daughter of Prince Aristide Caradja, and Princess Despina Marie Roxane Alexandra Theodora Karadja (1892–1983) who had no descendants.
The couple also had two children: Prince Jean (Ion) Aristide Caradja (1917–1993); married with Minna Frieda Auguste Starke (1911–1992) and in second marriage with Georgeta Cătănescu (*1915), and Princess Marie Marcelle Nadèje Karadja (1919–2006)
The family today
The representatives of the present-day family descend from Prince Jean (Ion) Aristide Caradja and his first wife Minna Frieda Auguste Starke, who had three children:- Princess Irina Marcela Maria Caradja (*1941; married to Dr. med. Alexander (Alecu) Manescu), has a daughter and two sons, Alexandra Despina Mănescu (*1969), Stefan-Nicolae Mănescu (*1974), Michael Constantin Mănescu (*1980)
- Prince Constantin Ioan Dumitru Caradja (*1943; married to Birgit Lauer), has two sons, the Princes Jean C. G. Caradja (*1990) and Prince Manuel Constantin Lars Caradja (*1992).
- Princess Ioana Despina Caradja (*1945; married to Bertold Albrecht) has two daughters, Christa Despina Albrecht (*1967) and Evelyne Albrecht (*1971).
Notable members
- Patriarch Joannicius III of Constantinople (c. 1700-1793) Archbishop of Peć and Patriarch of SerbsPatriarch of SerbiaThis is a list of the Archbishops and Patriarchs of Peć and the Serbs from the creation of the church as an archdiocese in 1219 to today's Patriarchate. The list includes all the Archbishops and Patriarchs that led the Serbian Orthodox community under Patriarchate of Peć...
from 1739 to 1746 and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1761 to 1763. - Nicolae CaradjaNicolae CaradjaNicolae Caradja , also known as Nicolae Vodă Caragea, was a Phanariote Prince of Wallachia, who reigned between 15 January 1782 and 17 July 1783. Previously, he was the great Dragoman of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople ....
(1737–1784) – ruler of Wallachia (1782–1783); - Ioan Gheorghe Caradja (1754–1844) – ruler of Wallachia (1812–1818);
- Ralou CaradjaRallou KaratzaPrincess Rallou Karatza was a Greek actress, theatre director, translator and participant in the Greek War of Independence.Born daughter of the Greek prince John Caradja of Wallachia, then part of the Ottoman Empire, she had an early interest for theatre, both the theatre from antiquity and modern...
(†1870) - protector of arts and founder of the first theater in BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
called "Cişmeaua Roşie"; - Jean Karadja PashaJean Karadja PashaPrince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja Pasha. was a Phanariot army officer and diplomat of the Ottoman Empire. He was a talented pianist and composer.-Family:...
(1835–1894) - army officer, diplomat (father of Constantin) - Aristide Caradja (1861–1955) – naturalist (entomologist), jurist, honorific member of the Romanian AcademyRomanian AcademyThe Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
; - Constantin KaradjaConstantin KaradjaPrince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja was a Romanian diplomat, jurist, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorific member of the Romanian Academy...
(1889–1950) – diplomat, jurist, historian and bibliophile, honorific member of the Romanian Academy; - Catherine CaradjaCatherine CaradjaPrincess Catherine Olympia Caradja was a celebrated Romanian aristocrat and philanthropist. Born in Bucharest, she grew up in England and France, and lived in Romania from 1908 to 1952, when she escaped from the communist regime on a Danube boat...
(born Ecaterina Olimpia Creţulescu, 1893–1993) - philanthropist and humanitarian worker.