This is a glossary of historical Romanian ranks and titles used in the principalities of 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...

, 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...

 and Transylvania

Transylvania

Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

, and later in 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...

. Many of these titles are of Slavic

Slavic languages

The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...

 etymology, with some of Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

, Byzantine

Byzantine 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...

, Latin, and Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

 etymology; several are original (such as armaş, paharnic, jitnicer and vistiernic). Various boier titles correspond to various honorary services at the Court, but often they were associated with various actual governmental duties as well.

Mare (Romanian), vel (Slavic) or baş (Turkish) are composing parts used with other titles. Synonymous with the Byzantine "Megas", they precede a title or rank: Mare Vornic, Mare Stolnic, Vel Paharnic, Vel Pitar, Vel Logofăt, Baş Boier, etc.

Middle Ages

Name of the rank	Etymology	Description
Aprod	Hungarian apród	official in charge of justice or fiscal affairs, or introducing guest to the court.
Armaş Armas The Arma people are an ethnic group of the middle Niger River valley, descended in part from Moroccan - Spanish invaders of the 16th century. The name, applied by other groups, derives from the Arabic word arrimah, « shooters »....	Romanian Armă, arm + suffix -aş	official in charge of security, prisons and executions.
Ban Ban (title) Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...	probably Sarmatian, Persian or Avar	The title of medieval rulers of parts of Wallachia (Oltenia Oltenia Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....  and Severin Severin Severin, Séverin or Severinus may refer to:* Severin -Places:* Caraş-Severin County, a county in Romania* Severin County, a defunct county in Romania that was merged into the present Caraş-Severin County... ) since the 13th century. The Wallachian bans were military governor Governor A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state... s. Territory over which a ban ruled in Wallachia was called a banat (see article about Banat Banat The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...  region).
Becer	Romanian beci, cellar (of Cuman Cuman language Cuman was a Kipchak Turkic language spoken by the Cumans and Kipchaks; the language was similar to the today's Crimean Tatar language...  origin)	court cook.
Boier 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....	Slavic bolyarin	A hereditary aristocrat(boyars).
Cămăraş	Romanian cămară, pantry	person in charge of the rooms and pantries Pantry A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. The derivation of the word is from the same source as the Old French term paneterie; that is from pain, the French form of the Latin panis for bread.In a late medieval hall, there were...  of the court.
Căminar	Romanian camină, tax, from Slavic	person in charge of collecting some taxes (initially the taxes for beeswax Beeswax Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols... ).
Chelar	Greek kellarios, ultimately from Latin cellarium, storeroom	person in charge of the court's cellar Basement __FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system... s and food stores.
Clucer Clucer Clucer was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to that of Masters of the Royal Court...	Slavic kliučiari, from the word for "key Key (lock) A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to... "	a person in charge of the court household and servants, cf. Master of the Royal Court, Russian boyar title klyuchnik.
Cneaz Knyaz Kniaz, knyaz or knez is a Slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a royal nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....	Slavic Knyaz, ultimately from German.	chieftain or judge of some villages
Condicar	Romanian condică, register book, from Greek kódik	person in charge of the court archives, archivist Archivist An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media... .
Comis	Greek kómis	Master of the Horse Master of the Horse The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :... .
Cupar Cupar Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...	Romanian cupă	boyar in charge with filling the cups at the boyar's table
Domn	Romanian a domni, to rule, from Domn, Lord	title of rulers of 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...  and 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...
Domnitor Domnitor Domnitor was the official title of the ruler of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia between 1859 and 1866....	Romanian a domni, to rule, from Domn, Lord	the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1859 and 1881 (also unofficially used earlier).
Dregător	Romanian a drege, to fix, to plan	general term referring to most officials at the court, with roles ranging from counsellorship to administration, justice or military organisation.
Jitnicer	Romanian jitniţă, granary, from Slavic žitnica, derived from žito, rye	person in charge of the court granary Granary A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain... .
Jude	Latin judex, cf Romanian judeţ, a jurisdiction generally translated as "county County A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain... "	judge and/or mayor of a region.
Grămătic	Greek ghrammatikós	secretary.
Hatman	cf. Hetman Hetman Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita.... , from Polish, ultimately from German	a Moldavian equivalent of spătar.
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...	South Slavic gospodar	title of rulers of 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...  and 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...  in Slavic documents.
Ispravnic Ispravnic An ispravnic was, in the Danubian principalities, the title owned by a clerk or a boyar in charge of law enforcement in a certain county. Initially, during the middle ages, ispravnics were people who used to carry out the voivod's commands. Later on, ispravnics became local administrators and were...	Slavic izpravnik	a representative of the Domnitor in a county.
Logofăt	Greek logothetēs	chancellor Chancellor Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the... .
Medelnicer	Slavic "medelnica", copper Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...  wash-basin	a boier title; literally, the person who pours water on hands to wash them before meals.
Paharnic	Slavic root "bowl"/"goblet"/"cup" (pohar/pucharz) cf. Romanian pahar, "glass"	person in charge of the wine supplies, loosely corresponds to "Royal Cup-bearer Cup-bearer A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king's cup, and... ", akin to Polish Cześnik Czesnik Cześnik was a court office in Poland and Lithuania until the end of the 13th century. The holder was responsible for the wine-cellar of the King and for serving him cups with wine at banquets... , but with a different etymology.
Pârcălab	Hungarian porkoláb	head of a county (judeţ Judet A județ is an administrative division in Romania, and was also used for some time in Moldova, before that country switched to raions.Județ translates into English as jurisdiction, but is commonly mistranslated as county .The territory of Romania is divided for administrative purposes into 41... ).
Pârgar	German Bürger, via Hungarian polgár.	member of the local council of a town.
Pitar Pitar Pitar is a genus of venerid bivalve mollusc containing over 60 species....	from Pita Pita Pita or pitta is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Greece, the Balkans the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough... bread	bread supplier of the court.
Polcovnic	cf. Polkovnik Polkovnik Polkovnik is often a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor...	commander of a regiment.
Portar	Romanian Poartă, gate	Portar de Suceava Suceava Suceava is the Suceava County seat in Bukovina, Moldavia region, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565.-History:... .
Postelnic Postelnic Postelnic was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to the position of chamberlain...	Slavic postel, "bed"; cf. Russian postelnichy	a boier title; literally "a person in charge of royal chambers"; loosely corresponds to Chamberlain Chamberlain (office) A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign.... .
Şătrar	South Slavic šatra	boyar in charge of the watch of the military camp during war.
Sfetnic	Slavic suvetnik	voivode/domnitor's adviser.
Spătar	Greek spatharios	In Wallachia, holder of the royal sword Sword A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...  and bludgeon Bludgeon Bludgeon may refer to:* Bludgeon , a fictional character* Bludgeon , a club-like weapon* Crabtree's Bludgeon, a foil to Occam's Razor...  and second in rank in the army after the voivode.
Staroste	Slavic Starosta Starosta Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...	guildmaster, the leader of a guild Guild A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...  (breaslă in Moldavia, isnaf in Wallachia).
Stolnic Stolnic Stolnic was a boier rank and the position at the court in the history of Romania: in Moldavia and Wallachia. The title approximately corresponds to seneschal and is borrowed from the Slavic title stolnik a person in charge of the royal table.The title mare stolnic means "great stolnic", or...	Slavic Stolnik Stolnik Stolnik was a court office in Poland and Muscovy, responsible for serving the royal table.- Stolnik in Crown of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania : In Crown of Poland under the first Piast dukes and kings, this was a court office....	a boier rank and the position at the court Noble court The court of a monarch, or at some periods an important nobleman, is a term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure...  in the history of Moldavia and Wallachia, a seneschal Seneschal A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli... ; a person in charge of the royal table.
Sluger Sluger Sluger was a historical rank traditionally held by boyars in Moldavia and Wallachia, roughly corresponding to that of Masters of the Royal Court. It originated in the Slavic služar....	Slavic služar	person in charge of meat supplies for the court.
Vătaf	Slavic vatah	overseer of various kinds (Vătaful divanului, Vătaf de agie, Vătaf de plai, Vătaf de hotar, etc.).
Vistiernic	Latin vestiarius, a person in charge of the wardrobe Wardrobe A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...	a title of treasurer Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:... .
Voievod	Slavic Voivode	ruling prince, commander-in-chief of the army, titles of the Wallachian and Moldavian rulers; they were also known as domnitori.
Vornic Vornic Vornic was a historical rank for an official in charge of justice and internal affairs. He was overseeing the Royal Court. It originated in the Slovak nádvorník. In the 16th century in Moldavia were two high vornics: one for "Ţara de Sus" , and other for "Ţara de Jos" ....	cf. Slovak Slovak language Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...  nádvorník	official in charge of justice and internal affairs

Phanariote era

Name of the rank	Etymology	Description
Aga	Turkish ağa, military commander.	chief of a law enforcement agency Law enforcement agency In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...  (agie)
Alaiceauş	Turkish alay and çavuş	master of ceremonies Master of Ceremonies A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
Beizadea	Turkish beyzade	hospodar's son (during the Phanariote period).
Binişliu	Turkish binişli	court waiter.
Buhurdargiu	Turkish buhurdur	person in charge with the court spice pot
Cafegiu	Turkish kahveci	persons who served the coffee at the court.
Caftangiu	caftan, mantle, of Turkish origin.	person who put the boyarial mantle on the back of the new appointed boyars.
Calemgiu	Turkish kalemcı	clerk.
Capuchehaie	Turkish kapikâhaya	diplomatic representative of the Wallachian/Moldavian rulers to the Ottoman court.
Capugiu	Turkish kapucu Kapucu Kapucu was designated official envoy of the Ottoman Sultan in medieval Wallachia and Moldovia. His missions are mostly associated with, but not limited to, the recalling of subject Hospodars ....	guard of the Sultan and executer of secret orders, including deposing or assassinating of the princes of Wallachia and Moldavia
Caraghios	Turkish karagöz	court buffoon
Cavas-başa	Turkish Kavas and baş	court servant who guarded the door of the prince's room.
Ceauş	Turkish çavuş	messenger or doorman
Chehaia	Turkish kehaya	representative of the Domnitor at the Ottoman court.
Ciohodar	Turkish çuhadar	person in charge of the shoes of the ruler.
Ciubucciu	Turkish çubukçu	person in charge of the pipes (çubuk) of the ruler.
Divan Efendi	Turkish	Ottoman clerk who worked as a translator at the court, who was also a spy of the Sultan
Divictar	Turkish divitdar	court clerk in charge with the ink and writing supplies.
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...	Greek dragomános	interpreter, translator.
Gealat	Turkish cellât	executioner.
Geamgirgiu	Turkish	servant in charge of the prince's bedsheets.
Gus-başa	Turkish	servant in charge of the books with the boyar's ranks.
Ibrictar	Turkish	servant who was in charge of the kettle which held the water for washing prince's hands.
Iciolan	Turkish içoğlan Içoglan The term içoğlan refers to the boy servants who had been recruited according to the devşirme system in the Ottoman Empire, and who worked in the Enderun, that is, Inner Palace, one of the three parts of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul...	boy servant
Idicliu	Turkish	servant in charge of the horses
Isbaşa	Turkish	clerk in charge with the petitions at the Court.
Iuzbaşa	Turkish yüz, a hundred	commander over the hundred soldiers who defended the Court
Lipcan	Turkish Lipkan	official courier between the Porte and the Wallachian and Moldavian Courts.
Mabeemgiu	Turkish	servant in charge with the mabeems (chambers dedicated to the dregători)
Mazil Mazil Mazil is the name of a boyar of the landed gentry in Wallachia and Moldavia, having no state or court function. The title of mazil attested that the bearer was of noble origin . Mazili often formed separate military cavalry corps...	Turkish mazul or Southern Russian mazil (landowner)	boiar of the landed gentry Landed gentry Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....  holding no public function.
Mehmendar	Turkish mihmandar	a boyar accompanying the ruler, taking care of the lodging Lodging Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no... .
Meteregiu	Turkish	a servant in charge with the prince's washing basin
Mucurdar, Muhurdar, Muhardagiu	Turkish mühürdar	a person in charge with the Court's seals.
Mumbaşir	Turkish mübaşir	tax collector
Nerghelegiu	Turkish nargileci	servant in charge with the prince's nargile
Nazâr Nazar Nazar may refer to:* Nazar , or evil eye stone, is an amulet of stone or glass which is believed to protect against evil eye, widely used in Turkey* Nazar , a masculine given name....	Turkish nāzır	governor of a Turkish city (such as the Turkish fortresses on the Danube)
Paia Paia Paia may refer to:*PAiA Electronics, a synthesizer kit company*Paia, Hawaii*Paia, a type of embutido*Promotion of access to information act...	Turkish pāye	boyar without a public function
Pehlivan	Turkish Pehlivan	acrobat of the court, often brought from Constantinople.
Peschirigi-başa	Turkish	servant in charge with giving to the prince the towel for drying himself.
Serdar Serdar Serdar is the Turkic spelling of the Persian name Sardar which means Field Marshal.-Given name:* Serdar Avcı, Turkish boxer* Serdar Aziz, Turkish footballer* Serdar Bayrak, Turkish footballer* Serdar Güneş, Turkish footballer...	from Turkish sardar Sardar Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank... , ultimately from Persian	commander of an army.
Ṣeitar		court buffoon