Manuc Bei
Encyclopedia
Manuc BeiManuc Bei (the common Romanian
rendering of Manuk Bey
, the Turkish
name of Emanuel Mârzayan; 1769-1817) was an Armenian
merchant
, diplomat
and inn-keeper.
(nowadays in Bulgaria
) as a subject of the Ottoman Empire
.
A grain merchant, he amassed considerable wealth, and was rumored at the time to be the wealthiest man in the Balkans
. In 1803, he was awarded the boyar
rank of paharnic by Constantine Ypsilanti, Prince of Wallachia
.
In 1808, the highly influential Manuc was advanced by his protector, the Ottoman general Alemdar Mustafa Pasha
, to occupy the Moldavia
n throne, but was prevented from taking the throne by the fall of his protector; he himself had to flee Istanbul
to avoid execution. Settling in Bucharest
(after a short period of refuge in Transylvania
), Manuc-bei kept the inn known today as Manuc's Inn; in time, he also acquired estates in Bessarabia
, near Hînceşti
and Reni
, and was to remain the main financial backer of Ypsilanti, lending the treasury 160,000 thaler
s in all.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812
, he was also a mediator (1809) between the Russian Imperial Army
of Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
and a rebel Ottoman garrison
in Giurgiu
. A Russian agent
, Manuc took part in the negotiations for the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest
between the Russian and Ottoman empires, which were held in his inn in Bucharest.
Towards the end of his life, he retired to his estate of Hînceşti, where his son later built a manor house
. Manuc died in an accident in 1817, and was buried in the Armenian Church in Chişinău
.http://www.panoramio.com/photo/33629142
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
rendering of Manuk Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
, the Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
name of Emanuel Mârzayan; 1769-1817) was an Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and inn-keeper.
Life
He was born in RousseRousse
Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
(nowadays in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) as a subject of 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...
.
A grain merchant, he amassed considerable wealth, and was rumored at the time to be the wealthiest man in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. In 1803, he was awarded the 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....
rank of paharnic by Constantine Ypsilanti, Prince 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...
.
In 1808, the highly influential Manuc was advanced by his protector, the Ottoman general Alemdar Mustafa Pasha
Alemdar Mustafa Pasha
Alemdar Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman military commander and a Grand Vizier born in Khotyn in Turkish-occupied Ukraine in 1765...
, to occupy the 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...
n throne, but was prevented from taking the throne by the fall of his protector; he himself had to flee Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
to avoid execution. Settling in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest 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....
(after a short period of refuge in 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...
), Manuc-bei kept the inn known today as Manuc's Inn; in time, he also acquired estates in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, near Hînceşti
Hîncesti
Hînceşti is a city in Moldova, also written without diacritics as "Hincesti" or "Hancesti" .Hînceşti is situated on the Cogalnic River, southwest of the Moldovan capital, Chişinău...
and Reni
Reni, Ukraine
Reni is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Reniysky Raion , and is located in the Bessarabian historic district of Budjak. The settlement was founded around 1548, acquiring city status in 1821.The current estimated population is around...
, and was to remain the main financial backer of Ypsilanti, lending the treasury 160,000 thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
s in all.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812
Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812
The Russo-Turkish War was one of many wars fought between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire.- Background :The war broke out in 1805–1806 against the background of the Napoleonic Wars...
, he was also a mediator (1809) between the Russian Imperial Army
Military history of Imperial Russia
The Military history of the Russian Empire encompasses the history of armed conflict in which the Empire participated. This history stretches from its creation in 1721 by Peter the Great, until the Russian Revolution , which led to the establishment of the Soviet Union...
of Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich
Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich , spelled Miloradovitch in contemporary English sources was a Russian general prominent during the Napoleonic Wars. He entered military service on the eve of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790 and his career advanced rapidly during the reign of Paul I...
and a rebel Ottoman garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
in Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
. A Russian agent
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, Manuc took part in the negotiations for the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest
Treaty of Bucharest, 1812
The Treaty of Bucharest between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, was signed on 28 May 1812, in Bucharest, at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812....
between the Russian and Ottoman empires, which were held in his inn in Bucharest.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
. Manuc died in an accident in 1817, and was buried in the Armenian Church in Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
.http://www.panoramio.com/photo/33629142