Mihai Racovita
Encyclopedia
Mihai or Mihail Racoviţă (d. July 1744) was a Prince of Moldavia
on three separate occasions (September 1703–February 23, 1705; July 31, 1707–October 28, 1709; January 5, 1716–October 1726) and Prince of Wallachia
on two occasions (between October 1730 and October 2, 1731, and from September 1741 until his death). His rules overlapped with the accession of Phanariotes
in the Danubian Principalities
- he is considered himself a Phanariote for the duration of his last rule in Moldavia and his rules over Wallachia.
of the Racoviţă House
(and the father of Constantin Racoviţă
), closely related to the Cantacuzino family
and the son-in-law of Constantin Cantemir
, Mihai Racoviţă was appointed ruler of Moldavia by Ahmed III
, the Sultan
of the Ottoman Empire
, but had to continue fighting off other candidates for the throne, as well as their boyar supporters. To counter these, the Prince relied on Greek
supporters: notably, his allies were the first members of the Rosetti family.
These conflics brought an increase in tax
ation, as well as new fiscal demands. He was replaced by Antioh Cantemir
, who, by contrast, was seen as an exceptional ruler. Again on the throne, Racoviţă was deposed on orders from the Sultan, and recalled to Istanbul
on pressures from Russia's Peter the Great
; he was replaced by Nicholas Mavrocordatos
.
He was returned to rule in Iaşi
upon the outbreak of the Austro-Turkish War
, given his image as an enemy of the Habsburg Monarchy
. When the Habsburg troops entered Moldavia, Racoviţă suffered heavy losses, and called on help from the Nogai Tatars
in Yedisan
. Subsequently, he was able to defeat the infiltrating forces, and had the Habsburg commander executed together with those boyars who had risen against him.
with Nogai assistance, where he was to help Francis II Rákóczi
in his anti-Habsburg rebellion; his campaign met fierce Habsburg resistance in Bistriţa
, and his retreat was marked by another Habsburg invasion, as well as by the wide-scale plunder of boyar estates by the Nogais (allowed by Racoviţă as payment for their participation in combat). After the incident, he was ousted from the Moldavian throne after his rival Mavrocordatos appealed to the Sultan, was jailed and replaced with Grigore II Ghica
.
In 1726, Racoviţă presided the Iaşi trial of four Jews
from the Bessarabia
n borough of Oniţcani
, who stood accused of having ritually murdered a five-year old child on Easter
. The defendants were eventually acquitted
following diplomatic protests (notably, the French
ambassador to the Porte, Jean-Baptiste Louis Picon, remarked that such an accusation was no longer accepted in "civilized countries").
His ascension to the throne in Bucharest
came in the context of Patrona Halil
's Ottoman rebellion, which had toppled Ahmed III and brought Mahmud I
as Sultan; Halil's downfall in the following year almost brought about Racoviţă's, but he successfully furnished the Porte with income provided by raised taxes. He died in Istanbul.
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...
on three separate occasions (September 1703–February 23, 1705; July 31, 1707–October 28, 1709; January 5, 1716–October 1726) and 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...
on two occasions (between October 1730 and October 2, 1731, and from September 1741 until his death). His rules overlapped with the accession of Phanariotes
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...
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...
- he is considered himself a Phanariote for the duration of his last rule in Moldavia and his rules over Wallachia.
First rules
A local boyarBoyar
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....
of the Racoviţă House
Racovita
Racoviţa may refer to:* the Racoviţă family of Wallachian and Moldavian boyars and Phanariotesand to several places in Romania:* Racoviţa, a commune in Brăila County* Racoviţa, a commune in Sibiu County* Racoviţa, a commune in Timiş County...
(and the father of Constantin Racoviţă
Constantin Racovita
Prince Constantin Racoviţă was twice monarch of Principality of Moldavia: 31 August 1749 – 3 July 1753 and 29 February 1756 – 14 March 1757; and also twice of Muntenia: July 1753 – c. 28 February 1756 and 9 March 1763 – 28 January/8 February 1764....
), closely related to the Cantacuzino family
Cantacuzino family
The Cantacuzino or Cantacuzène family is an old boyar family of Wallachia and Moldavia, a branch of Greek Kantakouzinos family, allegedly descended from the Byzantine Emperor John VI Cantacuzenus. No definite genealogical links between Byzantine Greek and Romanian Cantacuzinos have been established...
and the son-in-law of Constantin Cantemir
Constantin Cantemir
Constantin Cantemir was a Moldavian Voivode between June 25, 1685 and March 27, 1693.-Life:Cantemir became a voivode at the age of 71, after being favored by the Ottoman Empire in his conflict with Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino...
, Mihai Racoviţă was appointed ruler of Moldavia by Ahmed III
Ahmed III
Ahmed III was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV . His mother was Mâh-Pâre Ummatullah Râbi'a Gül-Nûş Valide Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at Hajioglupazari, in Dobruja...
, the 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...
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...
, but had to continue fighting off other candidates for the throne, as well as their boyar supporters. To counter these, the Prince relied on 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....
supporters: notably, his allies were the first members of the Rosetti family.
These conflics brought an increase in tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
ation, as well as new fiscal demands. He was replaced by Antioh Cantemir
Antioh Cantemir
Antioh Cantemir , son of Constantin Cantemir and older brother of Dimitrie Cantemir , was a Moldavian Voivode between December 18, 1695 and September 12, 1700, and again from February 23, 1705 to July 31, 1707.-Reigns:He and Dimitrie successfully plotted against Prince Constantin...
, who, by contrast, was seen as an exceptional ruler. Again on the throne, Racoviţă was deposed on orders from the Sultan, and recalled to 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...
on pressures from Russia's Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
; he was replaced by Nicholas Mavrocordatos
Nicholas Mavrocordatos
Nicholas Mavrocordatos was a Greek member of the Mavrocordatos family, Grand Dragoman to the Divan , and consequently the first Phanariote Hospodar of the Danubian Principalities - Prince of Moldavia, and Prince of Wallachia...
.
He was returned to rule 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...
upon the outbreak of the Austro-Turkish War
Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18
The Austro-Turkish War was fought between Austria and the Ottoman Empire.The Treaty of Karlowitz was not an acceptable long-standing agreement for the Ottoman Empire...
, given his image as an enemy of the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
. When the Habsburg troops entered Moldavia, Racoviţă suffered heavy losses, and called on help from the Nogai Tatars
Nogais
The Nogai people are a Turkic ethnic group in Southern Russia: northern Dagestan and Stavropol Krai, as well as in Karachay-Cherkessia and the Astrakhan Oblast; undefined number live in Chechnya...
in Yedisan
Yedisan
Yedisan is a historical region in modern southwestern Ukraine and southeastern Moldova . The region lies to the north of the Black Sea between the Dniester and Dnieper rivers...
. Subsequently, he was able to defeat the infiltrating forces, and had the Habsburg commander executed together with those boyars who had risen against him.
Transylvanian campaign and late rules
He was ordered by the Ottomans to pass into TransylvaniaTransylvania
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...
with Nogai assistance, where he was to help Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
in his anti-Habsburg rebellion; his campaign met fierce Habsburg resistance in Bistriţa
Bistrita
Bistrița is the capital city of Bistriţa-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistriţa River. The city has a population of approximately 80,000 inhabitants, and it administers six villages: Ghinda, Sărata, Sigmir, Slătiniţa, Unirea and Viişoara.-History:The earliest sign of...
, and his retreat was marked by another Habsburg invasion, as well as by the wide-scale plunder of boyar estates by the Nogais (allowed by Racoviţă as payment for their participation in combat). After the incident, he was ousted from the Moldavian throne after his rival Mavrocordatos appealed to the Sultan, was jailed and replaced with Grigore II Ghica
Grigore II Ghica
Grigore II Ghica was Voivode of Moldavia at four different intervals — from October 1726 to April 16, 1733, from November 27, 1735 to 14 September 1739, from October 1739 to September 1741 and from May 1747 to April 1748 — and twice Voivode of Wallachia: April 16, 1733 – November 27, 1735 and...
.
In 1726, Racoviţă presided the Iaşi trial of four Jews
History of the Jews in Romania
The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
from the 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....
n borough of Oniţcani
Oniţcani
Oniţcani is a commune in Criuleni district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Oniţcani....
, who stood accused of having ritually murdered a five-year old child on Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
. The defendants were eventually acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
following diplomatic protests (notably, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ambassador to the Porte, Jean-Baptiste Louis Picon, remarked that such an accusation was no longer accepted in "civilized countries").
His ascension to the throne 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....
came in the context of Patrona Halil
Patrona Halil
Patrona Halil , was the instigator of a mob uprising in 1730 which replaced Sultan Ahmed III with Mahmud I and ended the Tulip period....
's Ottoman rebellion, which had toppled Ahmed III and brought Mahmud I
Mahmud I
Mahmud I , called the Hunchback was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754.-Biography:...
as Sultan; Halil's downfall in the following year almost brought about Racoviţă's, but he successfully furnished the Porte with income provided by raised taxes. He died in Istanbul.