Dmitry Konstantinovich Kantemir
Kantemir Dmitry Konstantinovich (1673-1723) - statesman, writer. Senator for a year. Since 1722, active state councilor. Since the year, after the death of his father, he was proclaimed ruler of Moldavia, but was not approved by the Turkish Sultan. In 1710, he was appointed ruler of Moldavia by the Sultan. In the year, with the participation of Cantemir, a draft agreement on the accession of Moldova to Russia was drawn up. Called on the population of Moldova to support Peter I during Prut campaign. After conclusion Prut Peace was forced to leave Moldova with his family. In August 1711 he was granted the title of His Serene Highness Prince, lands and estates. One of the closest associates of Peter I and his advisers on eastern affairs. He was widely known as one of the major scientists of his time. Member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.
Danilov A.A. Reference materials on the history of Russia of the 9th - 19th centuries.
Scientist
Kantemir Dmitry Konstantinovich (26.10.1673-21.08.1723), Moldavian and Russian scientist, writer, composer and political activist. His father was the ruler of Moldavia and, as a hostage in his father's loyalty, Cantemir was in Constantinople in 1687-91, where he studied at the Greco-Latin Academy. There he studied music so well that as a composer he created many short plays. In 1710 he was elected ruler of Moldavia. In 1711 he concluded a secret agreement with Peter I on an alliance against Turkey and the transfer of Moldova to Russia. He was accepted with his family and followers as Russian subjects. Kantemir became the king's adviser on eastern issues, received the title of prince and estates in Little Russia. In 1721 he received the rank of privy councilor and the title of senator, and in 1722-23 he participated in the Persian campaign.
Site materials used Great encyclopedia Russian people - http://www.rusinst.ru
Philosopher
Cantemir Dmitry (1673 - 1723) - Moldavian writer, philosopher, historian and orientalist, ruler of Moldova. In 1711 he emigrated to Russia, where he became a political adviser to Peter I. Member of the Berlin Academy (1714). In his works he reflected the transition of philosophical thinking from the Middle Ages to modern times, from scholasticism to rationalism. Until the beginning of the 18th century. developed a philosophical and theological system (“Divan, or the Dispute of the Sage with the World,” 1698; “The Indescribable Image of Sacred Science,” 1700, etc.). Later he evolved to ideas close to deism and the early Enlightenment (“Hieroglyphic History”, 1705: “Chronicle of the Prescription of the Romanian-Moldo-Vlachs”, 1716-18: “Natural History of Monarchies”, 1714, etc.). His understanding of the historical process contained ideas about the universal nature of civilization, a well-known recognition of historical patterns within the framework of the theory of cyclic social development. The most famous is Cantemir’s work “The History of the Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire” (1714-16), translated into a number of European languages. Cantemir's son Antioch Cantemir (1708-44) - Russian writer, satirist, active participant in Peter's reforms, member of the "scientific squad" of Peter I.
Philosophical Dictionary. Ed. I.T. Frolova. M., 1991, p. 180.
Encyclopedist
Cantemir Dmitry Konstantinovich (26.X.1673 - 21.VIII.1723) - Moldavian scientist-encyclopedist and politician. Since 1710 - Moldavian ruler. In 1711, he concluded an agreement with Peter I on an alliance against Turkey and the transfer of Moldova to Russia. The Prut campaign of Peter I (1711) did not bring the liberation of Moldova; Together with Russian troops, Cantemir and 4 thousand Moldovans arrived in Russia. Kantemir became the king's adviser on eastern issues, received the title of prince and estate in Ukraine. He continued his scientific activities. In 1714 he was elected a member of the Berlin Academy. During the Persian campaign of 1722-1723, he managed the campaign office of Peter I. Almost all of Cantemir’s works were written in Russia under the influence of and in connection with the reforms of Peter I. Cantemir’s historical works are “Historical, geographical and political description of Moldavia”, “Chronicle of the ancient Romano-Moldo -Vlahov", "The History of the Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire" and others - became known in Russia and in Western Europe. Patriotism, faith in the progressive role of Russia in the Balkans and the possibilities of economic prosperity for Moldova permeate all of Cantemir’s historical works. Cantemir considered reason to be the main source of knowledge of the world - which was a step forward in the development of Moldavian science - although, along with reason, he attached great importance to the divine will.
Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 6. INDRA - CARACAS. 1965.
Statesman
Kantemir Dmitry Konstantinovich (26.10.1673, Iasi - 21.8.1723, village of Dmitrovka, Oryol province, Kyiv province), statesman, writer, historian, philosopher, senator (1721), privy councilor (1722). The youngest son of the Moldavian ruler Constantin Cantemir and Anna Bantysh, who came from an ancient boyar family. His first marriage was to Cassandra Cantacuzene, who came from a family of Byzantine emperors. Cantemir's teacher and educator was the educated monk I. Kakavela, the author of a textbook on logic and a number of anti-Catholic works. In November 1688, Cantemir was sent as a hostage to Istanbul, where he met with scientists from the Patriarchal Greco-Latin Academy, studied Greek, Latin, Arabic and Turkish languages, listened to lectures on history, philosophy, theology. The formation of Cantemir’s worldview was influenced by the works of the philosophers Anthony and Spandoni, and the natural philosophical ideas of Meletius of Artsky. Returning three years later to Moldova, D.K. Cantemir took part in the siege of the Soroca fortress, occupied by Polish troops (1692). After the death of his father (1693), he was elected by the boyars as the ruler of Moldova, but as a result of the machinations of the Wallachian ruler Constantin Brancoveanu, his candidacy was not approved by Sultan Ahmed I. Cantemir again left for Istanbul, where he remained until 1710 (with short breaks) as the representative of the Moldavian ruler at the Sultan's court. In 1697 he took part in the Battle of Zenta (now Senta, on the Tisza River), which ended in the defeat of the Turkish army from Austrian troops. Established friendly relations with the famous Turkish scientist Saadi Effendi, the ambassadors of Russia (P.A. Tolstoy), Holland (J. Collier), France (C. Ferriol). In 1710, the Sultan appointed the ruler of Moldova with the obligation to prepare the Moldavian army for the war with Russia, build bridges and crossings across the Danube, construct winter apartments for the remnants of the Swedish army of Charles XII defeated at Poltava, monitoring the actions of Brancoveanu, who was suspected of treason against the Porte. Cantemir, who sought to liberate Moldova from the Ottoman yoke, sent secret ambassador Stefan Luca to Russia, who entered into negotiations with Peter I on a joint fight against Turkey. In 1711; With the participation of Kantemir, a draft agreement was drawn up on the voluntary entry of Moldova into Russia on the basis of autonomy, on the establishment of a hereditary monarchy on its territory by Kantemirov, etc. He called on the population of Moldova to support the Prut campaign of 1711. After the conclusion of the Prut Peace of 1711, he and his family left Moldova. In August 1711 he was granted the title of His Serene Highness Prince, lands and estates, a house in Moscow and an annual pension of 6 thousand rubles. From 1713, after the death of his wife, he lived in Moscow, where he maintained contacts with Feofan Prokopovich, V.N. Tatishchev, Prince A.M. Cherkassky, Prince I.Yu. Trubetskoy, B.P. Sheremetev. He invited the writer I.I. to the position of secretary and teacher of his children. Ilyinsky. Cantemir's scientific works gained European fame. In 1714 he was elected a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. In 1719 he married Princess A.I. Trubetskoy (Peter I himself held the wedding crown over his head). Having moved with his family to St. Petersburg, he became the sovereign’s adviser on Eastern affairs and became one of the emperor’s closest associates. During the Persian campaign of 1722 he was in charge of the state chancellery. On Kantemir’s initiative, a special printing house with Arabic script was organized, in which Peter I’s appeal to the peoples of the Caucasus and Persia was published. In between hostilities, he undertook a series of geographical, historical, and archaeological studies, collected materials on the history of Dagestan, and studied the ancient monuments of Derbent. Cantemir is known as the author of philosophical, historical and philological works. Cantemir’s philosophical works include “Divan, or the Dispute of the Sage with the World” (1698), “Metaphysics” (1700), “General Abbreviated Logic” (about 1700), “Investigation of the Nature of Monarchies” (1714), “ Dark places in the Catechism" (1720). Cantemir's philosophical views underwent an evolution from theological idealism to rationalism and spontaneous materialism. Atomistic views were combined with a deistic understanding of the correlation between God and nature, soul and body. Cantemir argued that the world develops according to objective laws predetermined by God, but man, with the help of science, can study the secrets of the universe. Cantemir's historical works are devoted mainly to the Ottoman Porte and Moldavia ("History of the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire", 1714-1716; "Description of Moldavia", 1716; "Life of Constantine Cantemir", 1716-1718; "Events in the life of the Cantacuzins and Brynkovians", 1717-1718; “The System, or the State of the Mohammedan Religion,” 1719). Cantemir's work on the history of the Ottoman Empire was considered a classic study and was translated into English, German, French languages; Voltaire called this work his handbook on the East. Kantemir was a supporter of a centralized state and an opponent of boyar tyranny. Investigated the negative consequences of the Turkish yoke on the political, economic and cultural development peoples subject to the Ottoman Porte. He argued that history is a combination of progress and regression, that “states must appear and disappear, change and be reborn and die, have some kind of end.” He considered this process to be historically natural, for “from the death of one object another is born.” One of Cantemir’s most important literary works was “Hieroglyphic History” (1704-1705) - the first novel in the Moldavian language. This work, in an allegorical form, told about the dynastic feuds of the Cantemirs and Brynkovyans, about the tragedy of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, whose sovereigns, at enmity with each other, helped the sultans to oppress the peoples under their control. In 1703-1704 he wrote a musical treatise, where he outlined his ethical views, and also, based on the Arabic alphabet, gave a musical notation system for Turkish music. In 1723, due to illness, he returned to his Oryol estate Dmitrovka. Buried in the Moscow New Greek Monastery; in 1935, at the request of the Romanian government, his remains were transferred to Iasi.
KANTEMIR DMITRY KONSTANTINOVICH - Moldavian ruler, His Serene Highness Prince, Russian statesman, musician, writer.
From the family of Kan-te-mi-rov. The son of the Moldavian state-da-rya K.F. Kan-te-mi-ra. Father A.D. Kan-te-mi-ra. In the years 1688-1691, according to the prevailing tradition (a state-donor ascended the Moldavian throne as a sign of loyalty and devotion to the Turkish sul-ta-well-sent him his son) to-go-sya in hostages at the court of sul-ta-na Su-lei-ma-na II in Kon-stan-ti-no-po-le. He studied in the Greek Spiritual Academy (he studied oriental languages, Latin and ancient Greek languages, philosophy, literature, etc.), as well as also in Aka-de-mii Pa-di-sha-ha (Enderum Hüma-yün) - an educational institution at the court of the sul-ta-na, in which -whether the development of children of noble and wealthy foreigners or the subjects of the Ottoman Empire of Christianity sti-an-sko-go ver-ro-is-po-ve-da-niya. He paid special attention to the study of Turkish musical culture: ov-la-del vir-tu-oz-roy of the game on the tan-bu-re and theo-re- tic os-no-va-mi of eastern music, or-ga-ni-zo-val music school, in which he pre-da-val according to his own method. Under the name Kan-te-mir og-lu he fought for great fame as the author of Turkish classical musical compositions, iso-bre-ta- tel bu-k-ven-noy (based on the Arabic al-fa-vi-ta) musical notation.
After returning to Yassy and the death of his father (March 1693), he was elevated to the Moldavian state throne. One-on-the-year, under the pressure of many years of no-friend Kan-te-mi-rov of the state-by-da-rya of Va-la-hia K. Bryn- Ko-vya-well was removed from power and in April 1693 he left for Kon-stan-ti-no-pol. Continued to study literature, art and science. They would co-create a unique library (books by ancient authors in Latin and Greek, works on the -to-rii, geo-graphy, as-tro-no-mi and me-di-tsi-ne), collection of lectures of musical in-st-ru-men-tov, gra-vi-ro- Van-nyh ports of historical figures of the Osman Empire and European countries, as well as geographical maps of the 15th-17th centuries. Na-pi-sal (in Turkish) “The Book of Musical Science with Bu-k-ven-no-ta-tsi-ey” (circa 1700), in which to-roy gave a sys-te-ma-ticheskoe opis-sa-nie on-building-ki tan-bu-ra on the basis of 33-stu-pen-no-go 2-ok-tav-no-go sound-sound-yes. Kantemir maintained friendly relations with the ambassadors in the Osman Empire - the Dutchman J. Kohl-er , French by S. Ferrio-lem, Russian by P. A. Tolsty, etc.
After the Russian-Turkish war of 1710-1713, with the support of the great vizier Bal-taji Meh-met-pa-shi and the Crimean Kha- on Dev-let-Gi-ray II, Cantemir was again elevated to the state throne of Mol-da-via. In the winter of 1711, he established secret connections with the emis-sa-ra-mi of Tsar Peter I in the Ottoman Empire of S. L. Ra -gu-zin-skim-Vla-di-sla-vi-chem and G. Po-li-ka-loy. Because of this, he conducted a secret correspondence with the Russian court and with the Russian residence in Re-chi Po-spo-li-toy A.I. Dash-to-you, in which about-the-su-zh-gave a question about you-stu-p-le-niya of the right-glorious peoples of Bal-kan and Dun-nai of the principalities under the auspices of Russia against the Osman Empire, as well as pre-la-gal conditions for the transfer of the Moldavian principality under pro-tek-rat of Russia. Ogo-va-ri-val ga-ran-tii on-the-next-st-ven-no-government on the Moldavian throne, so-ci-al-nye and ma-te-ri- al-benefits that should have been granted to him by Peter I in the event of failure in the future knowledge of war. Pres-l-o-z-niya of the state-by-da-rya were you tsar and in the result of 13 (24).04.1711 Peter I and Chancellor G.I .Go-lov-kin under-pi-sa-li di-plom, in co-ordination with whom-they promise to establish pro-tek-tek -rat of Russia from the Principality of Moldova, as well as to grant Cantemir the right to inherit power.
With the approach of the Russian army to the borders of the Moldavian principality, pro-Russian sentiments among the Moldavian principality increased nobles and servants that allowed Cantemir to openly announce the withdrawal of the Moldavian principality from you in June 1711 for-vi-si-mo-sti from the Os-man Empire and about per-re-ho-de under the kro-vi-tel-st-st of Russia. One day, after the failure of the Prut campaign in 1711, Cantemir was ousted from the princedom and by water le tsa-rya, together with seven, settled in Khar-ko-ve. After the death of his wife (born Kan-ta-ku-zi-no) 11(22). On 05.1713, he retired to the estate given to him by Peter I - the village of Dmitrovka, Northern Uyezd. For little creativity, raising children and economic affairs. At this time, they were writing works: “Description of Mol-da-vii” (1716), which was the first publication -a work about the Moldavian Principality at the end of the 17th-18th centuries, “The History of the Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Port” ( 1714-1716) - the first fundamental work on the history of the Ottoman Empire, etc.
By order of Peter I, on February 13 (24), 1720, Kantemir married the youngest daughter of Prince I. Yu. Tru-bets-ko Ana-sta-sia. Se-na-tor (1721). Participated in the creation of the Table of Ranks of 1722. Developed and submitted for review by Peter I of the system of improvement of production and implementation -li-za-tion of hemp in Russia. During the Persian campaign of 1722-1723, he headed the marching can-ce-la-ria, compiled and re-re-vo- he made proclamations and ma-ni-fe-stys in Persian and Tatar languages on behalf of Emperor Peter I to the peoples of the Caspian region and the North Caucasus. With the support of Emperor Peter I along the entire route of the army, Kantemir carried on a correspondence with the mur-behind the mountain peoples. Dov. One day, because of the environment, you were ill, you had to leave the suite of Peter I and leave -sya for several months in As-t-ra-ha-ni. In January 1723, Kantemir moved to his estate - the village of Dmitrovka. Buried 01(12).10.1723 in the family mustache-finger in the Church of Saints Kon-stan-ti-na and Helena Ni-ko-la-ev-sko -th Greek monastery in Moscow. In 1935, during the demolition of the mo-na-sta-rya, the ashes of Kantemir were re-given to Ru-my-nia and re-re-for-ho-ro-nen in the city of Yas-sy in so-bo-re Three Saints.
Illustration:
"D. Kan-te-mir in tyur-ba-ne.” Unknown artist. End of the 17th century. Museum of Fine Arts (Rouen, France). BRE Archive.
Private bussiness
Dmitry Cantemir(1673 - 1723) was born in the village of Silishteni (now in Romania). His father was the ruler of Moldova, Konstantin Cantemir, and his mother was Anna Bantysh, who came from an ancient boyar family. In November 1688 he was sent as a hostage to the Sultan's court in Istanbul. There he studied at the Patriarchal Greek-Latin Academy, and also studied Arabic and Turkish. In 1691 he returned to Moldova, where he took part in the siege of the Soroca fortress, captured by Polish troops. In 1693, after the death of his father, he was elected ruler of Moldavia, but was in power for only one month, since his election was not approved by the Turkish Sultan. He goes to Istanbul again, this time as a diplomatic representative of Moldova at the Sultan's court. At this time, he actively communicated with Greek scientists and created his first works on philosophy and theology: “The dispute between the sage and the world or the soul and the body” (in Moldavian and Greek), “The Indescribable Image of Sacred Science” (“Metaphysics”). At the same time, Cantemir makes connections with Russian diplomats in Istanbul and meets Ambassador Pyotr Tolstoy.
In 1710, the Sultan made Dmitry Cantemir the ruler of Moldova and gave him instructions to prepare Moldavian troops for war with Russia. But by that time Cantemir had decided that an alliance with Russia would bring Moldova independence from the Turks. He sent diplomat Stefan Luca to Russia on a secret mission. As a result of negotiations in 1711 in Lutsk, Cantemir concluded an agreement with Peter I on the voluntary entry of Moldova into Russia on the basis of autonomy and on the establishment of a hereditary monarchy of Cantemir on its territory. However, the Prut campaign of the troops of Peter I ended unsuccessfully; the Russians miraculously avoided complete defeat.
After this, Dmitry Cantemir with his family and another four thousand subjects left Moldova. He settled in Russia, where he was granted the title of His Serene Highness Prince, lands and estates, a house in Moscow and an annual pension of six thousand rubles. During the Persian campaign of 1722 he was in charge of the state chancellery. On Kantemir’s initiative, a special printing house with Arabic script was organized, in which Peter I’s appeal to the peoples of the Caucasus and Persia was published. In between hostilities, he undertook a series of geographical, historical, and archaeological studies, collected materials on the history of Dagestan, and studied the ancient monuments of Derbent. After the end of the campaign, he lived on his estate Dmitrovka, where he died on August 21, 1723.
What is he famous for?
In Moldova and Romania, Dmitry Cantemir is revered as a fighter for the liberation of the country from the Turkish yoke. He was clearly aware that the Principality of Moldova would not be able to defend its independence on its own. Therefore, Cantemir, having weighed the relationships between the countries of his time, came to the conclusion that the only force capable of breaking the Ottoman Empire and liberating Moldova would be Russia, whose interests at that time came into conflict with the interests of Turkey, and a military conflict between them became inevitable. However, Cantemir's hopes were realized only after his death.
What you need to know
Dmitry Cantemir
Dmitry Cantemir was the author of works in a number of sciences, from philosophy to musicology. The knowledge about the Muslim East that he acquired during his years in Istanbul allowed him to last years create works through which he became the founder of several areas of Russian oriental studies: “The Book of Sistima or the State of the Muhammadan Religion”, “The History of the Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Court” (published in London in 1734 English translation and was soon translated into other European languages). The “Description of Moldova”, also history, became a real encyclopedia home country dedicated to “Chronicle of the Antiquity of the Romano-Moldo-Vlachs”, “The Life of Constantine Cantemir” and “Events in the Life of the Cantacuzins and Brynkovians”. In 1703-1704, Dmitry Cantemir wrote a musical treatise, where he outlined his ethical views, and also, based on the Arabic alphabet, gave a musical notation system for Turkish music.
Direct speech
A Romanian by origin, who did not forget his nationality, even writing books in the Romanian language, Prince Dimitri was, however, a Greek by education; although he knew Latin and Italian, he studied not in Western schools, but in Constantinople, in the Greek school that existed there, where some school traditions of old Byzantium were still preserved, skillfully combining instruction in the truths Orthodox faith with the study of classical writers of pagan Greece.<…>Admiring these representatives of Greek education and moving among them, Cantemir acquired for himself that proud self-awareness that did not leave the Greeks even under the Turkish yoke. Like the ancient Hellenes, who despised the barbarians, the new Greeks, even during the period of their enslavement, looked down on the Turks, thanks to the fact that they managed to retain religious independence for themselves, and loyalty to Orthodoxy, from which they did not separate their nationality, supported in them the desire for political independence .
11 facts about Dmitry Cantemir
- When concluding peace, the first condition the Turkish vizier set was the extradition of Dmitry Kantemir, to which Peter I replied: “I gave him [Kantemir] my word to keep it and will not change it, it’s better to cede the land to the Turks to Kursk: I still have hope of returning it, but breaking my word is irrevocable "
- In 1714, Dmitry Cantemir was elected a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.
- Voltaire called Cantemir's work about Ottoman Empire his reference book on the East.
- Dmitry Cantemir had two daughters and four sons. His youngest son Antiochus became a famous Russian poet of the 18th century.
- The daughter, Maria Cantemir, was the mistress of Peter I and gave birth to a son by him. There was a possibility that she would become the emperor's new wife, but the newborn boy died.
- Dmitry Cantemir was buried in Moscow, but in 1935, at the request of the Romanian government, his remains were transferred to Romania. Now the body of Dmitry Cantemir rests in the Three Hierarchs Monastery in the city of Iasi.
- Among the properties granted by Peter to Dmitry Kantemir was the village of Chernaya Gryaz near Moscow, now the Tsaritsyno museum-reserve. In 2014, a monument to Cantemir was erected on the territory of the museum.
- Moscow Kantemirovskaya street and the Kantemirovskaya metro station are named not in honor of Dmitry Kantemir, but in honor of the Kantemirovskaya tank division. In turn, the division received its name after distinguishing itself in battles near the village of Kantemirovka, Voronezh region, which actually belonged to Kantemir. However, by coincidence, the area of the Kantemirovskaya station is adjacent to the lands near Moscow around the village of Chernaya Gryaz, which also belonged to Kantemir.
- In Moldova, the city of Cantemir and the Russian Lyceum in Chisinau are named after Dmitry Cantemir.
- In 2007, Romanian President Traian Basescu opened the Cantemir Museum in Istanbul, located in the Fanar district, in the building where the representative office of the Moldavian Principality at the Sultan's court was located.
- In the film “Peter the First. Testament" the role of Dmitry Kantemir was played by Mikhail Boyarsky.
Materials about Dmitry Cantemir
Life story
Dmitry Cantemir was born on October 26 (November 6), 1673 in the town of Falciu, not far from Iasi. He was the youngest son of the ruler of Moldavia, Constantine Cantemir the Old (1684–1693) and his wife Anna Bantysh, who came from an ancient boyar family.
In November 1688, Dmitry was sent as a hostage to Istanbul, where he met with scientists from the Patriarchal Greco-Latin Academy, studied ancient Greek, modern Greek, Latin, Arabic and Turkish, and listened to lectures on history, theology and philosophy. Dmitry also attended the Padishah Academy - educational institution at the Sultan's court for foreigners or Ottoman Christian subjects.
By the will of the dying Prince Constantine, in 1693 Dmitry was elected hospodar by the Moldavian boyars. He reigned for only three weeks, since the Sultan did not approve him due to the intrigues of the Wallachian ruler Constantin Brancoveanu. During the reign of his elder brother Antiochus (1695–1700, 1705–1707), Prince Dmitry was again in Istanbul, but as a representative of the Moldavian ruler under the Sultan.
Despite the circumstances under which Cantemir was in Istanbul (in total, he spent more than 20 years there), Prince Dmitry skillfully and purposefully used his stay in the capital of the largest Muslim state of that time to expand his knowledge. He diligently comprehended universal history, especially the history of Turkey, collected manuscripts, rare books and other materials on the history of the Ottoman Empire, previously unknown to European scientists, studied the morals and customs of the Turks in general and the Sultan's court in particular.
Cantemir constantly expanded and strengthened his connections with Istanbul scientists and diplomats accredited here. Thus, his close friend was the prominent Turkish scientist Saadi Efendi, and in 1700 Cantemir established close contacts with the Russian envoy Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy.
In 1710, Sultan Ahmed III changed his anger to mercy and placed Dmitry on the Moldovan throne, arresting Cantemirov's political rival, Prince Brancovean. This was, rather, a forced step, since this was done after the war with Russia began (1710–1713), and Prince Nicholas Mavrokordat, who ruled in Moldavia, although he enjoyed an excellent reputation at the Ottoman court, was not suitable person during the war, because he had neither courage nor knowledge of military affairs. Dmitry was elevated to the Moldovan throne at the insistence of the Grand Vizier Baltaji Mehmet and the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray II. The Porta even freed the new Moldavian prince from tribute and gifts, but as soon as he arrived in place, she demanded from him significant sums of money and the construction of a bridge across the Danube to cross the Turkish army. Prince Dmitry did not agree to this and on April 13 (24), 1711 in Lutsk, through his close boyar Stefan Luka, concluded a treaty with Peter I, and thus de jure took the side of Russia.
When Russian troops began to approach Iasi, Prince Dmitry announced to those close to him, the army and the people that he was breaking with the Turks and going over to the side of Russia. In his Manifesto, he listed the disasters that Moldova suffered from its enslavers and called: “All people of our country, take up arms and come to the rescue.” As Ion Neculce writes in his Chronicle, “at that time all Christians rejoiced at the Muscovites...”.
On June 29 (July 10), 1711, in Iasi, the Prince of Moldavia, Dmitry Cantemir, swore an oath of allegiance to Russia.
One of the reasons why Peter I especially appreciated Cantemir was his knowledge in the field of oriental studies. Upon arrival at the Russian troops' camp on the Prut, Prince Dmitry became the Tsar's adviser on eastern issues. Peter I wrote: “This ruler is a very intelligent man and capable of giving advice.” As a statesman, Cantemir not only understood historical meaning reforms of Peter I, but also contributed to their implementation.
The Porte was angered by Cantemir's betrayal and demanded that Peter I hand him over. The tsar replied that Kantemir was not in the camp of the Russian troops, and said to his entourage: “I would rather cede to the Turks all the land extending to Kursk than betray the prince who sacrificed all his property for me. What is lost in weapons is returned; but violation of this word irreversible. To renounce honor is the same as not being a sovereign.”
As a result of the Prut campaign, which was unsuccessful for the Russian army, Prince Dmitry, along with his family and entourage, several thousand boyars, officers, servants and others, was forced to move to Russia. On July 16 (27), Prince Dmitry left Iasi forever. Tsar Peter rewarded him for the loss of the principality and his entire fortune by allocating an estate near Kharkov and funds.
In March 1712, Kantemir and his family moved from Kharkov to his Moscow estate Chernaya Gryaz, also granted to him by Peter I. As a scientist, Prince Kantemir was formed in Istanbul, but it was with Moscow that the most fruitful period of his scientific activity was associated.
On May 11 (22), 1713, Prince Dmitry's wife Cassandra died. The princess was buried in the Moscow Greek monastery of St. Nicholas. In memory of his wife, Prince Dmitry erected a two-tier stone cathedral over her grave in the name of the patrons and defenders of Moldova, St. Constantine and Helena, which became the family tomb of the Kantemirov princes.
Kantemir had full responsibility for raising six children (by seniority: Maria, Smaragda, Matvey, Konstantin, Serban (Sergey), Antioch). Despite the bereavement, Cantemir still found the strength to continue an active social life.
Thanks to Cantemir's establishment of connections with German scientists invited to Russia, his name becomes known in Western Europe. On July 11 (22), 1714, Cantemir was elected a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Some historians believe that he became an academician on the recommendation of Leibniz. This version is all the more likely if we take into account that Leibniz, at the request of Peter I, developed projects Russian systems educations in which Oriental studies were not forgotten. Cantemir was the first scientist from Russia and Moldova to become a member of the Academy of Sciences of another state. At the same time, he contributed to the formation of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
In Russia, Cantemir wrote his most significant works. Russian conditions contributed to this, since general culture, the political atmosphere, social and scientific thought in Russia were much higher than in Moldova and Istanbul, where he grew up and was formed. His stay in Russia was of great importance for the spiritual evolution of the outstanding thinker.
Academician I.Yu. Krachkovsky assesses Kantemir’s level as an orientalist in the following way: “Kantemir brought his knowledge of Islam and oriental languages from Moldova and Turkey. They were incomparably higher than those found in chronographs and polemical treatises by the Byzantines.”
Two of Cantemir’s works date back to 1714: “Panegyric” and “Discourse on the Nature of Monarchies.”
In Moscow in 1714–1716. Cantemir wrote an outstanding work in Latin, “The History of the Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Court.” Cantemir began collecting material for this work while he was in Istanbul. For a whole century, until the publication in 1835 of the 10-volume History of the Ottoman Empire by Joseph Hammer-Purgstall, Cantemir's History was the most profound work on the history of Turkey.
In 1716, from the pen of Cantemir, “Description of Moldavia” appears in Latin, compiled at the suggestion of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. This work was published in Russian, translated from German by Vasily Levshin in 1789 in Moscow under the title “Historical, geographical and political description of Moldavia with the life of the author.”
In 1716, Cantemir also wrote a historical essay about his father, “The Life of Constantine Cantemir,” in Latin.
In 1717, Prince Dmitry completed most of the fundamental work “Chronicle of the Antiquity of the Roman-Moldo-Vlachs.” In 1721, he translated the “Chronicle” into the Moldavian language, because, as he writes in the preface, “being written and compiled by us in Latin, we considered it wrong and a sin for foreigners to know about our affairs earlier than ours. Let the Moldovan people benefit from our efforts.” However, the first edition of this work was carried out only in 1835–1836 in Iasi.
Work covers historical events countries until the 13th century, although Cantemir, as follows from the same preface, intended to explore a much longer period. Premature death prevented him from carrying out his plan.
In 1718, Cantemir married Princess Nastasya Ivanovna Trubetskoy and in the same year moved to the capital. Having moved with his family to St. Petersburg, he officially became the Tsar’s adviser on Eastern affairs, becoming one of the Tsar’s closest associates. On February 20 (March 3), 1721, Cantemir was appointed a member of the Governing Senate and elevated to the rank of Privy Councilor.
The last of the most significant orientalist works of Cantemir is “The Book of Sistima, or the State of the Muhammadan Religion,” written in 1719, translated from Latin by Ivan Ilyinsky and published in St. Petersburg in 1722, also known as “The System of Turkish Religion.”
Cantemir's merit lies in the fact that he brought together everything that was known about Islam in his time, brought it to the present day and preserved material that is invaluable for studying the history of the development of public consciousness. In addition, Cantemir cites the results of his own research.
This book became the only publication of all the scientific works of Prince Dmitry carried out during his lifetime.
During the Persian campaign in 1722, Peter I instructed Prince Dmitry, as an expert on the East, to be in charge of the campaign office. His perfect command of Middle Eastern languages allowed him to play a prominent role in this campaign. He produced an Arabic typeface, organized a special printing house and printed in Tatar, Turkish and Persian the Manifesto of Peter I to the peoples of the Caucasus and Persia dated July 15 (26), 1722, composed and translated by him.
For Cantemir, the Persian campaign was more of a scientific expedition than a military enterprise. Thus, in Derbent, the attention of Prince Dmitry was attracted by an ancient fortress. He examined it in detail, measured it, and copied Arabic inscriptions. His research on Arabic inscriptions was presented in the collection “Collectanea orientalia” (“Oriental Collection”).
Military operations in the Derbent area allowed Kantemir to stay near the Caucasian Wall for only one day, and yet he managed to examine this archaeological site and describe it.
On the way, Cantemir kept a literary diary. For us, the pages dedicated to Derbent are of greatest interest. Along with a description of what was seen, the diary included legends about the city and stories about its fortifications recorded from the words of the population.
Arriving in Derbent, Kantemir visited Korkut’s grave and left a description of it and brief information about Korkut himself. Kantemir's records about the Derbent elder, who is revered as a saint by many Turkic-speaking peoples of the Caucasus and Central Asia, are the first in Russian.
During the Persian campaign, Kantemir's diabetes worsened, and with the permission of the emperor, on November 5 (16), he left his retinue, staying for some time in Astrakhan. Only in January 1723 Cantemir was able to leave there. On August 21 (September 1), 1723, at 7:20 pm, Prince Dmitry died on the Dmitrovka estate in the Oryol province of the Kyiv province. He was buried on October 1 (12) in Moscow, in the same New Greek monastery where his first wife Cassandra was buried. In 1935, at the request of the Romanian government, his remains were transferred to Iasi and reburied in the Church of the Three Saints.
AUTHOR
P.V. GUSTERIN,
Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
History does not know many examples when one person could successfully combine the talent of a statesman with the talent of a scientist. Dmitry Konstantinovich Kantemir was a rare exception, although in science he was perhaps helped to realize his greatest political failure.
Dmitry Cantemir was born on October 26, 1673 in the family of the Moldavian ruler Konstantin Cantemir the Old.
The position of the ruler of Moldova during this period was precarious: the country was in vassal dependence on the Ottoman Empire, and the Turkish rulers regularly removed unwanted or overly independent princes. Often it ended and death penalty disgraced rulers.
At the same time, there was a desperate struggle among the Moldovan elite for the favor of the Turkish Sultan. All this was very reminiscent of the internal conflicts of the Russian princes in the struggle for the label for the great reign during the period of Rus'’s dependence on the Golden Horde.
Dmitry's father, Konstantin Cantemir, turned out to be one of the few rulers who died a natural death without losing power. True, to achieve this goal, Constantine had to constantly confirm his loyalty to the Sultan.
This affected Dmitry directly - in 1687, a 14-year-old teenager was sent to Constantinople as a hostage. It was assumed that if his father was unfaithful to his obligations to the Sultan, Dmitry would simply be executed.
Such a practice of hostages was not something unique for that time, but this hardly made Dmitry Kantemir feel any calmer. Perhaps it was then that he developed a brilliant ability to hide his real thoughts and plans, which was later repeatedly emphasized by his contemporaries.
Hunger for knowledge
Dmitry Cantemir with youth was drawn to science, which was the complete opposite of his father: Konstantin Cantemir was illiterate.
Finding himself a hostage in Constantinople, Dmitry did not mourn his fate, but continued his studies. Fortunately, the position of a hostage of this rank allowed him to live quite freely. He studied ancient Greek, modern Greek, Latin, Arabic and Turkish, listened to lectures on history, theology and philosophy, met with scientists from the patriarchal Greco-Latin Academy, and also attended the Academy of the Padishah, an educational institution at the court of the Sultan for foreigners or Ottoman Christian subjects.
Talent young man celebrated at the court of the Sultan, but he did not take the place of the ruler of Moldavia after the death of his father. Despite the fact that Konstantin Cantemir directly pointed to Dmitry as the heir, as a result of court intrigues the Sultan did not approve him.
After the place of the ruler was taken by Dmitry's elder brother Antiochus, he became the envoy of the ruler at the court of the Sultan.
The time spent in Constantinople gave Cantemir a lot as a scientist - there he began collecting materials for his scientific works. Kantemir was interested General history, history of the Ottoman Empire, morals and customs of this country.
In Constantinople, Kantemir met and became quite close with the Russian envoy Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy. Perhaps it was then that he conceived plans, the implementation of which he proceeded to implement ten years later.
Union with Russia
In 1710, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire appointed Dmitry Cantemir as ruler of Moldavia. This step was forced - a war with Russia was imminent, and an active and capable person, such as Cantemir, was needed in this post.
The Sultan did not take into account only one thing - the politician’s ability to hide his plans. Dmitry Cantemir conceived the idea of withdrawing Moldova from vassal dependence on the Ottoman Empire. To implement such plans, a powerful ally was needed, which Cantemir saw in Russia.
By that time, Russia, led by the Tsar Peter I conquered the Azov fortress from the Turks, and then during the Russian-Swedish war defeated the troops that were considered invincible Charles XII near Poltava.
The Swedish king took refuge in the Ottoman Empire, and this became one of the reasons for the ambitious Peter to launch a new military campaign against the Turks. The Russian troops, according to the Tsar's plan, were to raise the Christian peoples living under the Turkish yoke to revolt. Peter I hoped that as a result it would be possible to split off vast territories from the Ottoman Empire.
Dmitry Cantemir, who, at the behest of the Sultan, was supposed to build bridges across the Danube for the Turkish troops to march on Russia, intended to do the opposite - together with the Russian troops, start a war against the Sultan.
In April 1711, Peter I and Dmitry Cantemir concluded the Treaty of Lutsk. According to it, after victory in the war, the Principality of Moldova was supposed to enter into Russian citizenship, maintaining the status of an independent, sovereign state and the same customs within the country. The privileges of the Moldavian boyars were also preserved. The Gospodar throne was assigned to the Kantemirov dynasty.
Cantemir's intentions attracted the support of the majority of the Moldovan population and the country's elite, who believed that rapprochement with Russia was better than being a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.
Peter's Word
However, the Prut Campaign, as historians call this military campaign of Peter I, ended sadly. South of Iasi, the 38,000-strong Russian army was pressed against the Prut River by the allied 120,000-strong Turkish army and 70,000-strong Crimean Tatar cavalry. The position of the Russians was almost hopeless, but their fierce resistance cooled the ardor of the attackers. Remembering the results of the Battle of Poltava, the Turks chose to end the matter peacefully. Moreover, his conditions turned out to be even easier than Peter I expected: the Russians had to return Azov and tear down a number of new fortifications on the Sea of Azov, as well as make a number of other minor concessions.
Charles XII, having learned about the success of the Turks, rushed to the scene of events after the conclusion of the treaty, was indignant, and demanded an army to defeat Peter completely. However, the malicious Turks noticed that the Swedish king had already lost his battle with the Russians near Poltava, and if he wanted, he could pursue Peter I with his people (of which Charles had very few), and he would not receive another army.
If Peter I, as they say, managed to get out, then for Dmitry Cantemir everything was extremely sad - the Turks demanded that he be extradited in order to be executed for treason.
However, the Russian Tsar, despite the difficult situation, showed firmness: “I would rather cede to the Turks all the land extending to Kursk than hand over the prince who sacrificed all his property for me. Lost weapons are returned; but the violation of this word is irrevocable. To renounce honor is the same as not being a sovereign.”
So Dmitry Cantemir with 1000 Moldavian boyars, over whom he retained the right of life and death, went to Russia.
Here he received from Peter I the title of prince, vast lands near Kharkov, an estate near Moscow, as well as considerable funds.
Prussian academician and Russian senator
Despite all this, another politician who lost his state might have fallen into despair. But Dmitry Kantemir remained with his scientific talent. And in Russia he wrote his main works, which brought him the fame of a great European scientist. Cantemir, who had brilliant abilities for languages, mastered Russian, German and French, in addition to those he already knew.
Photo: AiF / Dmitry Zakharchenko
He wrote an outstanding work in Latin, “The History of the Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Court.” For more than a century, Cantemir's work has been considered the most fundamental that has been devoted to Turkey. This was followed by “Description of Moldavia”, “Life of Constantine Cantemir”, “Chronicle of the Antiquity of the Roman-Moldo-Vlachs”, “The Book of Sistima, or the State of the Muhammadan Religion”, as well as other works.
Cantemir's works were admired by his contemporaries, and the Prussian Academy of Sciences elected him as a member. Dmitry Cantemir became the first scientist from Moldova and Russia to be elected a member of the Academy of another state. In addition, Kantemir actively contributed to the creation of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
After the death of his first wife, Dmitry Cantemir married the princess Nastasya Ivanovna Trubetskoy and moved to St. Petersburg. Cantermere's knowledge and intelligence were highly valued by Peter, who made him an adviser on Eastern affairs, and then appointed him a member of the Governing Senate and elevated him to the rank of Privy Councilor.
From that moment on, Dmitry Cantemir became a member of Peter the Great's inner circle.
Photo: AiF / Dmitry Zakharchenko
In 1722, during the Persian campaign, Peter Cantemir was in charge of the campaign office. He produced Arabic typeface, organized a special printing house and printed in Tatar, Turkish and Persian the Manifesto of Peter I, composed and translated, to the peoples of the Caucasus and Persia.
In negotiations between Peter I and the rulers of the Caspian territories, Dmitry Cantemir acted as a translator. At the same time he left literary notes about the trip, and also described ancient city Derbent and a number of unique archaeological sites of the Caucasus.
But the Persian campaign finally undermined the health of Dmitry Cantemir. In the fall of 1722, with the permission of the tsar, he went to his estate due to an exacerbation of diabetes. Dmitry Konstantinovich Kantemir died on August 21, 1723 at 7:20 pm in his estate Dmitrovka, Oryol province, Kyiv province.
Moldavian trace in Russian history
Few people know, but the descendants of Dmitry Cantemir could ascend to the Russian throne. Daughter of the Moldavian ruler Maria Cantemir was the mistress of Peter the Great and was even pregnant by him. The Emperor was seriously considering replacing his disgraced wife with Maria. Ekaterina, however, these plans did not come true - the child did not survive, and Catherine managed to avoid the fate Evdokia Lopukhina.
Photo: AiF / Dmitry Zakharchenko
One of the sons of Dmitry Cantemir, Antiochus Cantemir, was a famous diplomat, Russian envoy first to England and then to France. Antioch Cantemir is also known as the largest Russian poet of the so-called syllabic era of Russian versification, which ended after the works Mikhail Lomonosov And VasilyI'm Trediakovsky, who introduced syllabic-tonic verse into Russian versification.
The name of Dmitry Kantemir is also associated with the events of the Great Patriotic War. On the lands that the Moldavian ruler owned in Russia, first a settlement and then a village appeared, named Kantemirovka in his honor.
In 1942, fierce battles with the Nazis broke out near Kantemirovka, in which the 4th Tank Division, formed near Voronezh, received a baptism of fire. After the liberation of Kantemirovka in December 1942, the division became a guards division, receiving the honorary name Kantemirovskaya.
Nowadays it is one of the elite units Armed Forces Russia. In turn, Kantemirovskaya Street in Moscow was named after the division.
Dmitry Konstantinovich Kantemir was buried in Moscow, in the New Greek Monastery, next to his first wife Cassandra.
In 1935, by agreement of the Romanian government with Soviet Union, the remains of the great politician and scientist were transferred to the Moldavian city of Iasi and reburied in the Church of the Three Saints.
