Antioh Cantemir

Constantin and Antioh Cantemir

Antioh Cantemir was Prince of Moldova from December 8, 1695 to September 14, 1700 and from February 12, 1705 to July 20, 1707. Antioh was the son of Prince Constantin Cantemir and thus uncle of the writer and enlightener of the same name (in German often also "Antioch Kantemir" is written).

Together with his brother Dimitrie Cantemir , he planned to replace Prince Constantin Duca ( who had come to the throne with the help of the Wallachian Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu , which left Dimitrie behind). Ultimately, Duca was deposed from the Sublime Porte and Antioh received the throne. In contrast to his father, he had a pro-Poland attitude. During his first reign the Peace of Karlowitz (Jan. 26, 1699) was concluded; during the second he decided to pay high taxes (including a smoke tax).

Chronicler Ion Neculce describes Antioh as "a tall, honest, handsome man who knew what he wanted and was just judgment"; he further writes that he was "not a scholar, but also not a stupid person". Neculce reported that Cantemir was not after money, loathed lies and intrigue, and was a good hunter and fighter.

literature

• Djuvara, Neagu: Între Orient și Occident: Țările române la începutul epocii moderne ( Between Orient and Occident: the Romanian countries at the beginning of the modern era ), Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995