Constantine Mavrocordatos (February 27, 1711-November 23, 1769) (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μαυροκορδάτος, Romanian: Constantin Mavrocordat ) was Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several intervals.

Life

---

First rules

Born in Constantinople (Istanbul) as a Phanariote member of the Mavrocordatos family, Constantine succeeded his father, Nicholas Mavrocordatos, as Prince of Wallachia in 1730, after obtaining boyar support. He was deprived in the same year, but again ruled the principality five more times from 1731 to 1733, from 1735 to 1741, from 1744 to 1748, from 1756 and 1758 and from 1761 to 1763. He managed to regain control over Oltenia through the Treaty of Belgrade from 1739 after the Fourth Russo-Turkish War.

He ruled Moldavia four times from 1733 to 1735, from 1741 to 1743, from 1748 to 1749 and in 1769. He entered a personal rivalry with Grigore II Ghica; Ioan Neculce noted "Constantin-Voivode went lengths to to replace Grigorie-Voivode's rule in in Wallachia (...)", and subsequently "(...) as soon as they were seated on their thrones one of Constantine's rules in Wallachia, they began to quarell and to report each other to the Porte without concealment".

Reforms and downfall

His reigns were distinguished by numerous tentative reforms in the fiscal and administrative systems, partly influenced by those of the Habsburg Monarchy during their presence in Oltenia; initiated in Wallachia, they were to be applied consistently in Moldavia as well.

He was responsible for the anullment of several indirect taxes, such as the văcărit (the taxation per head of cattle), and replaced them with a single tax of 10 löwenthaler, which could be paid in four annual "quarters". Mavrocordatos allowed serfs freedom of movement from one boyar estate to another, in exchange for a 10 löwenthaler fee (the effective abolition of serfdom: 1746 in Wallachia, 1749 in Moldavia). At the same time, he imposed a quitrent, a the 12 days-corvée, and allowed the boyars a retinue of serfs that were exempted from the state tax (and owed taxes only to their liege lord). On these reforms as experienced in Moldavia, Neculce expressed his view that "were he not to have this heavy retinue of his father's, with all those insatiable people, and were he not prone on removing his cousin Grigore-Voivode from Wallachia, there would not have been such plunder in the country".

The Prince attepted to impose a degree of centralism in the face of boyar privilege, and, despite boyar protests, created an administrasion which relied on a more professional apparatus, comprised of ispravnici he himself appointed to office, and who could act as judges.

Mavrocordatos was wounded and taken prisoner by the Russian troops of Catherine II, after his resistance in Galaţi during the Fifth Russo-Turkish War, on November 5, 1769. He was taken to Iaşi where he died in captivity.

References

---

• Ion Neculce, Letopiseţul Ţării Moldovei, Chapters XXIII-XXV

1711 births | 1769 deaths | Greek Diaspora | Rulers of Moldavia | Rulers of Wallachia

Constantin Mavrocordat