Descrierea Moldovei

by Dimitrie Cantemir, Miron Nicolescu (Contributor)

Written by one of the country's most renowned rulers, A Description of Moldavia provides unique insight into the geography, history, economy, ethnography, culture, and traditions of the principality. Born to a noble family, the author, Dimitrie Cantemir, ruled as Prince of Moldavia on two occasions (March-April 1693 and 1710-1711). He was a famed statesman, philosopher, and scholar. Cantemir wrote his Description of Moldavia (Descriptio Moldaviae) in 1716 at the request of the Royal Academy in Berlin, of which he was a member. Cantemir's manuscript included a map (reproduced in the present edition), the first real map of the country, containing geographical detail. The book provides a wealth of information about the country's natural resources, political organization, customs and traditions, history, religion, and language. This deluxe edition of this classic work marks the first time A Description of Moldavia has appeared in the English language. An introduction and notes by Dr. A.K. Brackob, a noted specialist on Romanian and East European history, enhance this valuable historical resource.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Romanian Literature, 18th Century, Classics, Geography

272 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1717

About the author

Dimitrie or Demetrius Cantemir (Romanian pronunciation: [diˈmitri.e kanteˈmir], also known by other spellings, was a Moldavian soldier, statesman, and man of letters. He was twice voivode of Moldavia (March–April 1693 and 1710–1711). During his second term, he allied his state with Russia in their war against Moldavia's Ottoman overlords; Russia's defeat forced Cantemir's family into exile and the replacement of the native voivodes by the Greek phanariots. Cantemir was also a prolific writer, variously a philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer. His son Antioch, Russia's ambassador to Great Britain and France and a friend of Montesquieu and Voltaire, would go on to be known as "the father of Russian poetry".
Dimitrie was born in Silişteni, Moldavia (now Vaslui County, Romania) on 26 October 1673 to Constantin Cantemir and Ana Bantăș. His elderly father was from a noble family of Crimean Tatar extraction, which came to Moldavia in the mid-17th century. One of the explanations for the name "Cantemir" is that it's derived from "Can Temur", meaning "the blood of Timur", marking a direct descent from the conqueror Tamerlane. His mother was a learned daughter of a local noble family.[citation needed] In 1685, Constantin was named voivode of Moldavia by its Turkish overlords.
Although Constantin himself was illiterate, he educated his sons Dimitrie and Antioh thoroughly. Dimitrie learned Greek and Latin to read the classics as a child. One of his tutors was the scholar John Komnenos Molyvdos. Between 1687 and 1710, Dimitrie spent most of his time as a hostage or envoy in Constantinople, living in the palace he owned, where he learned Turkish and studied Ottoman history at the Patriarchate's Greek Academy.[citation needed] While there, he also composed Turkish music.
Upon Constantin's death in 1693, Dimitrie briefly succeeded him to the voivodeship but was passed over within three weeks in favor of Constantin Duca, whose candidacy was supported by his father-in-law, the Wallachian voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu.[6] When his brother Antioh eventually succeeded to the control of Moldavia, Dimitrie served as his envoy to the Porte.[citation needed] During these years, he also served with distinction in the Turkish army on its campaigns.
In 1710, Dimitrie was appointed voivode in his own right. Believing Ottoman Turkey to be collapsing,[2] he placed Moldavia under Russian control through a secret agreement signed at Lutsk.[citation needed] He then joined Peter the Great in his war against the Turks. This ended in failure at Stănilești (18–22 July 1711) and the Cantemirs were forced into Russian exile. Turkey then replaced the voivodeship with the rule of Greek phanariots.
In Russia, Dimitrie was created both a Russian prince (knyaz) by Peter and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire by Charles VI. He lived on an estate at Dmitrovka near Oryol, with a sizable boyar retinue (including the chronicler Ion Neculce). There he died on 21 August 1723, on the very day he was awarded his German title. In 1935, his remains were returned to Iași.
Cantemir was a polyglot known as one of the greatest linguists of his time, speaking and writing eleven languages. Well versed in Oriental scholarship, his oeuvre is voluminous, diverse, and original, although some of his scientific writings contain unconfirmed theories or simple inaccuracies. Between 1711 and 1719 he wrote his most important creations. In 1714, he was named a member of the Royal Academy of Berlin.
Cantemir's best-known history work was his History of the Growth and Decay of the Ottoman Empire (the original title was in Latin, Historia incrementorum atque decrementorum Aulae Othomanicae). This volume circulated throughout Europe in manuscript for a number of years. It was finally printed in 1734 in London and was later translated and printed in Germany and France. It remained the seminal work on the Ottoman Empire up to the middle of the 19th.

Reviews

[Magdalena Chitic · Rating 5 out of 5]

De când așteaptă cartea asta să fie citită, dar abia acum i-a venit rândul. O carte plăcută, sinceră, și surprinzătoare prin organizarea ei. Nu m-am așteptat. Mă așteptam la o dezordonare specifică autorilor literaturii vechi. Pilonul oricărui studiu de specialitate.

[Rares Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely interesting historiography of the cultural, governmental, monarchical and geographical aspects of the kingdom of Moldova in the 18th century. Cantemir eloquently evinces the interpenetration of Turkish and Moldovan cultures into each-other, and the looming presence that the Ottoman empire had on Moldavian culture during the time it subjugated the Romanian kingdoms as its vassals. However, Cantemir also proclaims the importance of noting how Moldavia and Wallachia were distinctive, as they weren't turned into paşaliks like Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro etc. but rather that their monarchies were accepted and maintained, including their religion and customs, in exchange for money and treasures that were given by the Kings of Moldavia to the Sultan. This demarcation between where the power of the Ottomans reached and where the respect for the culture of the Romanian kingdoms started is a pivotal reason into why Romania wasn't assimilated on a greater scale with Turkish culture and religion, and consequently, why Moldova managed to secure its culture and customs for future generations.
Truly a gem as an insight into the history of Moldova, with further commentary on their language, feudal structures, their religious holidays, their religious hierarchy, the powers of the king, the situation of the serfs, their cultures and customs to do with celebrations such as funerals and weddings and many more in depth references.
Truly a pivotal and crucial piece of Romanian history, with a (what I believe to be) a completely unbiased description of Moldova, something that is hard to find within Romanian historiography.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toată ţara pe care o numim astăzi Moldova, împreună cu ţinuturile învecinate de către apus, au fost dintr'un început stăpânite de cuceritorii celor trei părţi ale lumei, Sciţii, dar fără să aibe locuinţe statornice, ci strămutându-se, după datina lor, din- tr'un loc într'altul. După mai multe numiri ce deteră acestor ţări, hoardele lor care urmau unele după altele, Grecii chiemară pe locuitorii ţării, când Geţi, când Daci; în fine, sub stăpânirea Romanilor, le ziseră Daci peste tot. Iar după ce Decebal regele acestora, fu învins prin vitejia lui Nerva Traian, Dacii fiind toţi, parte stinşi, parte răspândiţi în toate părţile, toată ţara lor fu prefăcută în provincie romană, dată cetăţenilor romani şi împărţită în trei părţi, numite: Ripense, Mediterana şi Alpestre. Decea dintâi ţinea o parte a ţărei ungureşti şi ţărei româneşti, Transilvania se numea Mediterana şi în fine, partea cea mai mare a Moldovei noastre dintre Dunăre şi Prut, împreună cu marginile învecinate ţării româneşti, Alpestre. Iar după ce mai la urmă începu să scadă domnia Romanilor, Moldova fu adesea călcată de barbari, de Sarmaţi, Huni şi Goţi şi coloniile romane se văzură nevoite a se trage la munţi şi a-şi căuta scăparea în contra furiei barbarilor în partea muntoasă, în Mara- mureş. Apăraţi aci prin greutatea locurilor în curs de câteva secole, trăind sub legile şi domnii lor, în fine, văzând cât crescuse numărul locuitorilor, Dragoş, fiul lui Bogdan, îşi propuse să treacă munţii spre răsărit sub chip de vânătoare, însoţit de vreo 300 oameni. În această călătorie dete din întâmplare peste un bou sălbatic, căruia Moldovenii îi zic bour, şi luându-l la goană, descinse la poalele munţilor. Iar o tânără căţea de vânat ce avea, pe care o iubea foarte mult şi-i zicea Molda repezindu-se asupra fiarei, aceasta se aruncă în valurile unei ape curgătoare, unde vânătorii o uciseră cu săgeţile lor, iar căţeaua ce o urmărea cu fuga şi 'n apă, se 'necă în repedele ei unde. În memoria acestei întâmplări, Dragoş numi râul Moldo- va; locul unde se întâmplase aceasta, dete numele gintei sale Roman; iar capul bourului voi să rămână semn al noului său principat. Cercetând apoi locurile cele mai apropiate şi descoperind acolo câmpuri mănoase, cu râuri adăpate, oraşe, cetăţi întărite, dar lipsite de locuitori, spune toate acestea compatrioţilor săi şi-i invită să ocupe un pământ atât de fertil.

[Denis Dima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am citit fragmente din carte în școală. Am citit cartea acum.
E ușor să înțeleg pentru interesele cui a făcut această descriere ( propagandă). Subtil, nevinovat, cu grijă... așa cum nu a făcut nimeni.
Lui Eminescu nu cred că i-a plăcut în totalmente de el.

[Hamza · Rating 3 out of 5]

O carte importantă pentru cei interesați de istoria spațiului românesc.

[Rianna Dumitrescu · Rating 3 out of 5]

🧑🏻‍💼👩‍❤️‍👨👒👗🪭🎖️🃏🪁🀄🖼️🌫️🌁🏞️🌃🎆🗾🎐🪻🌷🌹💮🌸🦋🏕️🎡🏡🚪🛏️🛋️🪞🪟🧮🧸🕰️🔮📒📔📗📘📕📖✉️📑🧧🔖☕🍹🧁🍰🥯🧇🍮🎂

[Deviant Quill Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Description of Moldavia is the first English translation of the original. I enjoyed it. It was very interesting to learn how people used to live in those days.