Alexander Hangerli or Handjeri ( el, Αλέξανδρος Χαντζερής, french: Alexandre Handjeri, ro, Alexandru Hangerli or ''Hangerliu'',
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: Александр Ханжерли, ''Aleksandr Hanzherli'', Александр Хангерли, ''Aleksandr Hangerli'' or Александру Хангерли, ''Aleksandru Hangerli''), (1768 – 12 June 1854) was a
Dragoman of the Porte
The Dragoman of the Sublime Porte (Ottoman Turkish: ; el, έγαςδιερμηνέας της Υψηλής Πύλης), Dragoman of the Imperial Council (''tercümân-ı dîvân-ı hümâyûn''), or simply Grand or Chief Dragoman (''tercümân ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, and
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
of
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...
between March 7 and July 24, 1807. He spent the latter part of his life as a refugee in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, where he became noted as a linguist. He was the brother of
Constantine Hangerli
Constantine Hangerli ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Χατζερής, ''Konstantinos Chatzeris''; c. 1760 – 18 February 1799), also written as Constantin Hangerliu, was a Prince of Wallachia between 1797 and the time of his death. He was the b ...
, who reigned as
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
before being executed in 1799.
Life
Born in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, Hangerli received a thorough education, was trained to speak several European languages, as well as
Ottoman Turkish and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
, and prepared for a high-ranking position in the
Danubian Principalities.
[Mézière, Ernest. "Alexandre Handjeri", in ''Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours'', Tome 23, Firmin Didot, Paris, 1858, p.290] In his twenties, he married a princess of the
Callimachi family.
Although coming into conflict with Ottoman officials on several occasions,
Hangerli was advanced to the position of
Dragoman of the Porte
The Dragoman of the Sublime Porte (Ottoman Turkish: ; el, έγαςδιερμηνέας της Υψηλής Πύλης), Dragoman of the Imperial Council (''tercümân-ı dîvân-ı hümâyûn''), or simply Grand or Chief Dragoman (''tercümân ...
in 1805, and maintained the office for the following two years, until
Sultan Selim III appointed him Prince of Moldavia in place of the deposed
Alexander Mourousis.
He was nevertheless prevented from reaching his court in
Iaşi by the Russian occupation of the country, and instead followed the
Ottoman Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.
Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...
in their offensive (''see
Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)
The Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire was one of the Russo-Ottoman Wars. Russia prevailed, but both sides wanted peace as they feared Napoleon's moves to the east.
Background
The war broke ou ...
'').
He was able to gain his throne after the
Treaty of Bucharest, and played a major part in reestablishing the country's administration.
Hangerli was ultimately deposed from his throne and replaced by
Scarlat Callimachi.
Sources diverge in respect to the reason for this measure: according to the 1858 ''Nouvelle biographie générale'', feeling insecure of his position as opposition to Sultan Selim mounted throughout the Empire, he had asked for his own deposition;
a
French traveler to the region, Captain Aubert, recorded that pressures had been made on him by the Porte to provide it with more income, and he had been ousted after not being able to fulfill the requirements.
Upon the outbreak of the
Greek War of Independence, Hangerli felt threatened by a possible Ottoman move against the Phanariotes.
He was allegedly warned by the Russian ambassador to the
Porte
Porte may refer to:
*Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire
*Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy
*John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator
*Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...
,
Alexander Grigoriyevich Stroganov, that, as a prominent Greek in Istanbul, he risked being assassinated, and decided to flee the country.
Hangerli and his family (including his two sons, Gregory and Telemach),
embarked on a small ship and took sail across the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
, taking harbor in
Odessa (where they were given asylum by
Novorossiya
Novorossiya, literally "New Russia", is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later become the southern mainland of Ukraine: the region immediately north of the Black Sea and Crimea. ...
's governor,
Alexandre Langeron).
Alexander Hangerli soon moved to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, where he was received with honors by
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
.
His title was recognized by
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire.
Up until the February Revolutio ...
, and his two sons were appointed
Counsellors.
In 1840-1842, he published a three-volume dictionary of
French, Arabic,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, and Ottoman Turkish words, which was printed by the Russian state;
[''Catalogue général des livres français, italiens, espagnols, etc., tant anciens que modernes, qui se trouvent chez Barthés et Lowell'', Barthés et Lowell, London, Paris, 1857, p.625] in full, it was titled '.
In recognition of this work, he was awarded the
Order of St. Anna
The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...
.
According to the ', he had begun work on the volumes as early as 1806, upon the request of
Armand Charles Guilleminot
Major General Armand Charles Guilleminot (2 March 1774–14 March 1840) was a French general during the Napoleonic wars. He is described as having been very intelligent, merciful, generous, resourceful, and experienced. He achieved the Legion ...
, future
Ambassador to the Porte.
Hangerli retired from public life after that date, and dedicated himself to the education of his grandson, Michel Ulangali (a literary critic, the latter settled in France).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hangerli, Alexander
Dragomans of the Porte
Greek emigrants to Russia
Phanariotes
Rulers of Moldavia
Linguists from Russia
Russian nobility
1854 deaths
Politicians from Istanbul
Year of birth missing
19th-century monarchs in Europe
Constantinopolitan Greeks