The House of Cantacuzino (french: Cantacuzène) is a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n aristocratic family of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

origin. The family gave a number of princes to

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 so ...

and

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine

Kantakouzenos The House of Kantakouzenos ( Kantakouzenoi; el, Καντακουζηνός, pl. Καντακουζηνοί), Latinized as Cantacuzenus and anglicized as Cantacuzene, was one of the most prominent Greek noble families of the Byzantine Empire in t ...

family, specifically from

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Ángelos Palaiológos Kantakouzēnós''; la, Johannes Cantacuzenus; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under An ...

(reigned 1347–1354). After the Russo-Ottoman War of 1710–11, a lateral branch of the family settled in Russia, receiving the princely (''

Knyaz , or ( Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

'', as opposed to ''

Velikij Knyaz Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approx ...

'') status. In 1944, Prince Ștefan Cantacuzino settled in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, where his descendants form part of the unintroduced nobility of that country.

Origin of the family

Members of the family claim that the

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...

links between the

Byzantine Greek Medieval Greek (also known as Middle Greek, Byzantine Greek, or Romaic) is the stage of the Greek language between the end of classical antiquity in the 5th–6th centuries and the end of the Middle Ages, conventionally dated to the Ottoman co ...

and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

branches of the family have been extensively researched.Jean-Michel Cantacuzène, ''Mille ans dans les Balkans'' Éditions Christian Paris (1992) . The family first appears among the

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greeks, Greek families in Fener, Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople whe ...

in the late 16th century, with Michael "Şeytanoğlu" Kantakouzenos, after a gap of over a century from the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

. Whether the family is indeed linked to the Byzantine imperial house of

is disputed, as it was usual among wealthy Greeks of the time to assume Byzantine surnames and claim descent from the famous noble houses of their Byzantine past. The first member of the family to publicly stress his imperial descent on an international level was the adventurer and pretender

Radu Cantacuzino Radu Cantacuzino (17 March 1699 – 1761) was an 18th-century Romanian prince, general, adventurer and pretender. As the eldest son of Ștefan Cantacuzino, Prince of Wallachia 1714–1716, Radu was a prospective future ruler of Wallachia, but he ...

(1699–1761), who produced a genealogy linking himself to Emperor

, though it contained several invented figures. Radu also changed his coat of arms from the earlier arms depicting an eagle holding a cross, to a new rendition with more shields representing various families and regions, a version still in use by the family today. The eminent Byzantinist

Steven Runciman Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman ( – ), known as Steven Runciman, was an English historian best known for his three-volume ''A History of the Crusades'' (1951–54). He was a strong admirer of the Byzantine Empire. His history's negative ...

considered the latter-day Kantakouzenoi "perhaps the only family whose claim to be in the direct line from Byzantine Emperors, as authentic", but according to the historian

Donald Nicol Donald MacGillivray Nicol, (4 February 1923 – 25 September 2003) was an English Byzantinist. Life Nicol was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, to a Church of Scotland minister, and received a classical education at King Edward VII School in ...

, "Patriotic Rumanian historians have indeed labored to show that ... of all the Byzantine imperial families that of the Kantakouzenos is the only one which can truthfully be said to have survived to this day; but the line of succession after the middle of the fifteenth century is, to say the least, uncertain." The origin of the Byzantine family can be traced to

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

. The Greek scholar Konstantinos Amantos suggested that "Kantakouzenos" derives from , ultimately from the locality of Kouzenas, a name for the southern part of

Mount Sipylon Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, Co ...

near Smyrna. Donald Nicol agrees with this theory, and lists some connections the Kantakouzenoi had with the locale in the 11th and 13th centuries.

Origin of the Romanian branch

The Cantacuzino Palace from Bucharest (Romania)

The Greek Kantakouzenos family had been active in Constantinople and Greece during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, but several branches of the original Greek family were created via the migrations and establishment of Kantakouzenos family members to different parts of Europe. Two of those new branches were the Romanian (

n and

n) Cantacuzino branch as well as the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n branch (which is an offshoot of the Romanian-Moldavian one). As a consequence of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

and the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

occupation of Romania after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, (between 1944 and 1947) the last two branches now mostly live in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. According to Jean-Michel Cantacuzène and

Mihail Sturdza Mihail Sturdza (24 April 1794, Iași – 8 May 1884, Paris), sometimes anglicized as Michael Stourdza, was prince of Moldavia from 1834 to 1849. He was cousin of Roxandra Sturdza and Alexandru Sturdza. Biography He was son of Grigore Sturdza, se ...

, the origin of the Cantacuzino family in Romania is traced to Andronikos Kantakouzenos (1553–1601; also known as Andronik), a Greek financier from Constantinople, son of the "''Prince of the Greeks''" Michael "Şeytanoğlu" Kantakouzenos. Andronikos had among his several sons two who became "boyars" in what today is Romania and founded the yet-surviving new branches of Cantacuzino: * "boyar" Georgios 'Iordaki' Kantakouzenos became forefather of the Moldavian branch, which soon branched to Cantacuzino-Deleanu and Cantacuzino-Pasceanu. * "boyar" Konstantinos 'Kostaki' Kantakouzenos married an heiress (daughter) of the late reigning prince

Radu Șerban Radu Șerban (? – 23 March 1620) was a Wallachian nobleman who reigned as the principality's ''voivode'' during two periods from 1602 to 1610 and during 1611. A supposed descendant of Neagoe Basarab, he attained high office during the reign of ...

, onetime ruler of Wallachia, and they founded the Wallachian branches which soon clashed against the

Ghica family The Ghica family ( ro, Ghica; sq, Gjika; el, Γκίκας, ''Gikas'') was a noble family active in Wallachia, Moldavia and in the Kingdom of Romania, between the 17th and 19th centuries. The Ghica family produced many voivodes of Wallachia and M ...

over power.

Family tree of notable members

Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu Michael Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Καντακουζηνός, 1510 – died 3 March 1578), nicknamed Şeytanoğlu ( Turkish for "son of the Devil"), was an Ottoman Greek magnate, noted for his immense wealth and political i ...

(1510–1578) **

Andronikos Kantakouzenos (1553–1601) Andronikos Kantakouzenos ( grc-gre, Ανδρόνικος Καντακουζηνός or Ανδρόνικος Βηστιάρης, ''Andronikos Vistiaris''; la, Andronicus Cantacuzenus; ro, Andronic or ''Andronie Cantacuzino''; 1553 – late 1601), ...

***Mihai ****

Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino Dumitrașcu Cantacuzino (c. 1620 – 1686) was Prince of Moldavia 1673, 1674 to 1675, and 1684 to 1685. Life Dumitrașcu Cantacuzène was the son of the Grand Treasurer (Marele Vistiernic) Michel Cantacuzène (in Romanian Mihai Cantacuzino) a ...

(died 1686), Prince of Moldavia ***Iordache (died 1663) ****Toderascu (died 1685) *****Ionitsa (1664–1692) ******Iordache (1688–1758) *******Ionitsa (1721–1789) ********Matei (1750–1817) ********* Alexandros Kantakouzinos (1787–1841), magnate and politician ********** Alexandru Cantacuzino (1811–1884), government minister ****Iordache (died 1700) *****Iordache (died 1740) ******Constantin (died 1740) ******* (1740–1826) ********Constantin (1778–1843) *********Lascar (1805–1885) ********** Constantin Cantacuzino-Pașcanu (1856–1927), politician *********Nicolas (1811–1840), married to (1821–1860) **********Pulcheria (1840–1865), married to ********Grigore (1779–1809) *********

Elisabeta Știrbey Elisabeta Știrbey (1805–1874), was a Princess consort of Wallachia. Early life Born into an old Phanariote noble family which claimed descent from Byzantine Emperors, she was the daughter of Prince Grigore Cantacuzino-Pașcanu (1779–180 ...

(1805–1874), Princess of Wallachia ********Alexandru (1786–1832) ********* (1829–1897) *** (1598–1663); married to Elena Cantacuzino **** (1630–1667) *****Parvu (died 1696) ******Parvu (1689–1751) *******Ioan (died 1749) ********Iordache (1747–1803) ********* Constantin Cantacuzino (1793–1877) ********** Ion C. Cantacuzino (1825–1878), politician ***********

Ioan Cantacuzino Ioan I. Cantacuzino (; also Ion Cantacuzino; 25 November 1863 – 14 January 1934) was a renowned Romanian physician and bacteriologist, a professor at the School of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Bucharest, and a titular member of ...

(1863–1934), physician and scientist **********Adolf (1839–1911) ***********

Scarlat Cantacuzino Scarlat A. Cantacuzino (June 6, 1874 – August 8, 1949) was a Romanian poet, essayist and diplomat. Early life and education Born in Bucharest to the magistrate Adolf Cantacuzino and his wife Ecaterina (''née'' Iarca), he was a scion of the Cant ...

(1874–1949), poet and diplomatMihaela Roco and Mihail C. Roco, Diplomatie si Poezie - Contributia Europeana a lui Scarlat A. Cantacuzino (Charles-Adolphe Cantacuzène), 176 p. Bucharest: Editura Universitară, 2018. . (http://www.editurauniversitara.ro/carte/istorie-75/diplomatie_si_poezie___contributia_europeana_a_lui_scarlat_a_cantacuzino_charles_adolphe_cantacuzne/11683) *********Grigore (1800–1849) **********

Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (22 September 1833 – 22 March 1913), was a Romanian politician and lawyer, one of the leading Conservative Party policymakers. Among his political posts were minister of public instruction in Romania, preside ...

(1833–1913),

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

***********

Mihail G. Cantacuzino Mihail G. Cantacuzino (6 April 1867 – 28 August 1928) was a Romanian politician. After receiving doctorates in Law and Literature from the University of Paris, he became a prominent member of the Conservative Party. He served as Mayor of B ...

(1867–1928),

Mayor of Bucharest The Mayor of Bucharest ( ro, Primarul General al Municipiului București), sometimes known as the General Mayor, is the head of the Bucharest City Hall in Bucharest, Romania, which is responsible for citywide affairs, such as the water system, the ...

and Justice Minister ************ Constantin Cantacuzino (1905–1958),

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

***********

Grigore Gheorghe Cantacuzino Grigore Gheorghe Cantacuzino (1872-1930) was a Romanian Conservative politician who served as Mayor of Bucharest during 1913. The son of Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino and brother of Mihail G. Cantacuzino, he married Alexandrina Pallady.

(1872–1930),

; married to

Alexandrina Cantacuzino Alexandrina "Didina" Cantacuzino ( Pallady; also known as Alexandrina Grigore Cantacuzino and ( Francized) Alexandrine Cantacuzène; 20 September 1876 – 1944) was a Romanian political activist, philanthropist and diplomat, one of her country's l ...

(1876–1944), political activist ************ Alexandru Cantacuzino (1901–1939), politician *******Matei (died 1742) ********

Pârvu Cantacuzino Pârvu III Cantacuzino, also known as Pârvul, Părvul, Purvul or Pîrvu Cantacuzino (russian: Пырву Матвеевич Кантакузино, ''Pyrvu Matveyevich Kantakuzino''; ? – December 11 or 15, 1769), was a high-ranking Wallachian s ...

(died 1769), Ban of Oltenia, the leader of an anti- Ottoman rebellion in 1769 ********Constantin (died 1761) *********Ioan (1756–1828) **********Nicolae (1790–1857) ***********Vasile (1818–1906) ************

Matei B. Cantacuzino Matei B. Cantacuzino (July 10, 1855 – August 10, 1925) was a Romanian jurist and politician. A scion of the Cantacuzino family, his parents were Basile Cantacuzino and Pulcheria Rosetti-Bălănescu; he had four sisters (one of whom died in ...

(1855–1925), Mayor of Iași, Education Minister and

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

************Nicolae (1864–1948) *************

George Matei Cantacuzino George Matei Cantacuzino (–November 1, 1960) was a Romanian architect, painter and essayist. Biography Origins and early career A scion of two noble families, Cantacuzino family, Cantacuzino and Bibescu, he was born in Vienna to Nicolae B. C ...

(1899–1960), architect ************** Serban Cantacuzino (1928–2018), architect *********** Marie Cantacuzène (1820–1898), painter's model ******** Rodion Cantacuzino (1725–1774) ********* (1761–1841) **********Rodion (1812–1880) *********** (1847–1894) ************ Prince Mikhail Cantacuzène (1875–1955), Russian diplomat; married to Julia Dent Cantacuzène Spiransky-Grant (1876–1975), granddaughter of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

and author **********Alexander (1813–1857) *********** Olga Cantacuzène-Altieri (1843–1929), novelist **********Ivan (1816–1888) ***********Pavel (1852–1922) ************George (1881–1950) *************Pierre (1922–1975) **************

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

(1947–2009), Bishop of Vevey ****

Șerban Cantacuzino Șerban Cantacuzino (), (1634/1640 – 29 October 1688) was a Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688. Life and career Cantacuzino took part in the Ottoman campaign which ended in their defeat at the Battle of Vienna. According to Gaster (191 ...

(1634–1688),

Voivode of Wallachia This is a list of rulers of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the creation of Romania. Notes Dynastic rule is hard t ...

1678–1688 ***** (1673–1739) ******Toma (1714–1762) *******Matei (1745–1817) ********Iordache (1775–1827) *********Constantin (1811–1876) ********** (1845–1898),

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

**********Constantin (1847–1920), married to (1863–1944), writer *********Gheorghe (1815–1890) **********Ioan (1847–1911) *********** Gheorghe Cantacuzino-Grănicerul (1869–1937), politician ***********Ioan Radu (1885–1950), married to

Maria Filotti Maria Filotti (9 October 1883, Batogu, Brăila, Batogu, Brăila County, Romania – 5 November 1956, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian actress . She was described as one of the "prestigious actors of the great realistic school" and the "directres ...

(1883–1956), actress ************ Ion Filotti Cantacuzino (1908–1975), writer and film producer ************* Gheorghe I. Cantacuzino (1937–2019), historian *************

(1941–2011), actor *********** (1895–1951) ***** (1685–1713), Princess of Moldavia **** (1637–1699) **** Constantin Cantacuzino (1639–1716), high official in Wallachia *****

Ștefan Cantacuzino Ștefan Cantacuzino ( el, Στέφανος Καντακουζηνός, ''Stephanos Kantakouzinos''), (c. 1675 – 7 June 1716) was a Prince of Wallachia between April 1714 and January 21, 1716, the son of '' stolnic'' Constantin Cantacuzino. He ...

(1675–1716), Voivode of Wallachia 1714–1716; married to Păuna Greceanu-Cantacuzino (died 1740) ******

(1699–1761) **** (1640–1716) ****Matei (died 1685) ***** (died 1721) **Ioannis (born 1570) *** Bella Rosetti (Cantacuzino), wife of

Lascaris Rosetti The Laskaris or Lascaris ( el, Λάσκαρις, later Λάσκαρης) family was a Byzantine Greek noble family whose members formed the ruling dynasty of the Empire of Nicaea from 1204 to 1261 and remained among the senior nobility up to the ...

, high chancellor of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and mother of

Constantin Rosetti Constantin Alexandru Rosetti (; 2 June 1816 – 8 April 1885) was a Romanian literary and political leader, born in Bucharest into the princely Rosetti family. Biography Before 1848 Constantin Alexandru Rosetti was born in Bucharest, the son ...

and Prince Antonie Ruset

References

External links

Romanian Society at the Dawn of Modern Ages (17th–18th Centuries)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantacuzino Family Kantakouzenos family Greek noble families Romanian people of Greek descent Phanariotes Romanian boyar families Swedish unintroduced nobility Bulgarian noble families

Origin of the family

Origin of the Romanian branch

Family tree of notable members

See also

References

External links