Constantine Ypsilantis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Υψηλάντης ''Konstantinos Ypsilantis''; ro, Constantin Ipsilanti; 1760 – 24 June 1816), was the son of
Alexander Ypsilantis, a key member of an important
Phanariote family,
Grand Dragoman of the Porte (1796–99),
hospodar[East, ''The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859'', p. 178.] of Moldavia (1799–1802) and Walachia (1802–06), and a Prince
[East, ''The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859'', p. 59.] through marriage to the daughter of Alexandru Callimachi.
Resistance against the Ottoman Empire
Ypsilantis had joined in a conspiracy to liberate
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
and, on its discovery, fled to
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, timezone = CET
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, had been pardoned by the sultan and in 1799 appointed by him
hospodar of
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 ...
. Deposed in 1805, he escaped to
St Petersburg, and in 1806, at the head of some 20,000
Russians
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118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
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, returned to
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...
, where he set to work on a fresh attempt to liberate Greece.
Union of Moldavia and Wallachia
From 1806, during Russian occupation of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Russia encouraged their provisional union under Prince Constantine Ypsilanti. Russia preferred their union for improved relations with the
Principalities and their formal union was planned for 1830.
Ypsilantis' plans were ruined by the
Peace of Tilsit and in 1807 he emigrated with his family to Russia.
Legacy
Ypsilantis died, in Kiev, where he had served as commandant of the
Pechersk Fortress since 1807. He left five sons, of whom two played a conspicuous part in 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 ...
:
Alexander and
Demetrios.
References
Sources
*East, ''The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859 - An Episode in Diplomatic History'',
Thirlwall Prize
Since 1884, the Thirlwall Prize was instituted at Cambridge University in the memory of Bishop Connop Thirlwall, and has been awarded during odd-numbered years, for the best essay about British history or literature for a subject with original rese ...
Essay for 1927, Cambridge University Press (1929).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ypsilantis, Constantine
1760 births
1816 deaths
Dragomans of the Porte
Rulers of Moldavia
Rulers of Wallachia
Constantine
Recipients of Ottoman royal pardons
Rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia
Diplomats from Istanbul
Constantinopolitan Greeks