Elisabeta Știrbey (1805–1874), was a Princess consort of Wallachia.

Early life

Born into an old

Phanariote Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

noble family which claimed descent from

Byzantine Emperors The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

, she was the daughter of Prince Grigore Cantacuzino-Pașcanu (1779–1808) and his wife, Princess Elena (1787–1809), descendant of

Constantin Brâncoveanu Constantin Brâncoveanu (; 1654 – August 15, 1714) was List of Wallachian rulers, Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. Biography Ascension Constantin Brâncoveanu was the son of Pope Brâncoveanu (Matthew) and his wife, Stanca Can ...

Biography

From 1825, Elisabeta and her husband lived in Bucharest, where their palace at the

Calea Victoriei Calea Victoriei (''Victory Avenue'') is a major avenue in central Bucharest. Situated in Sector 1, and having a length of , it leads from (which runs parallel to the Dâmbovița River) to the north and then northwest up to Piața Victoriei, w ...

became a center of social life, where she became known for the grand balls she regularly arranged. She was also a noted philanthropist. In 1839, she had French educational work by Jeanne Campan translated to Romanian, and in 1843, she founded the first Romanian language school for girls.

Personal life

In 1820, she married Prince

Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (), also written as ''Stirbey'', (17 August 1799 – April 13, 1869), a member of the Bibescu boyar family, was a hospodar (Prince of Wallachia) on two occasions, between 1848 and 1853, and between 1854 and 1856. ...

, the son of

Boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

Dumitrache Bibescu,

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

(1772–1831), and his wife, Ecaterina Văcărescu (1777–1842). They had: * Princess Fenareta Stirbey (1822–1894); married Prince Theodor

Ghica The House of Ghica r Ghika(; }; , ''Gikas'') was an Albanian noble family whose members held significant positions in Wallachia, Moldavia and later in the Kingdom of Romania, between the early 17th century and late 19th century. The Ghica famil ...

(1820–1865) and had issue * Princess Elize Stirbey (1827–1890); married Ştefan Bellu (1824–1902) and had issue * Princess Elena Stirbey (1831–1864); married

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Leo Larisch von Mönnich (1824–1872) and had issue * Prince Alexandru Stirbey (1836–1895); married Princess Maria Ghica-Comănești (1851–1885) and had issue * Prince Dimitrie Stirbey (1842–1913); married Alexandrine von Soyka (1857–1931) and had issue

References

* Oana Marinache, Reședințele Știrbey din București și Buftea, Editura ACS, București, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stirbey, Elisabeta 1805 births 1874 deaths 19th-century Wallachian women Romanian philanthropists Romanian women philanthropists Royal consorts of Wallachia Elisabeta Elisabeta 19th-century philanthropists