Prince Jean Constantin Alexandre Othon Karadja

Pasha Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitar ...

(March 9, 1835 in

Nauplia Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

– August 11, 1894 in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

) was a

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

army officer and diplomat 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) ...

. He was also a talented pianist and composer. Karadja Pasha1

Family

Jean was the son of Prince Constantin Caradja (1799–1860) and Adèle Condo Dandolo (1814–1891) who descended from the famous Venetian Doges family. He was the grandson of Prince

John Caradja Ioan Gheorghe Caragea (sometimes Anglified as John Caradja; pre-modern Romanian: ''Ioan Gheorghie Caragea'', Cyrillic: Їωан Геωргïє Караџѣ; Greek: Ἰωάννης Γεώργιος Καρατζάς, ''Ioannis Georgios Karatzas''; ...

. In 1859 he married in Caroline Durand 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 ( ...

. They had one child before they divorced: * Princesse Marguerite Karadja Durand (1859–1944) who married a French diplomat, Baron Evain Pavée de Vendeuvre. They in turn had 7 children. Ion-Caradja-si-Mary-Smith

On April 24, 1887 he married Marie Louise Smith, of Sweden, known as Princess Mary Karadja (1868–1943). She was the youngest daughter of

Lars Olsson Smith Lars Olsson Smith (12 October 1836 in Kiaby – 9 December 1913 in Karlskrona), also L.O. Smith, was a Swedish spirits manufacturer and politician. He was called "The King of Spirits" (''Brännvinskungen'') because of his domination of spirits ...

. They had two children: * Prince

Constantin Karadja Prince Constantin Jean Lars Anthony Démétrius Karadja (24 November 1889 in The Hague – 28 December 1950 in Bucharest) was a Romanian diplomat, barrister-at-law, bibliographer, bibliophile and honorary member (1946) of the Romanian Academy. He ...

(1889–1950), who married Princess Marcelle Hélène Caradja (1896–1971). * Princess Despina Marie Roxane Alexandra Theodora Karadja (1892–1983), who had no issue.

Education and studies

After high school in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and the military school and law education in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, he was admitted at age 15 to the translation office of the Ottoman Empire in 1850, through which all the future Ottoman diplomats passed.

Diplomatic career

In 1851 Jean was appointed secretary of the Ottoman legation in Berlin, which was led by his father Constantin from December 1847 – October 1857. It was common practice that the lower officials of the Ottoman ministry were selected from their own family members. In 1854 he was appointed prime secretary of the Ottoman legation in The Hague and in November he was admitted to the Ottoman army as commander of the general staff. Keeping his title as prime secretary, he was named to the Ottoman legation in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and in The Hague. He also takes office as military attaché. In 1860 he was transferred to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

and later as Consul General to

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

. In April 1871 he was Consul General in Venice and in November 1874 in Brindisi. In September 1879 he was appointed director of the Imperial lyceum in Galatasaray and received the title

. In July 1881 at the age of 46 and with 31 years in the diplomatic service, he was appointed

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

in The Hague and simultaneously in Stockholm where he became a well known personality in diplomatic circles and high society. He died in 1894 as minister for The Hague and Stockholm and was buried in the

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

chapel of the family castle in Bovigny,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. From his 44 years in the Imperial Ottoman service, he lived only 2–3 years in Turkey.Kuneralp, Sinan: ''Un diplomate ottoman d'origine roumaine: le prince Jean Karadja, ministre de la Sublime Porte a Stockholm (1835-1894)'', In: Studii si cercetari de turcologie contemporane, Cluj-Napoca, 2004, p.117-122.

Family

Education and studies

Diplomatic career

References

See also