Michael Drakos Soutzos (; ; 1730 – 1803) was a
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. The ...
of
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
between 1792 and 1795. A member of the
Soutzos family of
Phanariotes
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 ...
(descended from the
Drakos family), he was the grandfather of
Michael Soutzos, himself a ruler of Moldavia between 1819 and 1821.
Early life
Michael was born as the youngest son and youngest child 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 ...
Constantin
Drakos-Soutzos (d. 1757) and his wife, Princess Maria
Rossetti Rossetti may refer to:
* Biagio Rossetti (c. 1447–1516), architect and urbanist from Ferrara, the first to use modern methods
* Carlo Rossetti (1614–1681), Italian cardinal, nobleman
* Cezaro Rossetti (1901–1950), Scottish Esperanto writer
...
(b. 1702).
Third rule in Wallachia
His predecessor,
Alexander Mourouzis, frightened by the incursions of
Osman Pazvantoğlu asked to be dismissed and for that, he paid money to the Ottoman authorities. In April 1801, Pazvantoğlu's troops continued their raids in Wallachia under the command of
Manef Ibrahim, defeating the Ottoman Army despite having only a thousand horsemen, compared to the Ottoman side which had 8,000 troops.
They took
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea (formerly ''Râmnic'', ) is a city in Romania. Located in the south-central part of the country, in the historical province of Oltenia, it is the seat of Vâlcea County and its main urban settlement. According to the 2021 Romanian ...
,
Govora and moved toward
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
. By May 15, 1802 most of the inhabitants of the city fled toward
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County.
According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...
and
Vălenii de Munte.
On May 18, the Albanian and Turkish troops of Bucharest asked for their payment and Suțu promised them to pay in two days, after which he left for
Colentina, outside the city. The boyars, who were supposed to wait for Soutzos, heard rumours about unrest at the Royal Court and thought that Suțu was killed, so they left toward
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
. Suțu, having not found the boyars at the Ghica house of Colentina, left for
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
.
As
Bimbașa Sava, the commander of the Bucharest garrison, saw that Soutzos had left without paying them, he started following Soutzos. This left Bucharest without any troops, allowing tramps to organize in gangs, which robbed the Royal Court. Their leader, Melanos, took the royal hat and marched on the streets of Bucharest, wanting to set Bucharest on fire, which was prevented by the intervention of a Turkish unit from
Cotroceni
Cotroceni is a neighbourhood in western Bucharest, Romania, located around the Cotroceni hill, in Bucharest's Sector 5.
The nearest Metro stations are Eroilor, Academia Militară, and Politehnica.
History
The Hill of Cotroceni was once cove ...
.
[Ionescu, p.258]
Due to his exile, Soutzos was deposed by the Ottomans in the summer of 1802.
See also
*
Drakos family
Notes
References
*Ștefan Ionescu, ''Bucureștii în vremea fanarioților'' ("Bucharest in the Time of the Phanariotes"), Editura Dacia, Cluj, 1974.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soutzos, Michael
1730 births
1803 deaths
18th-century princes of Wallachia
19th-century princes of Wallachia
18th-century translators
18th-century Moldavian people
Dragomans of the Porte
Monarchs of Moldavia
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* he He ..., a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name
* Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...