The Princely Academy of Iași was an institution of higher learning, active in the 18th and 19th centuries.

History

Founded in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

(capital of the Principality 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 ...

) by the Prince

Antioh Cantemir Antioh Cantemir (4 December 1670 – 1726), better known in English by the anglicized form Antioch Cantemir, was a Moldavian noble who ruled as voivode of Moldavia (18 December 1695 – 12 September 1700 and 23 February 1705 – 31 J ...

in 1707, the Academy symbolically continued the Academia Vasiliană, although no direct link exists between the two similar institutions. The main reformer of the Academy was

Grigore III Ghica Grigore III Ghica (1724 – 12 October 1777) was twice the Prince of Moldavia between 29 March 1764 – 3 February 1767 and September 1774 – 10 October 1777 and of Wallachia: 28 October 1768 – November 1769. Biography He was the son of Alex ...

(1776), who modernised it as to compete with the European universities. The studies were done in

Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...

, and for the better part of the 18th century they were basically Aristotelian. Beginning with the 1760s a series of enlightened directors introduced into the Academy the study of mathematics, natural sciences and modern philosophy, translating and adapting European handbooks. In 1813–1819,

Gheorghe Asachi Gheorghe Asachi (, surname also spelled Asaki; 1 March 1788 – 12 November 1869) was a Moldavian, later Romanian prose writer, poet, painter, historian, dramatist, engineer- border maker and translator. An Enlightenment-educated polymath and ...

lectured for the first time in

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Moldova, Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communi ...

at the Academy, training a class of engineers, as the School of Surveying and Civil Engineers ('). In 1821, the Academy was disestablished by order of the Sultan, following the activity of the Greek patriotic organization,

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek ...

. Political circumstances caused that another Academy did not exist until 1835, when the Mihaileana Academy (') was established. The new institution had some professors from the ancient one, so that we can trace a direct lineage between the two Academies. The Princely Academy did not offer standard academic degrees, but only diplomas that certified that the possessor was worthy of “the name of learned man”. This name gave to the bearer the possibility to hold diverse administrative offices within 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) ...

and

Danubian Principalities The Danubian Principalities ( ro, Principatele Dunărene, sr, Дунавске кнежевине, translit=Dunavske kneževine) was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th ce ...

Notable academics

Nikephoros Theotokis Nikephoros Theotokis or Nikiforos Theotokis (; russian: Никифор Феотоки or Никифор Феотокис; 1731–1800) was a Greek scholar and theologian, who became an archbishop in the southern provinces of the Russian Empire. A ...

(1764–1765; 1776–1777) *

Iosipos Moisiodax Iosipos Moisiodax or Moesiodax (; el, Ιώσηπος Μοισιόδαξ; 1725–1800) was a Greek philosopher, an Eastern Orthodox deacon, and one of the greatest exponents of the modern Greek Enlightenment. He was also director of the Princely ...

(1765–1776) *Nicolaos Zerzoulis (Cercel) (1766–1722) *

Daniel Philippidis Daniel Philippidis ( el, Δανιήλ Φιλιππίδης; ro, Dimitrie Daniil Philippide; c. 1750 – 1832) was a Greek scholar, figure of the modern Greek Enlightenment and member of the patriotic organization Filiki Etaireia. He was one of the ...

(1784–1786; 1803–1806) *Stephanos Doungas (1813–1816) *Dimitrios Panayotou Govdelas (1808–1811; 1816–1821)

Notable alumni

Costache Conachi Costache Conachi (; 1777, Țigănești – 1849, Iași)Copoul poetului Costache ...

* George Săulescu * Daniil Scavischi *Scarlat

Sturdza The House of Sturdza, Sturza or Stourdza is the name of an old Moldavian noble family, whose origins can be traced back to the 1540s and whose members played important political role in the history of Moldavia, Russia and later Romania. Political ...

* Vasile Vârnav

References

Sources

*Bârsănescu, Ștefan, ''Academia Domnească din Iași. 1714 - 1821'', București : Editura de Stat Didactică și Pedagogică, 1962 *Camariano-Cioran, Ariadna, ''Les Academies princières de Bucarest et de Jassy et leurs professeurs'', Thessaloniki : Institute for Balkan Studies, 1974 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Princely Academy of Iasi History of Moldavia (1711–1822) Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Modern Greek Enlightenment Educational institutions established in 1707 1707 establishments in Europe 1707 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 18th-century establishments in Moldavia 1821 disestablishments in Europe 1821 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire 19th-century disestablishments in Moldavia Greeks in Romania

History

Notable academics

Notable alumni

See also

References

Sources