Roxandra or Roxana or Roksandra Skarlatovna Edling-Sturdza (1786 – 1844) was a philanthropist and a writer. Her chief achievement was the foundation of schools and orphanages for the young and needy refugees in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

during the years of wars and revolutions in the Balkans. She was a grandchild of the Grand Dragoman or Prince of Moldavia Constantine Mourousis; that and her own actions, vision, will and determination made her a prolific advocate of young refugee needs all over Europe.

Early life

Princess Roxandra was born on 12 October 1786 in Istanbul. Her parents were Prince Skarlat Sturdza and Princess Sultana Mourousi (1762-1839). Roxandra was a sister of

Alexandru Sturdza Prince Alexandru Sturdza (Александр Скарлатович Стурдза; Iași, Moldavia, 18 November 1791Odessa, 13 June 1854) was a Russian publicist and diplomat of Romanian origin. In his writings, he referred to himself with a Frenc ...

and cousin of the Prince of Moldavia Mihail Sturdza. In 1790, the Sturdza family moved to Iasi (

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 ...

) Moldavia and then in 1800 settled in Saint Petersburg where Roxandra continued her education in Russian and Greek. In 1806 she became the master of ceremonies at the court of Alexander I of Russia and his wife Empress

Elizabeth Alexeievna Princess Louise of Baden (13/24 January 1779 – 4/16 May 1826) was, later known as Elizabeth Alexeievna ( rus, Елизавета Алексеевна), the Empress of Russia during her marriage with Emperor Alexander I. Princess of Baden Eliz ...

. In 1809, Roxandra met Ioannis Kapodistrias the then Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire. This event was of great inspirational value and as a result the cultivated Roxandra was imbued with a sense of social purpose and

philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek i ...

Family roots

Roxandra’s maternal grandfather was the Prince of Moldavia, Constantine Mourousis (1730-1783). The

Mourousis family The House of Mourouzis ( el, Μουρούζης) or Moruzi (russian: Мурузи, Muruzi) is the name of an old and distinguished noble family which was first mentioned in the Empire of Trebizond, whose members later occupied many important ...

was from the Greek Phanar neighborhood of Constantinople. Members of this large family were cultural and political leaders of the Christian Ottoman subjects who assured a path of political ascendancy for the descendants. Roxandra’s father Skarlat Sturdza, a notable alumnus of Princely Academy of Iași, was a scion of the long Moldavian Sturdza family of Greek ancestry whose members were active in humanitarian affairs since the 16th century or earlier. Soon after the Sturdza family emigrated from Moldavia to Saint Petersburg, Russia, Skarlat became Empress

’s counselor.

Marriage

In 1816, Roxandra married Count Albert Cajetan von Edling (1771-1841), Minister and Marshal of the Grand Duke of Saxony- Weimar. Because of her marriage to Edling, Roxandra is also known as Countess Roxandra or Roksandra Skarlatovna Edling-Sturdza and for many years she maintained land properties and residences in Weimar, Berlin, Wien, Saint Petersburg, Wallachia,

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

and

. It is from these places that Roxandra devoted her time in philanthropic activities, she wrote her memoirs and became an ardent supporter of humanitarian affairs.

Achievements

Roxandra’s legacy was the influence on the future.Roxandra's benevolence exerted a strong influence on society. Some years later

Antonios Papadakis Antonios Papadakis ( el, Αντώνιος Παπαδάκης; 1810–1878) was a Greek merchant from Lassithi Plateau on the island of Crete. He left his entire huge fortune to the University of Athens which proclaimed him its greatest benefactor. ...

became the greatest benefactor of the University of Athens Her enlightened views were influential in a period of multiple wars in Europe. She established schools and took a vocal stance on the issues of aid, tender care, sheltering and education during 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 ...

(1821-1832). As an avid supporter of

she was further inspired by Ioannis Kapodistrias, the prominent figure of the Greek Revolutions in 1821 and the ensuing years, and the first head of state of the first independent

Hellenic Republic 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 with ...

(1827-1831).

Philanthropy and altruism

Roxandra sponsored activities and established an organization helping the disadvantaged children to live healthily. Noted for her

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, she provided clothing and food from her own family farms in Bessarabia to help the poverty-stricken refugees who had reached Odessa in consequence of the long Greek struggle and rebellion for freedom against the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

. Her actions were intended to bring culture, learning and occupation to those who suffered. Roxandra’s enlightened social approach was much admired all over the world. She died on 16 January 1844, Odessa.

Encyclopaedias, books and citations

* New International Encyclopedia, New York, Dodd & Mead * Encyclopedia DRANDAKI-Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια ΔΡΑΝΔΑΚΗ, Π.-volume 22, page 41
Βικελαία Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη
* Encyclopedia HARH PATSH-ΧΑΡΗ ΠΑΤΣ�
Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη της Ελλάδος
* Encyclopedia YDRIA-ΥΔΡΙΑ • Encyclopedia DOMH • Encyclopedia PAPYRUS-LAROUSSE-BRITANNICA-Νεώτερο Εγκυκλοπαιδικό Λεξικό ΗΛΙΟ�
Εθνική Βιβλιοθήκη της Ελλάδος
* A. Brezianu and V. Spanu, 2007, USA, Moruzi Constantin, History of Moldova * Maria Tsatsou, Ideogramma, Athens, Memoirs of Roxandra Sturdza

References, notes and sources

External links

Google Books
Roxandra Sturdza
ΑΡΓΟΛΙΚΗ ΑΡΧΕΙΑΚΗ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ
Στούρτζα Ρωξάνδρα (1786-1844) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturdza, Roxandra 1786 births 1844 deaths Roxandra Mourouzis family Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire Memoirists from the Russian Empire Writers from the Russian Empire Women writers from the Russian Empire Ladies-in-waiting from the Russian Empire Women memoirists 19th-century memoirists Constantinopolitan Greeks Writers from Istanbul Writers from Iași Writers from Saint Petersburg