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 during the years of wars and revolutions in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. She was a grandchild of the Grand

Dragoman A dragoman or Interpretation was an interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish-, Arabic-, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts. A ...

or Prince of

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

Constantine Mourousis Constantine Demetrius Mourouzis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Δημήτριος Μουρούζης, Konstantinos Demetrios Mourouzis, ro, Constantin Dimitrie Moruzi), (1730 – 1 May 1787) was a Phanariote Prince of Moldavia, and member of ...

; 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 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 ...

and Princess Sultana Mourousi (1762-1839). Roxandra was a sister of Alexandru Sturdza and cousin of the Prince of Moldavia

Mihail Sturdza Mihail Sturdza (24 April 1794, Iași – 8 May 1884, Paris), sometimes anglicized as Michael Stourdza, was prince of Moldavia from 1834 to 1849. He was cousin of Roxandra Sturdza and Alexandru Sturdza. Biography He was son of Grigore Sturdza, s ...

. In 1790, the Sturdza family moved to Iasi ( Iași)

and then in 1800 settled in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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 Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son o ...

and his wife Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. In 1809, Roxandra met

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: � ...

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.

Family roots

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

Phanar Fener (; Greek: Φανάρι, ''Phanári''; in English also: Phanar) is a quarter midway up the Golden Horn in the district of Fatih in Istanbul, Turkey. Its name is a Turkish transliteration of the word "phanarion" (Medieval Greek: Φανάρι� ...

neighborhood of

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 ( ...

. Members of this large family were cultural and political

leaders Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

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 The Princely Academy of Iași was an institution of higher learning, active in the 18th and 19th centuries. History Founded in Iași (capital of the Principality of Moldavia) by the Prince Antioh Cantemir in 1707, the Academy symbolically contin ...

, was a scion of the long Moldavian

Sturdza family 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 ...

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 Elizabeth Alexeievna’s counselor.

Marriage

In 1816, Roxandra married Count Albert Cajetan von Edling (1771-1841), Minister and Marshal of the Grand Duke of

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. 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

, Berlin,

Wien en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Saint Petersburg,

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

, Bessarabia and Odessa. 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 became the greatest benefactor of the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

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 (1821-1832). As an avid supporter of philhellenism she was further inspired by Ioannis Kapodistrias, the prominent figure of the

Greek Revolution 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 b ...

s in 1821 and the ensuing years, and the first head of state of the first independent Hellenic Republic (1827-1831).

Philanthropy and altruism

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