The ''Sudiți'' (plural of ''Sudit'' -

Romanian language Romanian (obsolete spelling: Roumanian; , or , ) is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages, a linguistic group that evolved fr ...

, from Italian ', meaning "subject" or " citizen") were inhabitants of the Danubian Principalities ( Wallachia and Moldavia) who, for the latter stage of the 18th and a large part of the 19th century — during and after the Phanariote period of rule, were placed under the protection of foreign states (usually the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, Imperial Russia, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) as reward for particular services or in exchange for payment. Rights acquired included immunity from prosecution in front of both local rulers ('' hospodars'') and the Principalities' suzerain power, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, as well as tax exemptions; the competing interests of nations involved allowed consuls to traffic ''sudiți'' favours and titles.

History

The category was established by the 1774 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, which led to the creation of foreign consulates in Iași and

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 ...

. An expanding and powerful social category during the Russo-Turkish wars (which affected the Principalities' soil), many ''sudiți'' were

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

businessmen who formed

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s (''bresle'' or ''isnafuri'') and successfully competed with

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

in several fields (after the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 allowed the two countries to engage in foreign trade), expanding during the period of Russian administration (1828-1857). Notable ''sudiți'' included Tudor Vladimirescu and Dimitrie Macedonski, leaders of the 1821 Wallachian uprising, as well as

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

who had left various regions in Russia and the Austrian-ruled Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. The category disappeared after the 1878 Romanian War of Independence.

References

*Paul Cernovodeanu, "Evreii în epoca fanariotă", in ''Magazin Istoric'', March 1997, p. 25-28 * Neagu Djuvara, ''Între Orient și Occident. Țările române la începutul epocii moderne'', Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995, p. 184-187 * Constantin C. Giurescu, ''Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre'', Ed. Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966, p. 114, 115, 288 * Nicolae Iorga
''Histoire des relations entre la France et les Roumains: La Monarchie de juillet et les Roumains''
(details on French consuls and their Jewish protégés) {{DEFAULTSORT:Suditi 1774 establishments in Europe 1878 disestablishments in Europe 18th-century establishments in Moldavia Human migration Jewish Romanian history History of nationality Romanian words and phrases 18th-century establishments in Wallachia

History

See also

References