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Șerban Cantacuzino (), (1634/1640 – 29 October 1688) was a
In 1683, the Principality of Wallachia, led by Cantacuzino was forced to participate in the Battle of Vienna, nominally as an Ottoman vassal alongside the Principality of Transylvania, led by Michael I Apafi and 
On 22 July, Cantacuzino's forces were moved to Schönbrunn. From here, Prince Cantacuzino had repeatedly sent word to the defenders of Vienna, through their informant in the Turkish camp, Georg Kunitz, that his troops would immediately leave the work on the bridge and withdraw without a fight as soon as the troops of the Duke of Lorraine arrived. Cantacuzino also asked the Austrians to give a few fake cannon shots when they will see the Wallachians working on the construction of the bridge and they will withdraw immediately. On 30 August, Cantacuzino's troops, after working all night on the bridge, left on the first cannon shots, according to the agreement established by Kunitz with the commanders of the Austrian troops.
On 1 September, Șerban ordered his soldiers to make a three-meter oak cross in the Gatterhölzel forest, near Schönbrunn, close to his tent. A few days before the end of the siege, he ordered his troops to bury the cross and ordered a prisoner, whom he released from the Tatars, that after the Ottomans left, he needs to go and tell Archbishop Kollonitsch to dig up the cross and raise it to a proper place where it may be daily honored by the people of Vienna. After the siege, the cross was found, transported to the city and installed inside a chapel on the spot where it was first erected. In 1961, the chapel was restored and now houses a miniature copy of the cross. The text on the cross reads:
After the attack led by John III Sobieski on 12 September, the Wallachian troops, who had not taken part in the fighting, crossed the Danube and headed east. In order to assure the Turks that his troops distinguished themselves in plunder, he bought a few cannons and a church bell from the Tatars.
Șerban's loyal behavior toward the Christian cause was also noted in a letter written by Count von Waldstein, addressed to him a few years later.
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 Wallachia between 1678 and 1688.
Biography
Șerban Cantacuzino was a member of the Romanian branch of the Cantacuzino noble family. He was forced to take part in the Ottoman campaign which ended in their defeat at the Battle of Vienna, despite sympathizing with the Holy League.Ștefan Ștefănescu, ȚDefense of the Integrity of the Romanian States in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CenturiesȚ, in Hie Ceausescu ed., War Revolution and Society in Romania the Road to Independence, New York, Social Science Monographs, Boulder, 1983, p. 76. According to Gaster (1911) it was alleged that he conceived the plan of marching onConstantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
to drive 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 ...
out of Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, the western powers having promised him their moral support.
Cantacuzino introduced maize
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
to Wallachia and present-day Romania, in time the staple food—it was not yet extensively cultivated during his reign. He agreed to the establishment of various printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...
es, and ordered the famous Romanian edition of the Bible (the '' Cantacuzino Bible''), first published in Bucharest (1688). Through his influence also the Slavonic language was officially and finally abolished from the liturgy and the Romanian language substituted for it. He founded the first Romanian school in 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 ...
. He also built the Cotroceni Monastery and the Șerban Vodă Inn.
His son later ruled as Ban of Oltenia, and was married to Ruxandra Rosetti.
Siege of Vienna 1683
In 1683, the Principality of Wallachia, led by Cantacuzino was forced to participate in the Battle of Vienna, nominally as an Ottoman vassal alongside the Principality of Transylvania, led by Michael I Apafi and 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 ...
, led by George Ducas. Because the Ottomans did not have confidence in their allegiance, the troops of the principalities were only used for auxiliary tasks, such as building bridges.
Although an Ottoman vassal, Prince Cantacuzino had negotiated with the Imperial forces for Wallachia to join the Christian side, longing for the position of protector of Christians in the Balkan Peninsula. In turn, the Habsburgs promised him the throne of Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
which was the capital of 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 ...
.
On 14 July 1683, the Ottoman siege of Vienna started. Romanian sources point out that Cantacuzino and his soldiers were trying to sabotage the Ottoman siege, like abandoning the bridge over the Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
on Brigittenau Island, where the Wallachians had been stationed in order to cover the left flank of the Ottoman Army.
On 22 July, Cantacuzino's forces were moved to Schönbrunn. From here, Prince Cantacuzino had repeatedly sent word to the defenders of Vienna, through their informant in the Turkish camp, Georg Kunitz, that his troops would immediately leave the work on the bridge and withdraw without a fight as soon as the troops of the Duke of Lorraine arrived. Cantacuzino also asked the Austrians to give a few fake cannon shots when they will see the Wallachians working on the construction of the bridge and they will withdraw immediately. On 30 August, Cantacuzino's troops, after working all night on the bridge, left on the first cannon shots, according to the agreement established by Kunitz with the commanders of the Austrian troops.
On 1 September, Șerban ordered his soldiers to make a three-meter oak cross in the Gatterhölzel forest, near Schönbrunn, close to his tent. A few days before the end of the siege, he ordered his troops to bury the cross and ordered a prisoner, whom he released from the Tatars, that after the Ottomans left, he needs to go and tell Archbishop Kollonitsch to dig up the cross and raise it to a proper place where it may be daily honored by the people of Vienna. After the siege, the cross was found, transported to the city and installed inside a chapel on the spot where it was first erected. In 1961, the chapel was restored and now houses a miniature copy of the cross. The text on the cross reads:
After the attack led by John III Sobieski on 12 September, the Wallachian troops, who had not taken part in the fighting, crossed the Danube and headed east. In order to assure the Turks that his troops distinguished themselves in plunder, he bought a few cannons and a church bell from the Tatars.
Șerban's loyal behavior toward the Christian cause was also noted in a letter written by Count von Waldstein, addressed to him a few years later.
Death
He died on . There is speculation that he was in fact poisoned by boyars who resented his vast, unrealistic and dangerous projects (presumably by his brothers, Constantin and ). His descendants include members of the Rosetti family, and the Romanian actor,Șerban Cantacuzino
Șerban Cantacuzino (), (1634/1640 – 29 October 1688) was a List of rulers of Wallachia, Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688.
Biography
Șerban Cantacuzino was a member of the Romanian branch of the Cantacuzino family, Cantacuzino noble ...
.
See also
* Cantacuzino family * Rosetti familyReferences
;Notes ;Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantacuzino, Serban 1630s births 1640s births 1688 deaths 17th-century princes of Wallachia 17th-century translators 17th-century murdered monarchs Serban Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Translators of the Bible into Romanian Craiovești family People of the Great Turkish War Double agents Deaths by poisoning