Ștefan Cantacuzino, (c. 1675 – 7 June 1716) was a
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
Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
between April 1714 and January 21, 1716, the son of ''
stolnic''
Constantin Cantacuzino. He was married to
Păuna Greceanu-Cantacuzino.
Life
Ștefan was involved in his father's intrigue against Prince
Constantin Brâncoveanu, denouncing him to 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 ...
(Wallachia's overlord), and surrendering Brâncoveanu's secret correspondence with 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 ...
, enemies of the
Porte in the
Great Turkish War. After obtaining the Prince's deposition, he took the throne 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 ...
as an Ottoman appointee.
His rule coincided with the Habsburg attack led by
Prince Eugene of Savoy, during which the Cantacuzinos shook off Ottoman tutelage, informing
Stephan Graf Stainville on the Porte's war preparations. A ''
kapucu'' was sent to depose Prince Ștefan in January 1716, and arrested him together with his father and uncle (the ''
spătar''
Mihai Cantacuzino). The three of them were executed in
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 ...
.
Following Ștefan Cantacuzino's death, the
Phanariote rule in Wallachia was established as a way to ensure a tighter Ottoman control over Wallachia.
See also
*
Cantacuzino family
References
*
Neagu Djuvara, ''Între Orient și Occident. Țările române la începutul epocii moderne'', Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995, p. 31, 336
1670s births
1716 deaths
18th-century princes of Wallachia
Stefan
Executed monarchs
Romanian people executed abroad
18th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire
Year of birth unknown
Craiovești family
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