The House of Știrbei, Știrbey or Stirbey is the name of an old Romanian noble family, whose members were once ruling

Princes of Wallachia This is a list of princes of Wallachia, from the first mention of a medieval polity situated between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube until the union with Moldavia in 1859, which led to the creation of Romania. Notes Dynastic rule is hard ...

. The Princely Stirbey family was of Wallachian origin, first documented in the 15th century. It was involved in the political and economical development of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, through many generations.

History

The family emerged in the 19th century as a collateral branch of the House of Bibescu. Prince

Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (), also written as ''Stirbey'', (17 August 1799 – April 13, 1869), a member of the Bibescu boyar family, was a hospodar (Prince of Wallachia) on two occasions, between 1848 and 1853, and between 1854 and 1856. ...

was the son of

Boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

Dumitrache Bibescu,

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

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 ...

(1772–1831), and his wife, Ecaterina Văcărescu (1777–1842). He was adopted by his relation, one of the most prestigious

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

Vornic Vornic was a historical rank for an official in charge of justice and internal affairs. He was overseeing the Royal Court. It originated in the Slovak '' nádvorník''. In the 16th century in Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrilli ...

Barbu C. Știrbei, the last of the Știrbey line, who made him heir to his wealth and also family name. Upon the adoption. This line of the

Bibescu family The House of Bibescu or Bibesco is the name of an old Romanian nobility, Romanian noble family, whose members were once ruling List of rulers of Wallachia, Princes of Wallachia. History The Princely Bibescu family was of Principality of Wallachi ...

became Princes Stirbey. After the Revolution of 1848, Prince Barbu Stirbey (1799–1869) was elected Reigning Prince (“

Domnitor ''Prince Domnitor'', in full ''Principe Domnitor'' (Romanian pl. ''Principi Domnitori'') was the official title of the ruler of Romania between 1862 and 1881. It was usually translated as "prince regnant" in English and most other languages, ...

”) of Wallachia, and sought balanced relationships with 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 ...

, the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, This laid the foundations for an independent state. Under his rule (1849–1856), Wallachia went from a feudal and agriculture-based country to a modern nation, with its first industries, a modern educational system and a well-developed road network. The House of Stirbei is extinct in the male line. Their heirs today are

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Counts Wolff-Metternich zur Gracht.

Notable members

Alexandru B. Știrbei Alexandru Barbu Știrbei, also rendered Alex. Știrbeĭ, Știrbey, or Știrbeiŭ (Francization, Francized ''Alexandre Stirbey''; 1837 – March 13, 1895), was a Wallachian-born Romanian aristocrat, politician, businessman and agriculturalist, the ...

(1837–1895), Finance Minister of Romania (1891) *

Barbu Dimitrie Ştirbei Barbu may refer to: People * Barbu (name), a list of people with the name and surname ''Barbu'' * Alejandro Barbudo Lorenzo, nicknamed ''Barbu'', Spanish footballer Places * Barbu, Iran, a village in the Bushehr Province of Iran * Barbu, Norway, ...

(1796 or 1801–1869), Prince of Wallachia (1848–1853, 1854–1856) *

Barbu Ştirbey Barbu may refer to: People * Barbu (name), a list of people with the name and surname ''Barbu'' * Alejandro Barbudo Lorenzo, nicknamed ''Barbu'', Spanish footballer Places * Barbu, Iran, a village in the Bushehr Province of Iran * Barbu, Norway, ...

(1873–1946), Prime Minister of Romania (1927) * Elisa (née Știrbei) Brătianu (1870-1957) politician and conservationist *

George Barbu Ştirbei George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Giorg ...

(1832–1925), Foreign Minister of Romania (1866–1867)

Properties

File:Palatul_Știrbei,_Bucuresti.jpg, Știrbey palace 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 ...

File:2012.05.01_Palatul_Stirbei_Buftea_009_stitch3%2BGIMP-.jpg, Știrbey palace in

Buftea Buftea () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, located north-west of Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Rom ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stirbei Romanian-language surnames