Mavrokordatos family

For the 20th-century English printmaker, see Julia Mavrogordato.

Mavrokordatos Μαυροκορδάτος
Coat of arms of the Mavrokordatos family
A portrait of the Mavrokordatos family in the 19th century
Country	Holy Roman Empire Ottoman Empire  Russia  Greece
Current region	Danubian Principalities Moldavia Wallachia
Place of origin	Chios
Founded	16th century
Founder	Nikolaos Mavrokordatos
Titles	Imperial Count of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of Wallachia Prince of Moldavia Prince of Russia

The House of Mavrokordatos (Greek: Μαυροκορδάτος), variously also Mavrocordato, Mavrocordatos, Mavrocordat, Mavrogordato or Maurogordato, is the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks originally from Chios, in which a branch rose to a princely rank and was distinguished in the history of the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia, Moldavia, and modern Greece.[1]

History

The family, whose members given the title of Imperial Count by Leopold I in 1699 later became Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia, was founded by the merchant Nikolaos Mavrokordatos (1522–1570) from the island of Chios. In 1875 the Mavrocordatoi were also recognized as Princes of the Russian Empire by the Emperor Alexander II of Russia.

Notable members

• Alexandra Mavrokordatou (1605–1684), spouse of the founder, intellectual and salonnière

• Alexander Mavrocordatos "the Exaporite" (1641–1709), son of the founder and of Alexandra Mavrokordatou, styled prince ("Serene Highness") in 1699 by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

• Nicholas Mavrocordatos (1670–1730), Alexander's son, ruler of Wallachia (two times) and Moldavia (two times)

• Constantine Mavrocordatos (1711–1769), Nicholas' son, ruler of Moldavia (four times) and Wallachia (six times)

• Alexander I Mavrokordatos "Delibey", ruler of Moldavia (1782–1785)

• Alexander Mavrokordatos, Nicholas' son

• Nicholas Mavrokordatos, ban of Wallachia

• Alexandros Mavrokordatos (1791–1865), Prime Minister of Greece (four times)

• John II Mavrocordatos, Nicholas' son, ruler of Moldavia (1743–1747)

• Alexander II Mavrokordatos "Firaris", ruler of Moldavia (1785–1786)

• John Mavrocordatos (1684–1719), Alexander's son, ruler of Wallachia, caimacam of Moldavia

References

1. Chisholm 1911: "MAVROCORDATO, Mavrocordat or Mavrogordato, the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks, distinguished in the history of Turkey, Rumania and modern Greece."

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mavrocordato". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 917.
• Kamperidis, Lambros (2019) [2000]. "Mavrokordatos family". In Speake, Graham (ed.). Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition, Volume 2: L–Z. Oxon and New York: Routledge. pp. 1014–1015. ISBN 978-1-57958-141-1.
• Legrand, Émile (1900). Généalogie des Maurocordato de Constantinople. Rédigée d'aprés des documents inédits par Émile Legrand (in French). Paris: J. Maisonneuve.