Kantemir, Dmitry

Kantemir, Dmitry

▪ Russian statesman
Romanian  Dimitrie Cantemir , in full  Dmitry Konstantinovich Kantemir 
born Nov. 5 [Oct. 26, Old Style], 1673, Orhei or Fălciu, Moldavia [now Fălciu, Rom.]
died Sept. 1 [Aug. 21], 1723, Dmitrovka, near Kharkov, Russia [now in Ukraine]

      statesman, scientist, humanist, scholar, and the greatest member of the distinguished Romanian-Russian family of Cantemir. He was prince of Moldavia (1710–11) and later adviser of Peter the Great of Russia.

      The son of Prince Constantin Cantemir of Moldavia, Kantemir early won the favour of his country's Turkish overlords and hoped eventually to unite the principalities of Moldavia and Walachia under his rule. Named prince of Moldavia in 1710, he soon allied himself with Russia (April 1711), believing Turkish power to be nearing its end. Sharp Russian reverses in the ensuing Russo-Turkish war, however, caused him to flee to Russia, where he settled and was made a prince of the empire by Peter the Great. Versed in 11 languages, Kantemir wrote prolifically on Romanian and Ottoman history; his Historia Incrementorum atque Decrementorum aulae Othomanicae (1716; History of the Growth and Decay of the Othman Empire) earned him a reputation throughout Europe. A keen student of Turkish culture and religion, he devised a system of notation for Turkish music and wrote a comprehensive synthesis of Islamic religious beliefs and practices. His other works include the first critical history of Moldavia-Walachia and the first comprehensive descriptions of Moldavia's geography, ethnography, and economy. He was elected a member of the Berlin Academy for his scientific work in 1714, and he also helped found the Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kantemir, Antiokh Dmitriyevich — ▪ Russian poet also spelled  Antioch Dmitrievich Cantemir   born Sept. 21 [Sept. 10, Old Style], 1708, Constantinople [now Istanbul], Tur. died April 11 [March 31], 1744, Paris, Fr.       distinguished Russian statesman who was his country s… …   Universalium

  • Romanian literature — Introduction also spelled  Rumanian,         body of writings in the Romanian language, the development of which is paralleled by a rich folklore lyric, epic, dramatic, and didactic that has continued into modern times. The old period.       The… …   Universalium

  • Russia — /rush euh/, n. 1. Also called Russian Empire. Russian, Rossiya. a former empire in E Europe and N and W Asia: overthrown by the Russian Revolution 1917. Cap.: St. Petersburg (1703 1917). 2. See Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 3. See Russian… …   Universalium

  • List of Russians — This is a list of people associated with Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union, and Russia of today. For a long time Russia has been a multinational country, and many people of different ethnicity contributed to its culture, to its glory, and to its… …   Wikipedia

  • Густерин, Павел Вячеславович — Павел Вячеславович Густерин Дата рождения: 16 апреля 1972(1972 04 16) (40 лет) Место рождения: Кимры Страна …   Википедия

  • Russian literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the Russian language, beginning with the Christianization of Kievan Rus in the late 10th century.       The unusual shape of Russian literary history has been the source of numerous… …   Universalium

  • List of Russian language poets — Poets who wrote much of their poetry in the Russian language.A* Irakli Abashidze (born 1909) * Gennady Aigi (1934–2006) * Bella Akhmadulina (born 1937) * Anna Akhmatova (1889–1966) * Ivan Akhmetiev (born 1950) * Gennady Alexeyev (1932–1987) *… …   Wikipedia

  • Russian literature — This article is about literature from Russia. For the song by Maxïmo Park, see Our Earthly Pleasures. Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian language literature of several independent nations once …   Wikipedia

  • List of Russian writers — This is the list of authors that wrote in Russian language. Not all of them are of Russian descent.See also .A to D*Chinghiz Aitmatov, author *Anna Akhmatova, poet *Bella Akhmadulina, poet *Konstantin Aksakov *Sergei Aksakov (1791–1859), novelist …   Wikipedia

  • Кантемир, Антиох Константинович — У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Кантемир (значения). Кантемир, Антиох Константинович молд. Antioh Cantemir …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”