Alexander Mavrocordatos

Mavrokordatos Alexandros ( Alexander Maurokordato, Greek Ἀλέξανδρος Μαυροκορδάτος, * 1641, † December 23, 1709 ) was a dragoman in 1700 one of the most important politicians in the Ottoman Empire.

Alexandros Mavrokordatos came from the Phanariotenfamilie Mavrokordatos. His father Nikolaos came from Chios, but moved to Constantinople over Opel. His mother was Roxandra Skarlatou. Alexandros Mavrokordatos left the Ottoman Empire, and studied philosophy, theology and medicine in Rome, Padua and Bologna, where he received his doctorate in the early 1660s. In his dissertation, published in 1664, he confirmed the 1628 drawn up by William Harvey theory of blood circulation. After his return to Constantinople Opel Mavrokordatos taught at the school of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and was physician of several distinguished Turkish families. Thanks to its comprehensive language skills he rose in 1673 to the top Dragoman ( Interpreter ) - at that time a highly influential position; In the same year he was appointed Großlogotheten who mediated between the Patriarchate and the Ottoman government. He gained great influence on the Ottoman foreign policy through these two offices.

After the defeat of the Ottomans at the Second Siege of Vienna, he was relieved of office and sentenced to death, but were released and rehabilitated after a year in prison. After a mission on behalf of the Sultan with Emperor Leopold I, he was instrumental in the design of the Peace of Karlowitz, which he signed for the Ottomans in 1699. He died on 23 December 1709.

From 1670 closed Mavrokordatos marriage ' with the likewise derived from a Phanariotenfamilie Sultana Chrysoskulaeu the sons went Nikolaos ( later Prince of Moldavia and Wallachia ) and John out.