Phanariotes
As Phanariots (Greek Φαναριώτες ) refers to all Istanbul Greeks in the wider sense, which now only include a few thousand heads. During and after the First World War and the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, numerous Greeks living in Istanbul, began after the so-called " Istanbul Pogrom " on September 7, 1955, a massive exodus.
Under the name Phanariots is understood in the narrow sense, particularly in the countries of the former Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, a small group of wealthy and politically influential Byzantine and Ottoman noble families in the Ottoman Empire of the 17th/18th. Century, the upper classes in the Phanar, a suburb of Constantinople, were formed.
Especially Greek merchants and priests of noble Byzantine origin, who had acquired economic wealth and political influence, settled in the extreme north-west of Constantinople, where the concentrated Greek interests. The Ecumenical Patriarch had a house here set up in the vicinity of him transferred Church of St. George built and established his headquarters ( after the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque ). The Greeks were in the Ottoman Empire to the Greek War of Independence as particularly loyal non-Muslim subjects. Later, also Bulgarian and Bulgarian Hellenized families joined the Phanariots.
Phanariotenzeit
Under the Phanariotenzeit the period between 1711 ( Moldova ) or 1715 ( Wallachia ) and 1821 is understood as the Moldovan and Wallachian boyars no longer had the right to choose a prince of their circles. During this time Phanariots were appointed by the Ottoman Empire to Gospodaren Wallachia and Moldavia, took over important posts in the army and government and were partly worked as ambassador in European countries. The Phanariotenzeit ends with a survey of Tudor Vladimirescu or Alexander Ypsilanti in 1821.
The Phanariots in the Greek War of Independence
Among the Greek liberation struggles of the 1820s they carried in two ways at: The right to collect taxes among the Christians, were responsible for the Phanariots, has been widely abused for personal gain by at the Christian nations of the province, both Greeks and non-Greeks, ever higher taxes were collected. However, not all pursued Phanariots this practice, some were instrumental in financing the insurgency. There was among the freedom fighters several Phanariots who have played a major role in the fight for the ideals of an independent democratic nation-state. Among other things, Alexander Ypsilanti belongs to them. Nevertheless, it was, ironically, a large part of the educated classes of the Greeks, who were the enlightened idea of the nation-state on the French model not take pleasure.
After the Greek State had gained its independence, Phanariots played an important role in the newly established political system. With Alexandros Mavrokordatos they made the first Greek prime minister.
Significant phanariotische families
- Argyropoulos
- Bogoridi ( Vogoride ), a partially Hellenized Bulgarian Knjazenfamilie
- Callimachi ( Călmaşu )
- Cantacuzenus
- Caradja ( Caragea )
- Karatheodori
- Kavadas ( Kavvadas )
- Ghikas ( Ghica, Ghyka or Ghica )
- Mavrokordatos
- Mourousis ( Moruzi )
- Racoviţă (also Racovitza ), a partially Hellenized Wallachian and Moldavian boyar
- Stourdza, see for example Michael Stourdza
- Soutzos (also Sutu or Sutzu )
- Ypsilanti ( Ypsilanti or Ypsilanti also ), originally from Trabzon
Significant people phanariotischer descent
Even today there are people in Romania phanariotischer descent who hold important positions in the public life of the country. In the first cabinet of the government of Prime Minister Emil Boc was about Theodor Paleologu, the son of writer Alexandru Paleologu, 2008-2009 Minister of Culture.