Dimitrie Cantemir

Who was Dimitrie Cantemir?

Dimitrie or Demetrius Cantemir (Romanian pronunciation: [diˈmitri.e kanteˈmir] ; Russian: Дмитрий Кантемир, romanized: Dmitry Kantemir; 26 October 1673 – 21 August 1723), also known by other spellings, was a Moldavian prince, statesman, and man of letters. During his second term, he allied his state with Russia in a war against Moldavia's Ottoman overlords; Russia's defeat forced Cantemir's family into exile and the replacement of the native voivodes by Greek phanariots. His son, Antioch, Russia's ambassador to Great Britain and France and a friend of Montesquieu and Voltaire, would become known as "the father of Russian poetry". He twice served as voivode of Moldavia (March–April 1693 and 1710–1711). Cantemir was also a prolific writer, variously a: philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer and geographer. Dimitrie is the Romanian form of the name Latinized as Demetrius and, less often, anglicized as Demeter.

The Russian form of his name was Dmitri Konstantinovich Kantemir (Дми́трий Константи́нович Кантеми́р).

Historical significance

Dimitrie or Demetrius Cantemir, also known by other spellings, was a Moldavian prince, statesman, and man of letters. He twice served as voivode of Moldavia.