Constantine Mourousis

Who was Constantine Mourousis?

Constantine Demetrius Mourousis was a Phanariote Prince of Moldavia, and member of the Mourousis family. A remarkable polyglot, he spoke five languages: Greek, Latin, French, Arabic and Turkish.

In 1761, he became Grand Postelnic in Moldavia, and soon after Second Dragoman of the Ottoman Empire Admiralty, and eventually Grand Dragoman. There are indications that he was politically involved in the dismissal and assassination of his predecessor, Prince Grigore Ghika III, by the Porte. Trusted by the Porte, he obtained the throne of Moldavia on October 12, 1770.

Mourousis spent much of his time in Iaşi, supervising the gathering of agricultural resources demanded by the Porte, but also fought extravagant luxury and surrounded himself with scholars, paying particular attention to schools and founding scholarships. He was deposed on June 7, 1782 and exiled to the island of Tenedos. He returned in 1783, but died soon after.