Constantin was born into a
Moldavian family of
Crimean Tatar origin in 1612. He was created
voivode of Moldavia by its
Ottoman overlords in 1685, being favored over his rival
Dumitraşcu Cantacuzino. (His son
Demetrius would later marry a
Cantacuzene princess.) Constantin was a good and conscientious ruler, protecting his people from rapacious
tax farmers. He largely brought peace to his realm, but served in campaigns of the
Great Turkish War against
Poland and
Austria. Under his rule, Moldavia was invaded twice, once by the
Nogai Tatars and once by Poland. Nonetheless, he constantly informed the Polish and
Habsburgs of Turkish designs and his sons
Antioch and
Demetrius, who eventually succeeded him, would be instrumental in allying Moldavia to
Russia in its first wars against the Turks. In 1691, Cantemir ordered
Miron Costin, a Moldavian chronicler and
man of letters, to be put to death on charges of
conspiracy. According to
Neculce, Constantin was illiterate to the point of only being able to write his own signature. Nonetheless, he ensured that his sons received a good education. His son
Demetrius was a prolific writer and polyglot, proficient in eleven languages. His grandson
Antioch would serve as Russia's ambassador to
Britain and
France at the height of the
Enlightenment, penning satires after
Juvenal, translating
Horace, and befriending
Voltaire and
Montesquieu. Constantin died in 1693 at the age of 80. His son
Demetrius notionally succeeded him but was passed over by the
Ottomans in favor of
Constantin Duca, who was supported by his father-in-law, the
Wallachian voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu. ==See also==