Untrodden Paths in Roumania (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1888. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XVI. THE PHANAEIOTS. The Phanar and the Old Greek Families--Their Wealth and Talents --Created Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia--A Century of Misrule--Ipsilantis and Vladimiresco--Return of the Native Princes--Russian Occupations--The Principalities united under Prince Couza--Election of Prince Charles of Hohenzollern in 1866--The Eingdom of Roumania constituted in 1881--Great Progress in Roumania. Slavery and Serfdom--The Gipsies as Slaves from the fifteenth century till the year 1837--Their Final Emancipation in 1855--The Origin of Serfdom a charitable custom--It becomes an oppressive Servitude--The Serfs emancipated in 1865. The Monasteries--Their Foundation and Endowment--Their 'Dedication'--The 'Dedication' degenerates from the Original Intention--Secularization of the Monasteries completed in 1864. There is a quarter of Constantinople on the western shore of the Golden Horn called the Phanar, which, from the time of the conquest by the Turks, had been left to the exclusive occupation of the Greek families remaining in the city. It continues still THE PHANARIOTS. 3 31 to be thus inhabited, and contains the Greek cathedral, the Patriarchate, and some important schools, besides many fine houses of the old Greek families, built in the massive style of the Middle Ages. Towards the middle of the seventeenth century a group of about twenty of these families formed a sort of aristocracy, distinguished from the rest of their countrymen by their wealth and talents. It is this remnant of the old Greek nobility who are known to history by the name of Phanariots. Although much of their ancient splendour had passed away, they still preserved a great ascendancy over the mass of the Greek population, and administered all the spiritual and temporal affairs of th...