Mavrokordatos Family and the Voivodeship of Alexandros Mavrokordatos

After the Pruth River Campaign of 1711, the Phanariot era that started in Moldavia and Wallachia continued until the Greek Rebellion of 1821. Throughout these 110 years, many families of Phanariots came to power in Moldavia and Wallachia. Especially in the last quarter of the XVIIIth century, these two countries both became a point of contention of the states in the relations of the Ottoman Empire with Russia and Austria and became the source of information for the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Moreover, these two voivodeships covered most of Constantinople's food provision. After the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji of 1774, Russia and Austria started to open consulates in these voivodeships, and the Ottoman Empire had to struggle with the expansion policy of these states in the Balkans on the one hand, and also experienced the process of connecting Crimea to Russia. In this study, the voivodeship period of Alexandros Mavrokordatos, who was a voivode in Moldavia in such a period, was examined. During his voivodeship, Alexandros Mavrokordatos performed his duty as a loyal voivodeship to the Ottoman Empire, despite Russia's struggle for influence and pressure in Moldavia. Alexandros Mavrokordatos had been the eyes and ears of the Ottoman Empire in Europe by transferring all the information he acquired about Austria and Russia as well as other European states to the Ottoman Porte. In particular, during the annexation of Crimea by Russia, he instantly conveyed the developments in Crimea and the preparations of Austria-Russia on the Ottoman borders to the Ottoman Porte and served as a reference with other administrators in the policies and measures to be taken by the Ottoman Porte against these states. While the Ottoman Empire was fighting for Crimea, the reason for the struggle changed in time and turned into a struggle to prevent the loss of Moldavia.