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38-763: Located near the Mihai Vodă Monastery , on Dealul Spirii in Bucharest , it was built between 1775 and 1776 during the rule of Alexander Ypsilantis , and it meant to replace the old princely court at Curtea Veche . Curtea Noua appears at the top of the Sulzer map (1781) It is isolated from the city of Bucharest, across the Dambovita river. Curtea Nouă was described as being in Byzantine style , having three floors, four staircases and three towers. The Swiss chronicler Sulzer left

76-416: A description of the building which suggests that he was not very impressed with it: "This palace is in all respects irregular and ill-proportioned, just like the boyars' residences, about which we mentioned that are built in octagonal and even twelve sides polygonal shapes, from well placed bricks, but due to the lack of wood, having the windows, doors and floors ill-fitted." His opinion may have been colored by

114-505: A document dated 1804 (during the rule of Ypsilanti) we find that "near the gardens of the Dudescu residence [near the Court] there is a "baltac" [stale water] which is infecting the entire neighborhood. The ruler decrees that the master of the place must drain it, or else, whoever drains it should become the master of the place." In 1806 Madame Reinhard was received in audience at Court, and described

152-405: A popular subject for artists visiting the city, who left drawings and paintings of the ruins. Michel Bouquet (1807-1890) left lithographs showing views of Bucharest during his travels in eastern Europe in the 1840s. Carol Szathmari (1812 - 1887) left paintings and sketches of the burnt ruins. Mihai Vod%C4%83 Monastery The Mihai Vodă Monastery , founded by Mihai Viteazul , is one of

190-681: A single leadership of "the two Dacias". As local legislation was primarily based on Byzantine law , he acknowledged the importance given to the Hexabiblos of 14th century Byzantine jurist Konstantinos Armenopoulos , and ordered it to be translated into Romanian — although it failed to become official law in Wallachia, the Hexabiblos was widely used for reference by the Bucharest Divan . During his rules in Bucharest, Mourouzis notably rebuilt

228-623: A tragic ending. He was assassinated in Feb 1799 by an executioner sent by the Sultan. Alexander Mourousis : He ruled first during 1793-1796 and again 1798–1801. He can be see in the illustration above, meeting Robert Liston, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, at some time during his first rule during 1793–1796. The dating is possible because we know that Robert Liston was posted as British ambassador to

266-674: A year later to the throne of Bucharest (1793–1796), where his first year in office coincided with a bubonic plague outbreak (which he dealt with by quarantining and confining the ill to the village of Dudești ). Dismissed owing to intrigues at the Ottoman court, he was reinstated in Bucharest (1798–1801). In 1799, he passed a resolution ending the labor conflict at the cloth factory in Pociovaliște (presently part of Bucharest). After reforming its system of worker employment and payment, as well as hiring Saxon experts from Transylvania to manage

304-460: Is assassinated by Turks, probably as punishment for having abandoned his post. Mihai Sutu returns in 1791. Hangerliu is one of the most colorful characters of this period. A ruler with extravagant tastes, he organized parties and orgies at the court. One of the latter was recorded as given in honor of the Commander of the Ottoman fleet, Capudan Pasha, during his visit to Bucharest. Hangerliu had

342-512: Is enthroned. He starts a renovation project of the Court building, financed with a dedicated tax levied on merchants and boyars. In November 1789 Bucharest is occupied by Austrian troops, following hostilities between Austria and Russia on one side, and Turkey on the other. The Prince of Coburg takes temporary residence in Curtea Noua. Mavrogheni leaves the capital and takes refuge south of Danube where he

380-426: Is the first document to divide agricultural workers into the three traditional categories, based on the number of oxen owned, of fruntași ("foremost people"), mijlocași ("middle people") and codași ("backward people"). At the time, it was recorded that associations of fruntași could function as estate leaseholders in the service of boyars or Orthodox monasteries. This right was suppressed in 1815. Mourouzis

418-758: The Milcov River (achieved following an understanding with Wallachia's Alexander Ypsilantis ). It was in 1793 that the first modern retailing firm was inaugurated in Wallachia, maintained by the Frenchman Hortolan. Under his rules, Wallachian and Moldavian ships for navigation on the Danube were built at newly created shipyards . He also organized the first mail delivery system in Moldavia. Like his father before him, Alexander Mourouzis founded schools and donated six-year scholarships for disadvantaged children. Among

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456-630: The United States (as the second British diplomat to this country after the Independence War) from 10 March 1796 until 1800. He returned for a second posting to Constantinople in 1812, which is after Mourousis' rule. During his second rule, Bucharest was invaded in May 1801 by Carjalii, a band of marauders from South of the Danube. Many of the Bucharest residents left the city and took the road to Brasov. The city

494-406: The banks of Olt River ; he attacked Pazvantoğlu's troops, who used the city's ruins as barricades — after several days of fighting, Pazvantoğlu and his troops fled Craiova and returned to Vidin . Powerless against the latter's destructive attacks, he asked to be relieved of his position, and, in a highly unusual gesture, paid off Ottoman authorities in exchange for his own replacement. At

532-605: The causes for the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812 . Mustafa IV ordered Mourouzis to be sent to the galleys , but he was pardoned soon after. He died at his home in Constantinople , and rumor had it that he was poisoned. Mourouzis was an Enlightenment prince , whose time on the two thrones was connected with modernization . The prince belonged to the Freemasonry , having affiliated with two separate Lodges : in 1773, he

570-465: The church and bowed to the icon of Saint Nicholas, promising him to build a monastery nearby if he should escape death. There are three explanations of how Mihai escaped execution by Alexandru cel Rău . The first tells of a ransom paid by 12 aristocrats. The second claims that the physical qualities of Mihai being tall and very handsome caused the executioner, upon seeing Mihai, to throw away his axe and run away. A third version of events says that Mihai

608-587: The city were up and out on the streets. It was as bright as in the middle of the day. A short while later we were informed that the fire was put out, but the Palace and all it contained were consumed by the flames." From now on Curtea Noua will be known as Curtea Arsă ("Burnt Court"). Its prominent location on the top of the Dealul Spirii next to the Mihai-Voda Monastery made it visible from far away. It became

646-574: The educational institutions he created was the Orthodox seminary in Iași's Socola Monastery . He took a personal interest in scientific education, and attended experiments in physics at the Moldavian capital's Princely School. During his first reign over Moldavia, Mourouzis notably passed a resolution clarifying the surface of land which boyars were required to allocate to peasants working on their estates. It

684-521: The experience of having to walk through a yard with chickens and past stables before passing through the "Harem" and several darkened rooms to reach the princely chambers. In the same year 1806 General Langeron left us the description of a reception at Court given in honor of the Russian General Milaradovici who had just won a battle against the Turks and drove them out of Bucharest. In his honor

722-462: The fact that Transylvanian builders and architects were employed for its construction, who were forced to return without being paid. Construction was begun with architects and laborers from Brasov, and was continued and completed with work force brought from the Balkans and locally sourced. We know the name of one of the architects – Spiridon Macri (a Greek from Italy). Atanasiu Comnen Ipsilanti gives also

760-505: The incursion of Pazvantoğlu's rebellious troops in Oltenia , which resulted in the plundering and burning down much of the city of Craiova . News of the Craiova's destruction reached Bucharest and Mourouzis forbade fleeing the city; however, this did not prevent the boyars from sending their wealth into Habsburg lands for safekeeping. Mourouzis built fortifications on the road to Craiova and on

798-457: The industry, he denied the workers' request to institute two weeks off for each week of labor, and ordered activities to be resumed, while stressing that it was imperative to respect the Ottoman demand for textiles ( see Labor movement in Romania ). At the time, the employees did not receive payment, but worked in exchange for tax exemptions . Over the following year, Mourouzis had to deal with

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836-625: The insistence of the French Empire , he was again appointed Prince of Moldavia (1802–1806 and 1806–1807), but was ultimately dismissed through another French intervention at the Porte - on August 12, 1806, Horace Sébastiani , the French Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire , called on Selim III to punish Constantine Ypsilantis ' pro- Russian activities in Wallachia, and to prevent a Moldavian-Wallachian-Russian alliance. This last event constituted one of

874-440: The names of the boyars (ispravnici) appointed by the ruler to oversee the construction: Marele Ban Dumitrache Ghica, Marele Vornic Nicolae Dudescu and Medelnicerul Ion Vilard. The court was not only the residence of the ruler (Domnului) but also the seat of the chancellaries: Inaltul Divan Domnesc, Logofetiile, and even the secret prison where disgraced boyars were held in arrest. In the 20th century, archeologists discovered under

912-580: The oldest buildings in Bucharest . It was built in 1591, surrounded by stone walls, similar to a fortress. The monastery buildings served multiple purposes over time such as residence of the country's leaders, military hospital, medical school and the site of the National Archives of Romania . The monastery was an important archeological site; inside the monastery yard used to be a Dacian archeological site, more than 3000 years old, where old pottery and other relics were found. In 1813 Mihai Vodă Monastery

950-617: The palace staircase was decorated with heads of Turkish soldiers lit in candlelight. Curtea Noua has been the residence of several rulers of Wallachia. Alexandru Ypsilanti built Curtea Noua as the new residence of the Wallachian princes. Nicolae Caragea is mentioned in a document dated May 1783 as taking temporary residence over the summer at the Cotroceni Monastery. Mihai Sutu (Aug 1783) Nicolae Mavrogenes (Mavrogheni) arrives in Bucharest on 17 May 1786 from Constantinople and

988-470: The place where the palace stood two cellars and two secret passages . From Sestini, Ispilanti's secretary, we have an vignette of life at Curtea Noua. "Laziness and vanity have conjured a new and strange fashion in Bucharest. All boyars, with or without any business, spend their mornings at Court, chatting in circles in different rooms. This custom spread also to traders and one does not count for much who does not go and wastes his time in this fashion." From

1026-488: The princely residence of Curtea Nouă , instituted a boyar office as centralized tax collection in the capital city, and increased the water supply by tapping sources in the Cotroceni area. His interest in waterworks was also manifested during his stay in Moldavia, where he tapped water and built a reservoir for the capital Iași (through a system leading up to Golia Monastery ) and provided Focșani with water from over

1064-801: The stepson of Pătrașcu cel Bun (in English, "Pătrașcu the Good") was arrested by the leader Alexandru cel Rău (in English, "Alexandru the Bad"), who accused him having conspired to gain leadership of the country. Mihai was taken to Saint Antony Square, the place where he should have been decapitated. The road to the square passed by the Church Albă Postăvari, next to the Hill Spirei (in Romanian, Dealul Spirei). Mihai, with permission from his guards, stopped to attend mass at

1102-585: Was "one of the largest monasteries of Romania". Between 1908 and 1909, Cristofi Cerchez , head of architecture for the Ministry of Religious Affairs, supervised work on the State Archives at the Monastery. At the time of the communist regime in 1985, the church building was moved on rails 285 metres east and hidden in its present location on Sapienței street, next to Splaiul Independenței street and Izvor Park. That

1140-616: Was a member of the one active in the Transylvanian city of Hermannstadt , and, after 1803, belonged to the Moldavian Freemason branch in Galați . His Western contacts and his political ideals were probably connected with the goal of uniting the two Danubian Principalities under a single prince, as a symbolic legacy of Dacia : an 1800 atlas published in Vienna referred to his two rules as

1178-594: Was educated to speak six languages in addition to Greek . His mother was a member of the Ghica family . Alexander was Grand Dragoman of the Porte under Sultan Selim III , in which capacity he helped mediate the 1791 Treaty of Jassy , ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 . Selim rewarded his service by appointing him to the throne in Iași (Moldavia) in January 1792, and transferred

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1216-468: Was forced to deal with the intrusions of Osman Pazvantoğlu 's rebellious troops. In a rare gesture for his period, he renounced the throne in Wallachia, and his second rule in Moldavia was cut short by the intrigues of French diplomat Horace Sébastiani . A member of the Mourouzis family of Phanariotes and the son of Constantine Mourouzis (one of the few Ottoman-appointed Princes to die in office), he

1254-526: Was in Bucharest at the time. "At five in the morning a terrible racket woke me up. I thought that the city is under attack; a blinding bright light shone into my room. I looked out the window and saw the palace of the Prince of Wallachia in flames. Set up on a height, it brought to mind the Vesuvius in an eruption; the flames it threw around threatened to set the entire city on fire. Bucharest, a city of wooden buildings,

1292-407: Was in danger of being consumed by flames from one end to the other. I dressed up quickly and went outside to watch more closely the spectacle. Help was quickly summoned and was largely effective. Firemen, covered with helmets and a kind of Roman clothing, were courageously climbing the roofs, and entered houses to remove furniture. Despite their efforts the fire was spreading rapidly. All inhabitants of

1330-463: Was left without protection, and was taken over by mobs, who also set up mock court at Curtea Noua. This led to the legend of the Craii de la Curtea Noua . Ioan Gheorghe Caragea (1801 - 1814) The history of the palace comes to an end during the rule of Caragea with the disastrous fire which burnt it down on 22 December 1812. There exists a description of the event from Count Lagarde, a French traveller who

1368-586: Was released after the protests of members of the community who had gathered at the place of execution. Once liberated, Mihai kept his promise and built a monastery. Alexander Mourousis Prince Alexander Mourouzis ( Greek : Αλέξανδρος Μουρούζης ; Romanian : Alexandru Moruzi; 1750/1760 – 1816) was a Grand Dragoman of the Ottoman Empire who served as Prince of Moldavia and Prince of Wallachia . Open to Enlightenment ideas, and noted for his interest in hydrological engineering , Mourouzis

1406-472: Was the recipient of a panegyric authored by the Moldavian boyar poet Costache Conachi , who praised the prince's achievements in hydrotechnics. Comments made on the poem, published by the Romantic nationalist Gheorghe Sion , were the subject of an 1873 disagreement between him and literary critic Titu Maiorescu . The latter placed Sion's essay among his examples of "inebriation with words" (a term which he and

1444-543: Was to make way for the Civic Centre . The medieval cloisters and ancillary buildings were demolished. Mihai Vodă Monastery has been included into the List of historical monuments of Romania and has been classified under the code B-II-a-A-19644. A legend explains the motivation that led to the foundation of the monastery by Mihai Viteazul . According to this, in a very very cold winter, probably between years 1589 and 1591, Mihai,

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