Lasting for more than a century,
\nthe so-called Phanariote era is widely considered not to have been the most
\nglorious period in Romanian history. The word Phanariote derives from the
\nname of the Phanar district in Istanbul, which was mostly inhabited by an ethnic
\nGreek community. And it was from among the members of the most prominent Greek
\nfamilies from Phanar that the Ottoman sultans appointed the rulers of Bucharest
\nand Ia\u0219i at a time when the Romanian countries of Wallachia and Moldavia were
\nunder Ottoman control. Phanariote rule began in 1714 in Moldavia and 1716 in
\nWallachia, and came to an end in 1821, and would involve the Orientalisation of
\nthe Danube principalities, something viewed by some commentators as a step
\nbackwards. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Despite this, the Phanariote era
\nwas not without its merits, and some historians believe it has not been studied
\nenough and that existing research sometimes misrepresents it. This is a view
\nshared by Tudor Dinu, the author of an extensive work in three volumes entitled
\nBucure\u0219tiul fanariot (Phanariote Bucharest). He explains:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It’s a highly complex issue and a
\nmore nuanced approach is needed. At the time, Bucharest played host to many
\nbattles as part of the Russo-Austrian-Turkish wars, so these were already challenging
\ntimes. On the other hand, it was also a period of extensive development for the
\ncity, thanks to the actions of the Phanariote rulers. Indeed, it was during
\nthis time that almost the entire city was paved in wood; the first network of
\nfountains was installed, providing the residents of Bucharest with fresh drinking
\nwater; and street lighting was introduced, starting with Podul Mogo\u0219oaiei,
\ntoday’s Calea Victoriei. What’s more, during this time Bucharest would also become
\nthe most important learning centre in all of south-eastern Europe thanks to the
\nestablishment of the princely academy of St. Sava.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Although the Phanariote century marked
\nthe Orientalisation of Romanian culture, an influence rarely seen in the
\nRomanian lands before then, this period would also be characterised by a
\nprocess of Westernisation. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that
\nthe Phanariote rulers – all of whom, as mentioned earlier, were of Greek descent
\n– would act as conduits of Italian and, later, French culture in these parts,
\nespecially in Bucharest. The historian Tudor Dinu, the author of a book about Bucharest
\nduring the Phanariote era, tells us more:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Among other things, in my research
\nI discovered that it wasn’t true that the process of westernisation of the Romanian
\ncountries began only after 1821, when Phanariote rule came to an end. In fact, the
\nprocess began with the first Austrian occupation after 1789 and intensified
\nwith the arrival of the Russian troops in Bucharest, who were stationed here between
\n1806 and 1812. The Phanariotes allowed western culture to infiltrate these
\nparts because their role was also to inform the Ottoman Porte of the intentions
\nof the western powers. Westerners also began to settle in Bucharest in the 18th
\ncentury, especially Germans, who came not only from Transylvania but also further
\nafield. They made a fundamental contribution to the development of the city, in
\nparticular as building entrepreneurs, engineers and architects. It is to them
\nthat we owe the construction of Bucharest’s first breweries and the city’s first
\nhotel. French and Italian people also came to live here at this time, as every distinguished
\nfamily, every boyar, wanted a French tutor for their children or as a private
\nsecretary.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
On the subject of breweries and the
\nlikes, the historian Tudor Dinu describes in detail in his book what the people
\nof Bucharest would do for entertainment during the 18th century:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Every
\nday, the people of Bucharest would go to taverns, where they’d see fiddlers
\nperform. Some preferred cafes, where they’d smoke and play billiards, chess or checkers,
\nor watch performances and acrobatics shows.Above all, they would
\nindulge in political gossip. Others went to fairs, where the main entertainment
\nwere the swings, which were enjoyed by all the people of Bucharest, both young
\nand old, even the boyars. But perhaps the most popular form of entertainment
\nwas a kind of sport that has since completely disappeared and is unknown today.
\nThe name of this sport came from the Ottoman term for ‘reed’. It involved a
\nkind of face-off between two men on horseback armed with spears, which they
\nwould throw at their opponent, who would try to dodge them. It was by no means
\na gentle sport, being a kind of Ottoman jousting tournament. And, of course, gambling
\nwould also become a popular pastime and something against which the Phanariote
\nrulers would fight fiercely, trying to stamp out the practice as it led to the impoverishment
\nof the population.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
That
\nsaid, the authorities did permit some forms of gambling, such as an early form
\nof lottery tickets. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With historian Tudor Dinu about life in 18th century Bucharest during the Phanariote era,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":90486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45210],"tags":[28915,45618],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-169805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rri-encyclopaedia","tag-bucharest","tag-phanariote"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n