Mourouzis family

The Mourouzis (Greek: Μουρούζης) or Moruzi (Russian: Мурузи, Muruzi) are a family which was first mentioned in the Empire of Trebizond. Its origins have been lost, but the two prevalent theories are that they were either a local family originating in a village which has a related name or else one that arrived with the Venetians during the Fourth Crusade (since there are records of a Venetian family with a similar name a generation earlier). They became one of the leading families of Greek Phanariotes. The family moved to present-day Romania (the Danubian Principalities) in the 17th century, became Dragomans of the Porte and boyars, and gave Wallachia and Moldavia two hospodars – Princes Constantine and Alexander. Constantine's great grandson Demetrius fled to Russia after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, where his progeny was permitted to use the Princely title in 1893 and in 1905. Members of the family remained in Romania and Bessarabia until the Soviet occupation post-World War II.

House of Muruzi in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Other members

• Panagiotis Mourouzis, Dragoman of the Fleet and Dragoman of the Porte
• Michael Mourouzis (d. 1821) Dragoman of the Fleet
• Alexandru Constantin Moruzi (1815–1878), Romanian economist and politician
• Dumitru C. Moruzi (1850–1914), Moldavian-born Imperial Russian and Romanian civil servant, folklorist and writer
• Maria Moruzi-Cuza (d. 1921), wife of Ion I. C. Brătianu, and mother of Gheorghe I. Brătianu

See also

• Muruzi House

References

• Iurie Colesnic, Reîntoarcerea pribeagului (on Dumitru C. Moruzi and his family) (in Romanian).
• Petre Out, ""Adevărul rămâne oricare ar fi soarta celor care l-au servit". Gh.I.Brătianu – un istoric printre politicieni", in Dosarele Istoriei, 1/VI, 2001.

External links

• The Moruzi Family Manor (in Romanian)