Costache Conachi Explained

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Costache Conachi
Birth Name:Alexandru Conachi[1]
Birth Date:14 September 1778Julian
25 September 1778
Birth Place:Țigănești, Tecuci County, Moldavia actually Galați County
Death Date:Julian
Death Place:Țigănești, Tecuci County, Moldavia, actually Galați County
Other Names:Conaki, Konaki
Occupation:writer, poet, boyar, politician
Known For:precursor of modern Romanian poetry
Children:Ecaterina Cocuța Conachi
(b. Aug. 17, 1828)
Mother:Elena Cantacuzin
Father:Vornic Manolachi Conachi[2]
Family:Conachi family
Awards:Order of St. Vladimir 3rd class (Russian Empire)[3]

Costache Conachi (in Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan pronounced as /kosˈtake koˈnaki/; b. September 14/25, 1778, Țigănești, Tecuci County, Moldavia – d. February 4/16, 1849, Țigănești, Tecuci County, Moldavia, actually Galați County, Romania) was a Romanian boyar, politician, poet and writer noted for emphasizing reason and improving the craft of Romanian writing.[4]

Biography

Born as a member of the Conachi family, he was an affluent boyar from Moldavia.[5] If the Paharnicul Constantin Sion writes that the "Konaki family" is of Greek origin, "but for more than 160 years they came and have been related to many of the big [local] families", Paul Păltănea brought documents "which implies that the Conachi family descends from a family of "răzeși"[6] from the village of Știoborăni,[7] with documentary attestation from the time of Ștefăniță Vodă (1517-1527) or even of Stephen the Great (1457-1504). The female line of the family is also of 'răzeși'."[8]

As a child, Costache Conachi's education was the object of the most enlightened care. He was initiated into the finer points of Greek by a Greek archimandrite who lived in his father's house. A Turkish schoolmaster taught him his language and he learned French alongside a refugee revolutionary - Mr. Fleury.[9] At the Princely Academy of Iași, he studied modern Greek, Slavonic, philosophy, mathematics and law. He had undeniable aptitude for the profession of engineer and his in-depth knowledge of Moldavian law was to make him an indispensable man at a time when problems of organization and legislation were brought to the fore. He participated in the drafting of the Callimachi code[10] which he had translated into Romanian when he became Logothete and, later, he was part of the commission in charge of drafting the "Regulamentul Organic".[9]

Great boyar and great landowner, a contradictory figure at the time because he pleaded for the illumination of the people, he proposed a project to reform the education in Moldavia on the principle "The study must have a moral purpose".[11]

All the data about Costache Conachi, corroborated with the testimonies of reliable foreign observers, highlight his culture, seriousness, tact and frugality - rare qualities in the corrupt and ignorant environment of the boyar oligarchy in the time of the phanariots. His sober existence contrasted too violently with the habits of his time and foreigners have understood this best. In the well-documented memoir he wrote in 1834, the French consular agent Bois le Comte[12] depicts him as follows: „Under soft, caressing and shy forms, he hides instruction, a rather delicate spirit“. Another French consular agent is of the same opinion and praises the political prudence of the Grand Boyar. As for Saint-Marc Girardin, he discovered in Conachi „a figure such as I imagine those of the eighteenth century: something mocking and sardonic; but his sarcasm was directed against vice“.[9]

Preoccupied with astronomy, he bought from Vienna all the instruments necessary to establish an observation tower, including a telescope, bequeathed to the Society of Physicians and Naturalists; as a "geometer and boundary marker" he established boundaries and drew up plans of the boyars' estates[3]

In the literary field, Costache Conachi is regarded by many as the first true Romanian poet of his time. He is credited with infusing eroticism into Romanian poetry. Although he lived and worked in an era of Romanian literature that is hazy at best, his name is not easily forgotten.[13]

Coming from a wealthy family, Conachi had access to readings on foreign cultures and the works of great authors. This foundation of knowledge shaped his poems. It resulted in verses in Romanian marked with unprecedented elements such as eroticism.[13]

The great logothete Costache Conachi died on February 4, 1849, being buried next to his wife, in the Banu Church cemetery. Later, the remains of Costache Conachi and his wife were transported to Țigănești, near the church he had founded.[14]

Brief presentation

Studies

Socio-professional activity

Works

Posthumous Collections

Poetry

Translations

Awards

Notes

  1. Web site: Schiţe din viaţa Logofetului Konaki . 2023-07-01 . Convorbiri literare, year 20, no. 9, Dec. 1, 1886 . ro . Short events from the life of the Konaki Logothete . National Library of Romania.
  2. Web site: Testamentul şi pomelnicul marelui logofăt C. Conachi . 2023-07-01 . Convorbiri literare year 42, no. 12, Dec. 1908 . ro . The Testament and Diptych of the Great Logothete C. Conachi . National Library of Romania.
  3. Web site: Conachi, Costache, poet, dramaturg (1778-1849) . 2023-07-01 . bvau.ro . Biblioteca Județeană „V.A. Urechia” . Galați . ro . Conachi, Costache, poet, playwright (1778-1849).
  4. Book: Keith Hitchins. The Romanians, 1774-1866. 1996. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-820591-3. 126–127.
  5. Book: Nikolaĭ Karlovich Girs. The Education of a Russian Statesman: The Memoirs of Nicholas Karlovich Giers. registration. 1962. University of California Press. 207–208. GGKEY:A4T2TCF6CW8.
  6. Răzeși is the name given to free people, in the Middle Ages, in Moldavia[*]
    [*] Historical Romanian ranks and titles
  7. Știoborăni - a village in Solești commune in Vaslui County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It was a commune until the administrative reorganization of 1968
  8. Book: Păltănea, Paul . Neamul logofătului Costache Conachi . Ed. Albatros . 2001 . 9789732407653 . ro . Bucharest . Logothete Costache Conachi's family . 164594917.
  9. Book: Popovici, Dumitru . La litterature roumaine a l'epoque des lumieres . Centrul de studii si cercetari . 1945 . fr . Sibiu . Romanian Literature in the Enlightenment Age . 1078105796 . Central University Library "Lucian Blaga" Cluj-Napoca.
  10. The Callimachi (Calimach) Code [ro] was a civil code of Moldavia, created at the initiative of the ruler Scarlat Callimachi (Calimach), who promulgated it in 1817. This code is also called the Civil Code of Moldavia. When promulgated, the code was written in Greek. Its application became more consistent after 1833, when it was finalized, through translation, in the Romanian language. When compiling this code, it was aimed to combine local law, based on the custom of the land, with Byzantine law (Basilika and imperial legislation), while actually using, as main models, the French civil code from 1804 and the Austrian civil code from 1811.
  11. Web site: Personalităţi ale spiritualităţii tecucene din secolul al XIX-lea . 2012-05-28 . 2023-07-01 . calauza.edj.ro . Arhiepiscopia Dunării de Jos . ro . Personalities of the spirituality from Tecuci from the 19th century.
  12. Charles-Joseph-Edmond, Count de Bois-le-Comte (1796-1863) - French diplomat, ambassador to Spain (1824)[*]
    [*] List of ambassadors of France to Spain
  13. Părintele (re)găsit al poeziei româneşti: Costache Conachi . 2014-09-14 . 2023-07-01 . . . Zamfir . Mihai . ro . The (re)found father of Romanian poetry: Costache Conachi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060939/http://www.romlit.ro/printele_regsit_al_poeziei_romneti_costache_conachi. 2016-03-04.
  14. Web site: Copoul poetului Costache Conachi . The hill of the poet Costache Conachi . 2007-07-17 . 2023-07-01 . ziarullumina.ro . Mitican . Ion . ro . https://web.archive.org/web/20141029160237/http://ziarullumina.ro/file-de-poveste/copoul-poetului-costache-conachi . 2014-10-29 . Patriarchate of Romania.
  15. Aprod - official in charge of justice or fiscal affairs, or introducing guest to the court[*][*] Historical Romanian ranks and titles
  16. The General epitropy of the House of Saint Spiridon Hospitals was a non-profit organization that administered the "Saint Spiridon" Hospital in Iași as well as other hospitals in Moldavia from the mid-18th century until the health reform of 1948.
  17. Epitrop - administrator of the wealth of a church

See also

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