The image of the Russian Enlightened Monarch in the Romanian culture at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v5i2.23880

Keywords:

Russian mirror of princes, cultural transfer, translation strategies, eighteenth century historiography

Abstract

This paper aims to reconstruct the way in which the Romanian written culture from the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth gradually built the image of the Russian Enlightened monarchy with three of its most famous representatives: Peter II, Catherine II and Alexander I. By means of translating from Italian and German historiography, these texts served a double goal: on the one hand they satisfied the reader’s need for knowledge and understanding of the contemporary events, and on the other they contributed to a political discourse that viewed Russia and the Russian Orthodox monarchy as potential saviours of the Romanian principalities from the oppression of the Muslim Ottoman Empire. By means of translation analysis, we have attempted to illustrate how the Western image of an Eastern monarch, guided by a blend of Western philosophy and Eastern Orthodox tradition, was transferred in the Romanian culture as a scientific base for political and cultural decisions.

Author Biographies

Alexandra Chiriac, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi

Alexandra Chiriac is Lecturer and a Researcher at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi since 2011, with research interests in translation studies, German and Romanian cultural studies, 18th century translation practice, terminology, science history. Her main publications include three monographies: Giulio Cesare Croce. Viaţa lui Bertoldo în spaţiul european şi varianta sa tradusă în Transilvania (Iaşi, 2016), Traduceri şi traducători în spaţiul românesc în secolul al XVIII-lea. Istoria Ecaterinei a II-a de J.M. Schweighofer şi varianta sa tradusă în Moldova (Iaşi, 2016) and the PhD thesis Parzivals Wende. Postmoderne Hypostasen des „Parzivals” in der deutschsprachigen Literatur am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts (Konstanz, 2013) and more than ten scientific articles published in International Databases.

Ana Catană-Spenchiu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași

Ana Catană-Spenchiu is researcher at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Department of Interdisciplinary Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, The Centre of Biblical-Philological Studies Monumenta linguae Dacoromanorum. She holds a PhD in Philology (2012) with the thesis Între Biblia de la Bucureşti (1688) şi revizia lui Samuil Micu din 1795. Probleme de traductologie [Comparison between the Bible from Bucharest (1688) and the 1795 Revised Version by Samuil Micu. Translation Issues]. She Co-authored and edited several volumes of the series Monumenta linguae Dacoromanorum. Biblia 1688 (2014-2015), and many articles with philological theme published in specialised volumes and journals. She is also organizer of the International Symposium Exploring the Romanian and European Biblical Traditions and editor of the Conference proceedings The Reception of the Holy Scripture: at the crossroads of Philology, Hermeneutics and Translation.

References

Primary texts:

Antonio Catiforo (1736). Vita di Pietro il Grande, imperador della Russia; estratta da varie Memorie publicate in Francia e in Olanda [Life of Peter, Emperor of Russia, selected from various biographies published in France and Holland]. Venice: Francesco Pitteri.

ms. 2353 BAR: Viaţa marelui Petru, aftocrator a toatã Rosia, pãrinte patriei, adunatã din multe pomeniri în Franţa şi în Olanda, ce s-au dat în doaua tomuri, iarã mai pre urmã s-au tãlmãcit den limba italieneascã în limba greceascã cu toatã nevoinţa de chir Alexandru Cantelariu, iarã dupã cea greceascã s-au tãlmãcit acum la înţelegerea rumâneascã de dumnealui Matei Fãrcãşanu, biv vel şatrar, la anii de la Hristos 1749 [Life of Peter the Great, emperor of all Russia, father of his land, selected from many writings from France and Holland, drafted in two tomes, then translated from Italian into Greek by Alexander Cantelariu and from Greek into Romanian by the merchant Matei Fãrcãşanu, in the year 1749 a.D.].

ms. 49 BAR: Viaţa Marelui Petru, Samoderjeţ a toatã Rosia, scrisu-s-au aceastã carte, ce se sãvîrşeşte în 6 cãrţi, cu toatã cheltuiala Preasfinţitului şi iubitoriului de Dumnezeu, episcopal Sfintei şi Dumnezeieştii Episcopii Huşului, chir Inochentie, în zilele prealuminatului domn şi oblãduitori a toatã Ţara Moldavii, Io Constantin Mihail Racoviţã Voievod. S-au scris la sfînta Episcopia Huşilor, leat 7264, iar de la Mîntuirea lumii 1756 mai 1 [Life of Peter the Great, autocrat of all Russia. This work was drafted in 6 books, at the expense of the Holy and God-loving bishop of the Holy Episcopacy of Huşi, Inochentie, in the days of the glorious ruler, protector of all Moldavia, Constantin Mihail Racoviţã Vaivode. This was written at the Holy Episcopacy of Huşi, in the year 7264 or 1756 a.D., the 1st of May]

ms. 3161 BAR: Istoria ruşilor şi viaţa Marelui Petru, monarhul ruşilor, şi vitejiele lor. Cartea politiei ruseşti şi vitejiile ruşilor, a monarhului Petru şi altor împãraţi şi stãpînitori […] la ano 1788, aprilie 20 Braşov [History of the Russians and the life of Peter the Great. The book of the Russian state and of the Russians’ braveries, of their monarch Peter and of other emperors and rulers […] in the year 1788, the 20th of April, Braşov].

Johann, Michael Schweighofer (1787): Katharina II. Eine Skizze. Nebst der Beschreibung von Taurien und der Stadt Cherson [Catherine II. A draft. Along with a description of Crimea and the City of Kherson]. Wien: In der von Gelhschen Buchhandlung.

ms. 3102: Ecaterina al doile. Istorie adunatã a împãrãţii rusãşti, dinceputul ei pîn la anul de acum împreunã şi scriere împreguru a tavricescului hersonescului ostrov şi a oraşului Hersonii. Tãlmãcitã de pre limba nemţascã pre limba greceascã apla la anul 1787 şi de pre aceasta pre limba moldoveneascã cu cheltuiala ieromonahului chir Inochenţie, egumenul sfintei mãnãstiri Pîngãraţiului şi scrisã de logofãtul Ioniţã Chira la anii 1788. [Catherine II. A compiled history of the Russian empire, from its beginning until this year, together with a description of the Crimean Peninsula and of the city of Kherson. Translated from German into Greek in the year 1787 and from Greek into Moldavian, at the expense of the hieromonarch Inochentie, prior of the holy Monastery of Pîngãraţi, written by the logothete Ioniţã Chira in the year 1788].

Johann Daniel Friedrich Rumpf (1814). Alexander I, Kaiser von Russland. Ein Regierungs- und Karaktergemälde. Königl. Preuss. expedir. Secretär bei der Abgaben-Direction in Berlin, bei G. Hayn, mit dem Bildniss des Kaisers, 1814 [Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. The portrait of his rule and character, written by the imperial secretary from the Berlin Directorate and published by G. Hayn, with a portrait of the Emperor, 1814].

Johann Daniel Friedrich Rumpf, Arătarea stăpânirei şi a caracterului lui Alexandru I. Împăratul a toată Rossia. Întocmită prin I.D.F. Rumpf, crăiescul praisesc a Direcţiei din Berlin secretar-expeditor, şi Mărirei Sale celui pre dreptate şi moştenitoriu craiu al Borusiei Fridrih Vilhelm III închinată. Iară acum întâiu pre românie prefăcută şi tipărită cu chipul împăratului. La Buda, în Crăiasca Tipografie a Universitatei Ungariei, 1815. [The description of the rule and character of Alexander I, emperor of all Russia. Written by I.D.F. Rumpf, imperial secretary from Berlin Directorate, dedicated to his Holiness, crown prince of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III. For the first time translated into Romanian and published with a portrait of the Emperor, at Buda, in the Publishing House of the Hungarian University, 1815]

General literature:

Avram, M. (2005). Activitatea tipografiei de la Buda de la începuturi și până la cenzoratul lui Petru Maior / The Printing Activity of Romanian Printing House from beginnings to the censorship of Petru Maior. Târgu Mureş: Biblioteca Județeană Mureș. Libraria, IV.

Berindei, D. (1984). Fanariotische Herrscher und rumänische Bojaren in den rumänischen Fürstentümern (1711-1821) / Fanariot Rulers and Romanian Boyars in the Romanian Principalities (1711-1821). Revue Roumaine d‘Histoire, XXIII (4), 1-14.

Birtsch, G. (1987): Idealtyp des aufgeklärten Herrschers / The Ideal Typology of the Enlightened Ruler. Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag.

Bourgault, S., Sparling R. (2013). Introduction. In S. Bourgault, R. Sparling (eds), A Companion to Enlightenment Historiography. (pp. 1-22). Leiden: Brill. DOI: 10.1163/9789004251847.

Camară, I. (2017). Observații asupra textelor despre războaiele napoleoniene apărute la Buda în anii 1814-1815 / Observations on the Texts published in Buda between 1814 and 1815 concerning the Napoleonic Wars. Annales Universitatis Apulensis. Series Philologica, (1), 145-154. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=600302.

Cernovodeanu, P. (1971) Preoccupations en Matiere d’histoire universelle dans l’Historiographie Roumaine aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siecles. (II) / Preoccupations with subjects of world history in the Romanian historiography of the 17th and 18th centuries. Revue Roumaine d’Histoire, X(2), 293-312.

Cernovodeanu, P. (1974). Préoccupations en matière d'histoire universelle dans l'historiographie roumaine au XVIIe et XVIIIe siècle / Preoccupations with subjects of world history in the Romanian historiography of the 17th and 18th centuries. Revue Roumaine d’Histoire Revue Roumaine d’Histoire, IX(1), 73-94.

Cernovodeanu, P. (1975). Pierre le Grand dans l’historiographie roumaine et balkanique du 18e siècle / Peter the Great in the Romanian and Balcanic Historiography of the 18th century. Revue des etudes sud-est europeenes, XIII(1), pp. 77-93.

Chiriac, A. (2016). Istoria Ecaterinei a II-a de J.M. Schweighofer şi varianta sa tradusã în Moldova / The History of Catherine II by J.M. Schweighofer and its version translated in Moldavia. Iaşi: Editura Universitãţii “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”.

Ciobanu, V. (2007). Evoluţii politice în Europa Centralã şi de Est (1774-1814) / Political developments in Central and Eastern Europe (1774-1814). Iaşi: Editura Junimea.

Cioran-Camaraianu, A. (1958). Traducerile în limba greacã şi românã a “Nakazului” Ecaterinei a II-a. / The Translations in Greek and Romanian of Catherine II’s “Nakaz”. Studii. Revistã de istorie”, XI(2), pp. 123-132.

Ciurea, A. (1942). Figuri de ierarhi moldoveni. Leon Gheucã (Episcop de Roman 1769-1786; Mitropolit al Moldovei 1786-1788/89) / Portraits of Moldavian Hierarchs. Leon Gheucã (Bishop f Roman 1769-1786; Head of Moldavian Mitropolite Church 1786-1788/89). Luminãtorul, LXXV(1-2). Chişinãu: Tipografia Cartea Româneascã.

Dima, E., Dima, G. (2013). Vita di Pietro de Antonio Catiforo şi versiunile româneşti din secolul al XVIII-lea / Vita di Pietro by Antonio Catiforo and the Romanian versions from the 18th century. Iaşi: Editura Universitãţii “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”.

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Gallagher, N. (2013). The Beginning of Enlightenment Historiography. In S. Bourgault, R. Sparling (eds.), A Companion to Enlightened Historiography (pp. 343-371). Leiden: Brill Publishing House. DOI: 10.1163/9789004251847.

Gay, P. (1996). The Enlightenment, an Interpretation: The Science of Freedom. Norton Company.

Pavel, E. (ed.) (2018). Școala Ardeleană. Antologie de texte / The Transilvanian School Text antology. București: Editura Fundaţiei Naţionale pentru Ştiinţă şi Artă.

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Published

2022-05-15

How to Cite

Chiriac, A., & Catană-Spenchiu, A. (2022). The image of the Russian Enlightened Monarch in the Romanian culture at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century. Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies, 5(2), 57–83. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v5i2.23880