The image of the Russian Enlightened Monarch in the Romanian culture at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v5i2.23880Keywords:
Russian mirror of princes, cultural transfer, translation strategies, eighteenth century historiographyAbstract
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.
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]
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