240.00€
Rare Greek chapbook recounting the dramatic rise and fall of the influential Phanariot statesman Stavrakis, entitled:
Ιστορία διά στίχων απλών περιλαμβάνουσα τον βίον και τας πράξεις του μεγάλου άρχοντος και σπαθαρίου Σταυράκη και το αυτού θρηνωδέστατον τέλος και τον επονείδιστον θάνατον
(A Story in Simple Verse, Including the Life and Deeds of the Great Ruler and Spatharios Stavrakis, and His Most Mournful End and Ignominious Death)
Printed in Venice by the Phoenix (Φοίνιξ) Press, this scarce publication belongs to the tradition of nineteenth-century Greek popular booklets, verse narratives that circulated widely throughout the Greek-speaking world but rarely survived because of their fragile nature.
The work recounts the remarkable career of Stavrakis, one of the wealthiest and most influential Greeks of the eighteenth century. He first served as Great Spatharios to the Phanariot Prince Constantine Racoviță of Moldavia and later became his Kapı Kethüdası (official representative) in Constantinople. His political influence became so extensive that he reportedly played a decisive role in the appointment and dismissal of the rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia, while also intervening in the affairs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the promotion of senior church officials.
His immense wealth and political power eventually aroused the suspicion of Sultan Mustafa III. In 1765, despite having enjoyed the Sultan’s confidence, Stavrakis was arrested, hanged in the courtyard of his mansion at Arnautköy on the Bosphorus, and his vast fortune was confiscated by the Ottoman authorities. His spectacular rise and tragic downfall became the subject of popular historical literature and verse narratives such as the present work.
The chapbook survives in its original printed wrappers, a particularly desirable feature, as these ephemeral publications were frequently discarded, rebound, or lost.
Bibliographical details
Title: Ιστορία διά στίχων απλών περιλαμβάνουσα τον βίον και τας πράξεις του μεγάλου άρχοντος και σπαθαρίου Σταυράκη και το αυτού θρηνωδέστατον τέλος και τον επονείδιστον θάνατον
English title: A Story in Simple Verse, Including the Life and Deeds of Stavrakis and His Most Mournful End
Printer: Phoenix (Φοίνιξ) Press
Place of publication: Venice
Language: Greek
Pagination: 14 pages
Dimensions: 17.5 cm × 12 cm
Binding: Original printed softcover wrappers
Condition
Very good antique condition. Preserved in its original softcover binding with only minor age-related wear. The booklet is complete, with clean pages and light toning consistent with its age. An unusually well-preserved example of a fragile nineteenth-century booklet. Please consult the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.
An uncommon survivor of Greek popular printing, combining Phanariot history, Ottoman political intrigue, and nineteenth-century Greek publishing. A desirable acquisition for collectors of Greek antiquarian books, Phanariot history, Ottoman studies, Balkan history, and Venetian printing.
