Dimitrie Cantemir

Prince of Moldavia

Dimitrie or Demetrius Cantemir (Romanian pronunciation: [di'mitri.e kante'mir], Russian: ??????? ????????; 26 October 1673 – 21 August 1723), also known by , was a Romanian prince, statesman, and man of letters, regarded as one of the most significant early Enlightenment figures.

He twice served as voivode of Moldavia (March–April 1693 and 1710–1711). During his second term he allied his state with Russia in a war against Moldavia's Ottoman overlords;

Russia's defeat forced Cantemir's family into exile and the replacement of the native voivodes by Greek phanariots. Cantemir was also a prolific writer, variously a philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer.

His son Antioch, Russia's ambassador to Great Britain and France and a friend of Montesquieu and Voltaire, would become known as "the father of Russian poetry".