Coulter, L.J.F.; (1993) The involvement of the English Crown and its Embassy in Constantinople with pretenders to the throne of the Principality of Moldavia between the years 1583 and 1620: with particular reference to the pretender Stefan Bogdan between 1590 and 1612. Doctoral thesis , University of London.

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Abstract

In the late sixteenth century English commerce expanded under the auspices of the Levant Company into the Ottoman Empire, which resulted in the establishment of an English Embassy at Constantinople, enabling the English Crown to pursue its aspirations as a European power. English Ambassadors involved themselves in the affairs of the Ottoman Empire and surrounding states, including those of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, both Ottoman vassal states. In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries a number of men claiming to be the rightful rulers of these principalities sought the support of the English Crown and its Embassy in Constantinople; prominent amongst them was Stefan Bogdan. The Introduction discusses various historians' contributions to the study of Stefan Bogdan's career. Chapter 1 examines Moldavia's relations with the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Poland. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the status and activities of the English Embassy and its early ambassadors. Chapter 4 deals with England's involvement with Moldavian and Wallachian pretenders prior to 9tefan Bogdan's approaches. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 examine Bogdan's aspirations, the steps he took to achieve his goal and the reasons for his ultimate failure and considers the nature of the support accorded him by the English Crown. Chapter 8 discusses the career of Gaspar Gratiani, a former embassy employee, who was appointed Prince of Moldavia as a reward for subsequent services to the Sultan. The Conclusion discusses the preoccupations of English diplomacy in this period as revealed by English policies towards Moldavia. This thesis aims to describe the establishment of one of the first permanent English Embassies abroad and shed light on a difficult period in the history of what is now part of modern Romania.

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