Roxandra Sturdza: A Portrait of a Phanariot Lady

Roxandra Sturdza (or spelled Stourdza) was born in 1786 in Constantinople and died in 1844 in Odessa. She was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress of Russia (Tsarina). This was a high position that allowed her to maintain connections with the influential European diplomats of her time. Roxandra was a Phanariot and the Phanariot ladies were cultivated and cosmopolitan women who were imbued with the idea of patriotism, motherhood and childrearing. The above assets were significant as they were considered that they secured the continuity of their Greek ancestry. Through the romantic correspondence that Roxandra maintained with Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776–1831), the first Greek Governor and also a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Court, and through the information and secret plans that she exchanged and confided to her beloved friend, it can be traced a ‘critical penetrating look’ in her handling of politics and diplomacy as well as a high level of education. Roxandra was also a shrewd observer of the people of her milieu. The present chapter looks to Roxandra’s character and personality, and focuses on her profile. It studies it from the gendered aspect as she was an exceptionally dynamic and emancipated woman. This chapter also seeks to explore the true purpose of her multifarious undertakings relating to her philanthropic as well as to her educational attempts in order to elevate the intellectual level of her enslaved Greek compatriots. Moreover, it aims to redress the gendered stereotype as the women of her epoch were—at large—considered to be the passive tokens of their husbands’ engagements. Roxandra was an exception. She demonstrated intense activity in many sectors and—above all—she had an amazing dexterity in diplomacy. This was a skill that women of her own milieu did not usually possess. Moreover, this chapter sheds light to her inner personal world and feelings by uncovering the veil of her unfulfilled desires and secret plans.