19 Facts About Rallou Karatza

Rallou Karatza-Argyropoulos was a Phanariote Greek actress, theater director, and dramaturge, noted as a participant in the Greek War of Independence.

Rallou Karatza was the second daughter of John Caradja, the Prince of Wallachia, and thus a prominent member of the Caradja family.

In 1816 or 1818, Rallou convinced her father to finance her artistic projects, and founded the first court theater, at Cismeaua Rosie of Bucharest.

Rallou Karatza followed her husband into the Kingdom of Saxony, dying there at the age of 70 or 71.

Rallou Karatza was by then consecrated as a literary character, in works by Panagiotis Soutsos and Nicolae Filimon.

Rallou Karatza was born in 1799 at Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire, as the second of three daughters from John's marriage to Eleni Caradja; the latter was from a Phanariote banking family, the Skanavis.

Rallou Karatza received a classical education, being especially versed in music and Greek literature.

Rallou Karatza was the country's Caimacam, between Cardja's investiture on 27 August 1812 and 22 October, the date of his actual ascent to power.

Rallou Karatza was known to have covered up her father's spoils system, when, in February 1815, she bought Contesti village from Caradja loyalist Ioan Hagi Moscu, in exchange for 115 thousand thaler, only to sell it back in August for a much smaller sum.

Rallou Karatza approved of local Prussians, who introduced her and others at the court to their lager, and who flew a hot air balloon from Dealul Spirii in June 1818.

Rallou Karatza organized a new troupe, whose star pupils included Costache Aristia; it moved to a new stage at the princely complex, and had a repertoire comprising adaptions from Euripides, Longus, Sophocles, as well as Vittorio Alfieri and Voltaire.

Rallou Karatza proposes that the performer was a foreign guest of hers, whose name remains unrecorded.

Rallou Karatza's note suggests that the Prince and his progeny left together with the other courtiers and family members, including Mavrokordatos, Constantin Vlahutzi, and Aga Vlangaru; a woman named Sofiita was used as a scout.

At Pisa, Rallou Karatza entered a political correspondence with Tzanny Koutoumas, her father's agent in Paris.

Rallou Karatza is known to have penned a Greek translation of the History of Ancient Greece, by John Gillies.

Rallou Karatza continued to draw revenue as a Wallachian landowner, obtaining from her brother Konstantinos the city of Ploiesti, as a nominal fief.

Rallou Karatza died in that town on 16 April 1870, some two years after Princess Roxani.

Rallou Karatza was survived by her two children: Eleni, who had married the Baron de Rouen, and a son, Greek diplomat Emmanouil Argyropoulos.

Rallou Karatza was celebrated by the intellectual circles of Wallachia and the post-Wallachian Kingdom of Romania, though some details of her life remained obscure.