Portal:Greece/Selected biography/8

Alexander Mourousis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Μουρούζης, Alexandros Mourouzis; Romanian: Alexandru Moruzi; d. 1816) was a Great Dragoman of the Ottoman Empire who served as Prince of Moldavia and Prince of Wallachia. Open to Enlightenment ideas, and noted for his interest in hydrotechnics, Mourousis was forced to deal with the intrusions of Osman Pazvantoğlu's rebellious troops. In a rare gesture for his period, he renounced the throne in Wallachia, and his second rule in Moldavia was cut short by the intrigues of French diplomat Horace Sébastiani. A member of the Mourousis family of Phanariotes and the son of Constantine Mourousis (one of the few Ottoman-appointed Princes to die in office), he was educated to speak six languages in addition to his native Greek. Alexander was Great Dragoman under Sultan Selim III, in which capacity he helped mediate the 1791 Treaty of Jassy, ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792.