Ioan Sturdza (
Ioan Sandu Sturdza or
Ioniţă Sandu Sturdza; his first name may be given as
John) was a
Prince of
Moldavia (
June 21, 1822-May 5, 1828) and the most famous descendant of
Alexandru Sturdza. He is considered the first indigenous ruler with the end of
Phanariote rule (as a move the
Ottoman Empire undertook after seeing the political disadvantages of
Greek domination after the troubles in the
Greek War of Independence).
Immediately after the Greek revolution, Prince Ioan Sturdza took an active part in subduing the roving bands of
Eterists in
Moldavia; he transformed the
Greek language elementary schools into
Romanian language ones and laid the foundation for that scientific national development which Prince
Mihai Sturdza continued after
1834, especially after his founding of an upper school in the
Trei Ierarhi Cathedral complex in
Iaşi. Although his project for the confiscation of some Church properties was initially blocked by Russia, Sturdza opted not to revise his position.
Contested by the
boyars who had taken refuge in
Imperial Russia during
Ypsilanti's military rule over the country, and threatened to lose his throne after the
1826 Russo-Turkish
Akkerman Convention that established a seven-year term in office for Princes elected by the
Divan (confirmed by the Ottomans, with Russia's approval), Sturdza agreed to many boyar demands, including
tax cuts and exemptions from
conscription. However, Sturdza ensured
meritocratic criteria in access to public offices. At the same time, a conflict became apparent between high- and low-ranking boyars, after the proposed
constitution of
Ionică Tăutu was rejected by most of the former (a vocal minority under the leadership of
Mihail Sturdza).
In 1828, the Russians entered the country during the
War and took Prince Ioan prisoner. He died while being kept in
Bessarabia and was later buried in Iaşi.
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