Konstantinos Hangerli

Constantine Hangerli (, Konstantinos Chatzeris; – 18 February 1799), also written as Constantin Hangerliu, was a Prince of Wallachia between 1797 and the time of his death. He was the brother of Alexander Hangerli, who served as Prince of Moldavia in 1807.

Biography Early life and investiture As a Phanariote, Hangerli claimed heritage from the Byzantine family of the Palaiologos. He was married to Doamna Roxana, who survived his death. According to one account, the surname Hangerli had been assigned to one of his ancestors by Sultan Mehmed IV, after allegedly saving his life by curing him of a potentially fatal illness.

After serving as Dragoman of the Fleet, Constantine surprised foreign diplomats through his appointment to the throne in Bucharest, in competition with the much more prestigious Alexander Ypsilantis. He probably owed this rise to the influence of his friend and former associate, Kapudan Pasha Husein Küçük: the latter had been dispatched to quell the rebellion of Osman Pazvantoğlu in Rumelia, and requested that Wallachia be made secure through the investiture of a trustworthy prince.

Hangerli reached Bucharest on 4 January 1798, breaking with local custom by entering the city area through Podul Mogoșoaiei, instead of Calea Șerban Vodă. For unknown reasons, he stayed there for more than a month, before temporarily settling in the Saint Sava Monastery, where he remained until Curtea Nouă was completely repaired. Despite this, the tax continued to face stiff opposition from the part of Orthodox clergy and Metropolitan Dosiftei Filiti. so as to avoid a rebellion against Hangerli, all the boyars were subsequently exempt from this new tax.

The early months of 1798, during which princely envoys raided the country while peasants attempted to hide their livestock, became known as "Hangerli's winter".

The ensuing war between the Ottomans and Pazvantoğlu brought several defeats for the former, prompting Husein Küçük to take refuge in Bucharest. Fearing the anger of Selim III, he attempted to throw the blame on Hangerli for not having raised enough funds. Catching news of this, the prince tried to intrigue against Küçük, but was disfavored after a coalition of his political adversaries began campaigning against him. According to the chronicler Dionisie Eclesiarhul, Hangerli attempted to buy back Küçük's protection by having him attend a banquet during which prostitutes, disguised and introduced as members of the most powerful boyar families, competed for the pasha's attention.

Execution On 11 February 1799, the sultan issued a firman to execute Hangerli on the spot, and a kapucu was dispatched to Bucharest, accompanied by an executioner (whom Dionisie described as "a frightening Moor"). The pair made efforts to travel in secrecy, and, upon their arrival, spent three days in seclusion at the Beilic Inn. The guards, who stormed in after hearing the shots, were shown the firman, and could no longer intervene. The kapucu displayed Hangerli's head for all witnesses to see, stating: "Here is the dog that ate away the sultan's rayah".