„Spre bătrâneţe m-am povârnit”: Diata marelui ban al Ţării Româneşti, Grigore Greceanu (1748)
„Vers la vieillesse j’étais accablé”: le testament du grand ban Grigore Greceanu (1748)

Summary/Abstract: The present article edits and analyses Grigore Greceanu’s last will and testament, drew up towards mid-eighteenth century. As a Wallachian high dignitary, Grigore Greceanu was well acquainted with the judicial practices of the country and he made use of this knowledge in writing his own testament. Without any direct heir, as all his six children had died, Grigore Greceanu named his wife as his sole inheritor. As he expected his numerous relatives to contest this will, Grigore Greceanu made all efforts to ensure its legal soundness. Thus, a close analysis of the testament, which is edited in the appendix of this study, reveals both judicial and moral arguments in favour of his last will. The moral ground of Grigore Greceanu’s decision is that his wife supported him through all the suffering endured during their 41 years of marriage: wars, political persecutions, their children’s deaths and illness. In order to put into practice his decision, Grigore Greceanu displays a whole range of judicial strategies to reinforce his testament. For instance, he reiterates several times that the testament was written by his own hand. Moreover, he builds a convincing case in favour of his wife, by referring to the laws and customs applied in eighteenth-century Wallachia.

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