Nekulche, Ion

(also I. Neculce). Born 1672; died circa 1745. Moldavian chronicler.

Nekulche was descended from a prominent boyar family. His Chronicle of the Moldavian Country covers the period from 1662 to 1743. The chronicle, for the most part a memoir, is introduced by a preface and 42 historical legends—the first collection of Moldavian folklore. In his chapters on individual rulers Nekulche gives detailed information about wars, taxation, feuding among the boyars, the customs and mores of the ruling elite, and popular disturbances. He also offers interesting accounts of Tatar raids in Moldavia, the Polish-Turkish wars of the late 17th century, and the Russian campaigns in Moldavia in 1711 and 1739. Particularly valuable is the detailed description of Peter I’s Prut campaign in 1711. Nekulche himself participated in the campaign as the hetman of the Moldavian forces and an adviser to D. Kantemir and Peter I. Nekulche’s chronicle is an extremely valuable source for the political, social, and economic history of Moldavia.