Ureke, Grigore

(also G. Ureche). Born 1590; died 1647. Moldavian boyar. Author of The Chronicle of the Moldavian Land, the oldest surviving chronicle in the Moldavian language.

Ureke held high posts at the courts of the Moldavian hospo-dars and adhered to the pro-Polish faction in the struggle against the Turkish yoke. In his chronicle Ureke set forth events from Moldavian history beginning with the establishment of the state in 1359 and continuing up to 1595. The chronicle is based on chronicles and documents written in Moldavian, Polish, and other languages and on personal reminiscences. Ureke’s chronicle is an extremely valuable work of Moldavian literature and of 17th-century social and political thought. It is also an important example of the Moldavian literary language during the period of the language’s formation.